US-Gabon Workshop 2011: Evolution and conservation of Central African biological diversity: new approaches and avenues for international collaboration

研讨会的主要目标是为积极从事中非赤道雨林生物多样性演变研究的美国和外国主要科学家提供一个合作交流的论坛。拟议的研讨会将于2011年在加蓬举行，将由PI和美国科学家（纽约州奥尔巴尼州立大学的Gonder博士;生态与环境公司的Lahm博士，DC）与外国合作者合作（Mickala博士，加蓬马苏库科技大学; Jeffery博士，加蓬大猩猩和黑猩猩研究站;英国斯特林大学Abernethy博士和英国卡迪夫大学Bruford教授）。鉴于刚果盆地的生物重要性和该地区面临的保护挑战，这次研讨会不仅将努力提出一个连贯的综合我们目前对该区域生物多样性演变的理解，而且还将为今后的演变研究及其在保护方面的应用提出建议。指导委员会选出的35名以上的参与者包括一系列广泛的进化生物学家，自然资源专家和大学教育工作者。它们的集体专门知识和目前的研究活动涵盖该区域大多数主要分类群体和国家。具体目标如下：（i）评估我们目前对中非赤道雨林生物多样性分布的进化模式和过程的了解;（ii）确定共同的研究重点，并确定我们目前知识库中的重要差距;（iii）确定跨学科研究、数据共享和将遗传方法应用于保护管理和政策的新途径;（iv）探索将热带进化研究与学生教育相结合的创新方法;（v）探索美国、欧洲和非洲科学家之间未来合作授予机会的潜力。基于PCR的新技术、非侵入性采样方法、更快的计算机和大量免费软件的出现有望彻底改变我们对中非生物多样性演变的理解。尽管有这些概念和技术上的进步，大多数在中非的进化研究一直局限于单一物种的研究，从一组有限的植物和动物类群。此外，许多最令人兴奋的进展，在分子生态学和多学科的进化研究（例如景观遗传分析，条码倡议等）。还有待于在整个区域实施。因此，本研讨会旨在通过汇集美国和外国科学家来解决这一需求，为未来的研究建立一套共同的研究目标，并探索合作交流和教育的机会。讲习班还将把学者、资源管理人员、保护工作者和教育工作者聚集在一起，努力确定遗传数据如何能够对区域保护工作作出具体贡献。更广泛的影响：（1）加强美国和在中非从事进化生物学和保护研究的外国科学家之间的合作;（2）为美国研究人员和学生寻找海外培训和研究的机会;（3）为大型多研究人员资助申请奠定基础，如NSF PIRE奖计划;（4）就今后的研究途径和如何利用遗传数据为养护管理和政策提供信息提出一套建议;（5）出版讲习班讨论情况综述，整理教育材料，分发给讲习班与会者。该奖项由国际科学与工程办公室的非洲，近东和南亚计划资助。

The main goal of the workshop is to provide a forum for collaborative exchange between key US and foreign scientists actively engaged in research on the evolution of biological diversity in the equatorial rainforests of Central Africa. The proposed workshop will take place in Gabon in 2011 and will be jointly organized by the PI and US scientists (Dr. Gonder, State University of New York-Albany, NY; Dr. Lahm, Ecology and Environment Inc., DC) in cooperation with foreign collaborators (Dr. Mickala, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Gabon; Dr. Jeffery, Station d'Etudes sur les Gorilles et Chimpanzés, Gabon; Dr. Abernethy, University of Stirling, UK and Prof. Bruford, Cardiff University, UK).Given the biological significance of the Congo basin and the conservation challenges this region faces, this workshop will not only strive to present a coherent synthesis of our current understanding of the evolution of biological diversity in the region but also provide recommendations for future evolutionary research and its application to conservation. The 35+ participants selected by the steering committee comprise a broad array of evolutionary biologists, natural resource specialists and university educators. Their collective expertise and current research activities span most major taxonomic groups and countries in the region. The specific aims are as follows:(i) assess our current knowledge of evolutionary patterns and processes underlying the distribution of biological diversity in the Central African equatorial rainforest (ii) establish common research priorities and identify important gaps in our current knowledge base(iii) identify novel avenues for cross-disciplinary research, data sharing and ways of applying genetic approaches to conservation management and policy(iv) explore innovative ways of combining tropical evolutionary research with student education(v) explore the potential for future collaborative granting opportunities between US, European and African scientists.Intellectual merit: The advent of novel PCR based technologies, non-invasive sampling methodologies, faster computers and a vast proliferation of freeware promises to revolutionize our understanding of the evolution of central African biological diversity. Despite these conceptual and technological advances, most evolutionary research in Central Africa has been limited to single species studies from a limited set of plant and animal taxa. Moreover, many of the most exciting advances in molecular ecology and multi-disciplinary evolutionary studies (e.g. landscape genetic analyses, barcoding initiatives etc.) have yet to be applied across the region. The present workshop therefore seeks to address this need by bringing together US and foreign scientists to establish a set of common research objectives for future research and explore opportunities for collaborative exchange and education. By bringing academics, resource managers, conservation practitioners and educators together, the workshop will also strive to identify ways that genetic data can make a concrete contribution to regional conservation efforts. Broader impacts: (1) Enhance collaboration between U.S. and foreign scientists engaged in evolutionary biology and conservation research in Central Africa; (2) Identify opportunities for overseas training and research for U.S. investigators and students; (3) Lay the groundwork for large multi-investigator grant applications such as the NSF PIRE award program; (4) Establish a set of recommendations on future avenues for research and ways of using genetic data to inform conservation management and policy; (5) Publish a synthesis of workshop discussion and collate educational materials for distribution to workshop participants. This award is being funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering's Africa, Near East, and South Asia Program.