The 21st Annual Philippine Biodiversity Symposium will be held from 17-20 April 2012 and will be hosted by Flora and Fauna International, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, and the Philippine National Museum. The theme of the 2012 symposium is “Forests Sustaining Life”.

Registration and the opening program and cocktails will be held at the Philippine National Museum (Manila) starting at 1 pm on April 17th. On the evening of April 17th, registered participants will be bused to the Dasmariñas campus of De La Salle University (Dasmariñas City, Cavite) where the symposium will continue, culminating with the farewell dinner on the evening of April 20th. Please help us by circulating this announcement to others who may be interested and book the dates on your calendars. Pre-Register here and visit wildlifeconservation.ph for future details and announcements.

About the WCSP
The Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines (WCSP) is a professional organization of wildlife researchers, managers, scientists, and conservationists. The Society was formed to advance wildlife research and conservation in the Philippines through promoting collaborative research, providing technical assistance and training and increasing public awareness. Since 1992, wildlife biologists and conservationists from throughout the country have been meeting at different venues around the Philippines every April and the proceedings from most of these annual meetings have been published. The WCSP was officially registered in 1993. You can join the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines or renew your membership at the symposium.

WCSP symposia have focused on terrestrial biodiversity and conservation but these efforts have much to learn from coastal and marine conservation experiences especially those that work with local communities and local government units and include community research and education. The WCSP definition of “wildlife” includes all indigenous terrestrial organisms (including plants, freshwater fishes, and terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates) in the natural environment, the ecosystems they comprise, and marine mammals and marine turtles. The 2012 WCSP symposium will have a particular emphasis on forests, forested watersheds, their biodiversity, and the services they provide to human communities.

Key Symposium Activities
• Institutional Fair. Institutional presentations will be in the form of posters or exhibits at a fair that opens on the first day of the symposium. Those with things to sell or distribute (e.g., educational materials, research equipment, community livelihood products) can sign up for display tables/booths.
• Contributed Papers (Oral Presentations and Posters). Those who wish to present 15-minute oral presentations or posters on aspects of wildlife conservation including research, and site conservation action, advocacy, education, and policy are encouraged to submit abstracts for screening and selection following the guidelines provided below. Full written papers will be reviewed for publication in the WCSP Proceedings.
• Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations. A special session will be allocated for 15-minute oral presentations by undergraduate students on aspects of wildlife (following the WCSP definition above). Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations. Abstracts should be submitted according to the guidelines below. Qualifying undergraduate student presenters who also submit written papers have priority for the limited financial support for travel and accommodations. Full written papers will be reviewed for publication in the WCSP Proceedings.
• Workshops/ Roundtable Discussions. One or two afternoons of the symposium will be allocated for concurrent 3 hour-long workshops on important aspects of biodiversity research and conservation that are suited to more flexible treatment (e.g., roundtable discussions, demonstrations, interactive sessions). Proposals for workshop sessions are welcomed (see below).
• WCSP Annual General Meeting. The reports and proposals of the WCSP and its various committees will be presented, discussed, and deliberated upon at the symposium.

Guidelines for Abstract, Workshop Proposal and Full Paper Submissions
We encourage everyone to follow the guidelines below. Abstracts that do not conform to the specific guidelines will not be prioritized. Guidelines for posters and oral presentations can be downloaded here.

• Guidelines for Abstracts for Oral and Poster Presentations (including undergraduate student oral presentations). The abstract is the primary means by which the WCSP Screening Committee will evaluate papers for oral or poster presentation. All accepted abstracts would be included in the Symposium Program and Abstract Book to be distributed during registration. Given that symposium participants will come from varied backgrounds, the abstract should be written in simple, clear, and concise language, but should also provide as much detail as possible on the objectives, methods, results, and significance of the study or effort.

The abstract must not exceed 250 words, typed double-spaced (Arial, 12 pt) on letter-sized paper and saved as a .doc file with the name of the first author in the filename (e.g., Ramos, WCSP abstract). The abstract should be submitted electronically to wcsp.symposium(at)gmail.com with subject heading: WCSP Symposium_Abstract. The abstract should include, where relevant, the objectives, question(s) or problem(s) addressed, the general approach or methods, the main results or findings, and the overall conclusion(s). The Title must be in bold (do not capitalize except first letter and proper names). Name(s) of author(s) follows on the next line, underlined, and separated by commas with the presenter’s name in bold. Authors’ affiliation(s), including complete mailing and e-mail addresses, follows on the third line.

Note that many wildlife research activities, particularly collection of biological specimens, require a Gratuitous Permit (GP) from the DENR. Contact the Regional DENR Office (Protected Areas and Wildlife Services Division) or the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau for more information.

• Guidelines for Workshop Session Proposals. Proposals for workshop sessions should include the Workshop Title, workshop moderators/facilitators (at least two) and their institutional affiliations, and a concise description of the workshop topic, its relevance to wildlife conservation, and how the workshop session will be run (not exceeding 250 words). Send workshop proposals to wcsp.symposium(at)gmail.com with subject heading: WCSP Symposium_Workshop.

• Guidelines for Full Papers. The Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines publishes papers as a special issue in a peer-reviewed journal, which includes papers presented at the Annual Scientific Meetings. All potential oral and poster presenters are encouraged to submit full papers for publication in this special issue of the journal.

Manuscripts should be in publishable form. Potential authors should download an electronic copy of the Guidelines for Papers for the WCSP Proceedings here. The text of all sections should be double-spaced. Figure captions and tables should be placed at the end of the manuscript, and each table should be on a separate page. Figures should be submitted as separate files. Lines and text in figures should be legible even after reduction to journal format. If possible, figures should be in black-and-white or grayscale. Total length of the entire paper should not exceed 14,000 words, excluding tables and figures. Include the name of the first author in the filename (e.g., Ramos_Fig 1). Do not e-mail files larger than 2MB without prior approval.

Deadlines and Addresses for Electronic Submission
• Institutional posters or booths (later applications welcomed subject to availability): 15 December 2011
• Abstracts for contributed oral or poster presentations (including those by graduate students): 15 December 2011
• Abstracts for contributed oral or poster presentations by undergraduate students: 31 January 2012
• Full papers: 1 March 2012

Limited financial support for travel and symposium attendance will be provided to selected presenters. Priority will be given to those who submit full papers and to undergraduate student presenters.

Registration Fees
Fees are inclusive of symposium kit, welcome cocktails on April 17, lunch and AM and PM snacks from April 18-20, and farewell dinner on April 20.
Early Bird Registration: Register on or before 29 February 2012, Wednesday to avail of the discounted rates.
• Regular Rate Php 2,700
• Full-Time Student: PhP 1,350 (with proof of status)

Payments can be deposited to the Society’s Account.
Account Name: Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines
Bank Name: BPI Family Bank, Los Baños Branch
Current Account Number: 00580-5-04550-9
Note: Please scan the deposit slip and email to wcsp.symposium@gmail.com and bring a copy of the deposit slip with you as proof of payment to the Symposium. We cannot trace bank payments without the deposit slip.

On-site Registration:
• Regular Rate: Php 3,000
• Full-Time Student: PhP 1,500 (with proof of status)

Pre-Registration for 2012 Symposium
Please pre-register for the symposium here. If you cannot access the site, email wcsp.symposium(at)gmail.com