Aquatic Invasive Alien Species in Southeast Asia (AIASSEA) Symposium @ NUS, 26-27 July 2017

The organising committee from the Department of Biological Sciences and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore wishes to invite you to join them for the Aquatic Invasive Alien Species in Southeast Asia (AIASSEA) Symposium, to be held in at the National University of Singapore on 26th and 27th July 2017 http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/AIASSEA2017/index.html  

The event details are:

• Date and time:

o   Wednesday 26th July 2017, 8:50 am–5:00 pm (Day 1 registration begins at 8:15 am)

o   Thursday 27th July 2017, 9:00 am–12:45 pm (Day 2 registration begins at 8:30 am)

• Venue: Lecture Theatre 31, Block S16, Level 3, Science Drive 2, NUS (http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/AIASSEA2017/venue.html)

• Overview: Introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) resulting from anthropogenic removal or bypassing of natural dispersal barriers is a global issue with far-reaching environmental, economic, and human health impacts. In aquatic environments, the frequency and extent of IAS introduction and establishment can often be exacerbated by the intensification of socio-economic activities, particularly introduction pathways that are associated with international trade. For the biodiverse Southeast Asian region, the impacts of aquatic IAS could worsen in the coming decades with increasing urbanisation and resource exploitation. From an ecological perspective, IAS can impact native communities directly (e.g., predation and competition) and indirectly (e.g., habitat modification, alteration of food web and trophic interactions). Economic impacts of IAS include threats to food security as well as control/management costs and opportunity costs. Human health impacts can be in the form of physical injury or zoonotic diseases. The AIASSEA 2017 symposium aims to bring together leading international and regional researchers with the overall goal of disseminating and sharing current knowledge, ongoing research, and expertise on aquatic invasive alien species in Southeast Asia.

• Speakers: There will be plenary presentations http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/AIASSEA2017/plenary-speakers.html  and shorter talks http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/AIASSEA2017/invited-speakers.html by leading international experts and local/regional researchers on overviews of freshwater and marine invasions, taxa-specific investigations, and ecological mechanisms in biological invasions

The mix of talks is aimed at researchers, students, planners, managers, relevant/interested government agencies, and the general public.

If you are interested, please pre-register at http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/AIASSEA2017/register-here!.html by the 12th July 2017.