Short Course Proposals
Instructions, Requirements & Criteria
Short Courses
Short courses offer training in topics of key relevance to the practice of conservation for students or any other professionals. Preference will be given to proposals that address tools or concepts that course participants can easily share with others. Short courses will be scheduled for the days before or after the main scientific program, June 23, 24, & 28, 2024 (scheduling as per logistics and travel constraints, but dates finalized on course acceptance), but there is some limited availability for 1.25-hr short courses during lunch breaks of the main program days (June 25-27, 2024). Sessions should be aimed at development of professional skills in topics of key relevance to the practice of conservation.
Proposal Format
Proposals must contain the following information:
- Short Course title (150 character limit)
- Organizer(s) name, affiliation and complete contact information, including email address
- Duration – between 1.25 hours – 16 hours
- Preferred days for hosting short course
- Proposed theme and justification for why the topic is appropriate and significant for a short course. Please include the intended audience (300 word limit)
- An abstract describing the session. This abstract will be used to advertise the session. (300 word limit)
- Detailed description of the session including a list of proposed topics and a list of confirmed speakers/presenters (with affiliation and field of work) and contact information. Please also include a positionality statement on behalf of all presenters/facilitators. (850 word limit)
- Maximum number of participants
- Room set-up requirements
- Bite-sized abstract (less than 280 characters) (to help in advertising session)
- Session organizer(s), moderator(s), presenter(s) and participants must agree to the participation policies.
Review Criteria
Criteria for Selection
All proposals will be peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers selected by the NACCB 2024 Scientific Program Committee. Applicants will be notified about the status of their proposals and any requested revisions by early winter 2023. Broad or specific relevance to the conference theme, Celebrating Diversity in Conservation from Summit to Sea, is encouraged but not a selection criterion for short courses.
To increase the probability that your proposal will be selected, please consider the following criteria carefully:
- Merit of the proposal: contributing to the field of conservation, quality of the work
- Opportunity for professional skills development in key conservation topics
- Relevance to North American conservation issues
- Novelty of the topic
- Diversity among invited speakers and organizers, as reflected in the positionality statement.
- Recognition of diverse knowledge systems relevant to conservation issues (e.g., indigenous, local, and western systems).
- Demonstrated concordance with at least one of the four goals of the Society for Conservation Biology North America: science, management, policy, education, or a coherent linkage among these 4 areas, described below:
Conservation Science – The scientific research and knowledge needed to understand and conserve biological diversity is identified, funded, completed, disseminated and applied to research, management and policy.
Conservation Management – Conservation practitioners and managers are provided the scientific information and recommendations needed to conserve biological diversity at all scales.
Policy – Policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations, and foundations, are effectively informed and improved by the highest quality scientific counsel, analysis, and recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological diversity.
Education – Education, training, and capacity-building programs, including but not restricted to content focused on communications & behavior change are identified, strengthened, and developed to inform the public, education leaders, and support current and future generations of conservation scientists and practitioners.
Topical Areas
| Disciplines | Ecosystems | Issues/Other |
| Agroecology
Biogeography Conservation Communication/Marketing/Design Community-based Conservation Community Ecology Conservation Genetics Conservation Psychology Conservation Technology Disease Ecology Disturbance Ecology Education/Outreach Environmental or Ecological Economics Environmental/Conservation Planning Landscape Ecology Policy Population Dynamics Restoration Ecology Social Science Spatial Ecology Indigenous Knowledge/Traditional Ecological Knowledge Urban Ecology Water Conservation Wildlife Conservation Indigenous Conservation Conservation Marketing Animal Behavior Conservation Culturomics |
Agricultural
Desert Freshwater & Wetland Grassland & Savannah Marine & Coastal Non-specific Polar & Alpine Rangeland Rural Temperate Forest Tropical Forest Urban Coral Reefs |
Adaptive Management & Monitoring
Applied Ethics & Values Capacity Building Citizen/Community Science Climate Change Conservation GIS Conservation in Hotspots Endangered Species Recovery & Management Human-Wildlife Conflict & Co-Existence Invasive & Non-Native Species Interdisciplinary Approaches to Conservation Institutional/Organizational Issues Land Use Change/Conservation Modeling Novel Ecosystems Population Viability Analysis Research Methods Remote Sensing Risk Assessment & Uncertainty Science & Management Interface Conservation Conflict Political Ecology Conservation Action/Environmental Justice Religion and Conservation Biology Impact Evaluation Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Justice Land Management |
Important: Session organizers will be provided with AV package options and pricing upon acceptance of a proposal. Organizers are responsible for covering all AV, catering, and additional equipment/printing costs. Organizers can cover catering and AV costs (orders will be placed by SCBNA) by charging a registration fee for the course. SCBNA will not be able to distribute remaining funds to organizers. The conference committee will work with organizers to determine an appropriate price level for registration, and minimum number of attendees. Organizers may instead choose to cover these costs via sponsorship or other means if obtained. Costs beyond AV and catering must be covered in a manner separate from registration fees. If a short course does not obtain the minimum number of attendees required to cover costs, the session may need to be canceled. The conference committee will inform organizers of such an event in a timely manner.
For additional questions, contact: conferences@scbnorthamerica.org
NACCB 2024
Vancouver, Canada
June 23-28, 2024
Questions? Email conferences@scbnorthamerica.org
Policies and Responsibilities of Session Organizers & Presenters