Internationally recognized experts will explain why biodiversity is important, review global biodiversity loss, and discuss how biodiversity conservation activities can be incorporated into agricultural activities ranging from aquaculture to livestock production and traditional row and tree crops. In addition, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will present a half-day program on USAID biodiversity conservation earmark requirements and how agricultural development projects can be designed to meet them.
Symposium speakers come from such organizations as the Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources, the World Conservation Union, Forest Trends and Ecoagriculture Partners, and the Centro Agronmico Tropical de Investigacin y Enseanza.
The symposium is sponsored through two large USAID-funded projects that Virginia Tech manages, the Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program and the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program. Additional support comes from the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation, the PUNTACANA Resort and Club, and the Virginia Tech Office of International Research, Education, and Development.
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Contact: Susan Felker
sfelker@vt.edu
540-231-7188
Virginia Tech
30-Mar-2006