In September the UK biodiversity conference was held in Wales at Aberystwyth. It gave an opportunity for people working in nature conservation at all levels from Government to volunteers to come together to hear about projects and research focusing on conservation on biodiversity in the UK. A fieldtrip was also organised to the Dyfi Biosphere Reserve - a good reminder amongst all the talking of the benefits effects of action to undertake positive management on an internationally important site for wildlife. Presentations included talks on ‘Living Landscapes’ – landscape-scale conservation projects with widespread benefits for wildlife and people, updates from all the UK countries on their actions for conservation and how they are reviewing their biodiversity action plans, and how biodiversity action is being integrated into business management.

A number of workshops were held which allowed attendees to discuss different topics. Some of the conclusions from the workshops were:

• Language and communication is vital to get the biodiversity message across all sectors in the most effective way and to engage with the public. What can we learn from other successful sectors, e.g. advertising and marketing, to help get our biodiversity message across?
• We need to get people out into the natural environment for some ‘real world learning’. We need an up-and-coming generation of new ecologists with a good knowledge of the natural environment to ensure that there is the expertise to continue the conservation work required to conserve our natural environment. We need more people getting involved in conservation: volunteers, recorders, activists.
• The importance of brownfield habitats was highlighted; they can some be some of the most ecologically rich sites in the country. Novel methods of habitats retention are required as these sites are generally targeted for development. The importance of these sites should be highlighted amongst fellow professionals, e.g. planners, economists and landscapes architects.

More about the conference can be seen on the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website: www.walesbiodiversity.co.uk