First Wildlife Forensics Workshop and Symposium

A New Zealand and Australian Perspective

	Workshop (limited to 15 participants)	Sympsosium
Date	Tuesday and Wednesday, 1-2 February 2011	Thursday and Friday, 3-4 February 2011
Time	9 a.m to 4 p.m	8 a.m to 5 p.m
Location	New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM), Auckland Zoo, Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand	View Wildlife Forensics Workshop & Symposium in a larger map

NZCCM, EcoGene and ESR are delighted to facilitate the first Wildlife Forensics Workshop and Symposium. This event will foster exchange of ideas and information on wildlife forensic topics relevant to New Zealand and Australia. It will be a unique opportunity to bring together scientists, researchers and those involved in the application and enforcement of this area of science.

The workshop will be a hands-on opportunity to learn and practice forensic techniques from leading international experts John and Margaret Cooper. The Coopers will hold technical lectures in the morning and practical sessions in the afternoon.

The symposium will host presentations from national and international experts including key speaker Professor Bruce Weir from the University of Washington.

Programme

For further details on the programme please click HERE

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of interest to attend the workshop and/or symposium are warmly invited. Please register your interest HERE before September 10, 2010

Oral Presentations

Should you be interest to present at the symposium, please submit a title and brief abstract of your presentation to Dianne Gleeson (gleesond@landcareresearch.co.nz) before September 10, 2010.

Key Speakers

Professor Bruce Weir, Universtiy of Washington

Professor Weir is a well known biostatistician whose interest lie in all aspects of statistical genetics including those involving forensic science. One of his greatest contributions to statistical genetics is his work on the elaboration of descent measure theory. This theory has provided scientists with tools to further understand population dynamics.

John and Margaret Cooper

John and Margaret Cooper are a husband and wife team, from the United Kingdom. John E Cooper trained as a veterinary surgeon and is now a specialist pathologist with particular interests in wildlife and exotic species, tropical diseases and comparative medicine. Margaret E Cooper is a lawyer who qualified originally as a British solicitor and has made the study of animal and conservation law her special interest. The Coopers have travelled widely and lectured together in many countries. They have spent nearly ten years living in Africa, including a period in Rwanda working with themountain gorillas. They recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago where, during a six-year period at the Universityof the West Indies,they combined their medical and legal backgrounds in the promotion of an interdisciplinary approach to veterinary and biological education,wildlife conservation and forensic science. Now based again in the UK, the Coopers are involved in teaching at various universities and developing their professional interests, especially in animal law and forensics.

In 2007 they jointly published "Introduction to Veterinary and Comparative Forensic Medicine": www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405111010&site=1

They are currently writing their next book, entitled "Wildlife Forensics: Principles and Practice". The Coopers believe strongly that, in this litigious age, veterinarians, biologist and others concerned with animals need to have more training in forensic techniques so that evidence is correctly presented and reports are of maximum value to courts of law. Competence in these respects is important in terms of wildlife conservation, animal welfare, professional standards and the judicial process.

Additional Speakers

Name	Title and organisation
Dr Dianne Gleeson	Research Leader, Ecological Genetics, Landcare Research, New Zealand
Dr Rebecca Johnson	Manager DNA Laboratory, Australian Museum
Dr Shane Lavery (To be confirmed)	Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Dr Peter Smith (To be confirmed)	Manager, Biotechnology Group, NIWA, New Zealand
Stuart Williamson	Senior Investigator, Wildlife Enforcement Group, New Zealand

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