Aim

The 2012 International Wild Equid Conference is a meeting of scientists, managers, and wildlife professionals that are actively working on issues of equid conservation and management throughout the world. Wild equids continue to face decline globally and this meeting will provide a platform for engaging professionals in constructive discussion, collaborative conservation action, and stimulating innovative approaches to conservation and management. In contrast, feral horse populations continue to increase rapidly and often compete with native wildlife, including wild equids, and innovative tools are needed to estimate abundance and control population growth rates. Topics of this meeting will include ecology of wild equids, equid-human conflict, genetics, equine disease, abundance estimation, conservation of small populations, management of overabundant populations, and wild equid reintroductions.

Program

The four day conference will consist of 3 days of intensive scientific program including workshops. Each day will be sparked by a key note lecture :

• Daniel I. Rubenstein [Link 1], Princeton University: Ecological niches and strategies of the different equid species
• Joel Berger [Link 2], WCS and University of Montana: Equids within the context of landscape level conservation
• Sandra L. Olsen [Link 3], Carnegie Museum of Natural History: The cultural perspective of the human-equid relationship

A rich social program will allow participants to interact and discuss more casually while enjoying Vienna’s century old history. A mid conference field trip will bring participants to beautiful Lake Neusiedl National Park, located along the shore of Austria’s largest and Europe’s westernmost steppe lake. Famous for its rich bird and amphibian life, the NP also houses a group of semi-wild Przewalski’s horses.

Tentative agenda [Link 4]

Abstract submission and pre-registration

The call for abstracts is already open. Abstracts can only be submitted after pre-registration. Pre-registration will allow us to send you updates on the conference as soon as they become available (program update, accomodation, registration, etc.). Pre-registration is not binding.

Registration [Link 5]

Abstract submission [Link 6]

Language

Please note that the conference will be conducted in English - simultaneous translation will not be available.