Events

The Peat Days, organized by the Latvian Peat Association and the Latvian National Peat Society, will be held from September 5-8. The event features seminars with government and industry experts discussing peat's role in climate and regional development, alongside excursions to various swamps and peat extraction sites, and educational activities at the Riga Zoo. The program aims to explore opportunities, trends, and reclamation practices in the peat industry.

The IUCN UK annual conference, "Peatlands, People and Nature," will be held from September 17-19, 2024, at Macdonald Aviemore Resort in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. The event will unite land managers, policymakers, scientists, and restoration experts to discuss peatland restoration, its role in a green economy, and its benefits for biodiversity and climate. The conference will also feature a report on progress and future goals for the UK Peatland Strategy, with hybrid attendance options for broader accessibility.

Join the Faculty of Engineering for a talk by Dr. Magnus Gålfalk, a pioneering researcher who has journeyed from exploring the cosmos to unraveling the mysteries of our own planet's climate. Dr. Gålfalk's fascination with space began at the young age of ten, leading him to pursue a doctorate focused on star formation. However, a chance encounter over a decade ago propelled him to redirect his astronomical expertise towards addressing one of Earth's most pressing challenges—climate change.

In this talk, Dr. Gålfalk will share his experience of crossing disciplinary boundaries to apply advanced astronomy techniques to environmental research. Learn how hyperspectral cameras, originally designed to analyze the chemical compositions of distant stars and galaxies, are now revolutionizing the way we detect and measure greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor across various landscapes. Come and explore how looking to the stars can help us better understand and protect our own planet.

Discover insights from his recent field projects, including innovative methods of attaching sophisticated measuring instruments to drones for enhanced data collection. 

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of:

• The transformative potential of interdisciplinary research and technology transfer.
• Cutting-edge measurement techniques improving the accuracy and efficiency of environmental monitoring.
• Future prospects for integrating astronomical data and methods into broader environmental studies.

The Peatland Science Centre's international Peatland Science Conference (iPSC) will explore scientific and practical topics on peatlands over three days, highlighting their importance as major carbon reservoirs. The conference will feature discussions on research, management, and policy, with field excursions to Bavarian peatlands on the final day. It aims to advance understanding and conservation efforts for these critical ecosystems.

Webinar on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (in English with the option for translated captions in French), hosted by Dr. Dominique Gravel, Canada Research Chair on Integrative Ecology, Full professor in the Biology Department of University of Sherbrooke (QC).

Discover the integrated scientific monitoring system of Biodiversité Québec and the global context of follow-up indicators Pr. Gravel’s team is hoping to implement, as well as the financial impact indicators. We will end the webinar with a discussion on ecological restoration and the challenges of defining economic indicators specific to restoration.

To register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6017247056760/WN_P0WybVHlQwWVDSBWscap9A

Cross-Biome Connections: Ecological Restoration on a Diverse Continent 

The SER North American 2024 Conference will provide an interactive forum to learn and share about the science and practice of ecological restoration across ecosystems and disciplines to better connect a diverse and engaged restoration community.

MoorNet status conference on 19 and 20 November 2024 will focus on the topic of "The role of nature conservation and climate protection in peatland protection - synergies and conflicting objectives". The aim is to gain an overview of current and expected future synergies and conflicts of objectives between nature conservation and climate protection in peatland protection and to identify specific further development and action requirements, both in terms of content and in terms of the "instruments" and "formats" required.

Ducks Unlimited Canada will host the Wetland Knowledge Exchange Webinar over Teams. Maria will give an introductory presentation on "Can-Peat: Canada’s Peatlands as Nature-Based Climate Solutions," followed by presentations from three HQPs involved in the Can-Peat project, each sharing their specific research. The webinar will focus on the role of peatlands in climate change mitigation and the potential for these ecosystems to serve as critical nature-based solutions.

Contact canpeat@uwaterloo.ca if you want to join. 

Each year, AGU’s annual meeting, the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, convenes 25,000+ attendees from 100+ countries to share research and connect with friends and colleagues. Scientists, educators, policymakers, journalists and communicators attend AGU24 to better understand our planet and environment, opening pathways to discovery, opening greater awareness to address climate change, opening greater collaborations to lead to solutions and opening the fields and professions of science to a whole new age of justice equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

This December, AGU24 returns to Washington, D.C. with the theme “What’s Next for Science.” 

On World Wetlands Day, WHO celebrates the vital role of wetlands in safeguarding human health and wellbeing amid the changing climate. Wetlands including marshes, swamps and floodplains are nature’s buffer against climate change. They absorb excess rainfall, reduce flooding risks and help to protect critical infrastructure including health facilities.