A successful ICC 2022!
To the CICR and ICON Community:
On February 3 - 5, 2022, the Center for Integrative Conservation Research held its biennial Integrative Conservation Conference (ICC), which brought together over 250 participants from 13 countries and 5 continents – suggesting a growing interest in the ICC. Attendees were diverse, with students and faculty from more than 50 academic institutions and representatives of tribal agencies, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector.
Organizing such a conference and doing so in the context of the uncertainties of a global pandemic is no easy task. I want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the Conference Co-Chairs, Kristen Morrow and Bryan Bozeman, who did a remarkable job of keeping the process on track, thinking through every detail, and tactfully navigating the complexities of a program on a particularly daunting theme. I also want to acknowledge the other students and faculty who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the conference ran smoothly, from both logistical and programmatic standpoints. These included Jeffrey Beauvais and Jorge Rojas (Presentation Sessions Committee); Rachel Arney (Workshops Chair); Maya Henderson (Panel Chair); Justice Britton, Amit Kaushik and Alyssa Quan (Charette Committee); Alec Nelson and Asa Julien (Technology Committee); Alyssa Quan and Patty Torres (Logistics Committee); David Hecht and Lainie Pomerleau (Communications and Publicity Committee); and Talley Vodicka, Nate Nibbelink, Rhianna Hohbein, Lindsey Popken and myself (Steering Committee). They also include those who provided opening remarks (the two co-chairs and Nate Nibbelink, former CICR Director) or graciously accepted roles as chairs (Justice Britton, Lizzie King, Alyssa Quan and Julie Velasquez Runk).
I also want to acknowledge the generous support of this year’s ICC sponsors: the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research; the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts; the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; the Department of Marine Sciences; the Odum School of Ecology; the Office of Sustainability; Chemonics International; UGA's Ideas for Creative Exploration; the Nature Conservancy; and the Upper Oconee Watershed Network.
As a testament to the creativity of the conference organizers, this year’s program was incredibly rich, including each of the following:
By centering the theme “decolonizing conservation research and practice,” we sought to honor this moment of racial reckoning and wider calls for racial, climatic and environmental justice by using the ICC as an opportunity to grow, to unlearn certain habits of the past and to re-learn – asking how we might root graduate education and integrative research in the lessons of this moment and grow from it. While this conversation may not have resonated with all of you, for those who were able to attend, it undoubtedly broadened the conceptual canvas from which we think and write. The conversations were incredibly rich, and based on the informal feedback received to date, seemed to energize people from near and far. While everyone will have their own highlights, I’d like to center Dr. Sherry Pictou’s observation of how Indigenous views and forms of relationality are caught between the two extremes of fortress conservation on the one hand, and neoliberal extraction on the other. If I were to highlight a few of the many noteworthy quotes, I might start with this one from Dr. Pictou: “I think women standing up in front of industrialists, at the risk of losing their lives and at the risk of being criminalized, is what conservation is all about.” Or perhaps the observation by Mordecai Ogada that, “Conservation, the term itself, is a concept that grows out of a destructive society; in Kenya, there is no Indigenous society that has conservation as a word. You just protected the water because you need the water.”
I have so much gratitude for the incredible outpouring of energy, creativity and raw talent into this year’s ICC. If anyone has any ideas for how to make the 2024 ICC an even greater success, please reach out; we would love to have you at the planning table next time around!
Sincerely,
Laura German
Director, Center for Integrative Conservation Research
On February 3 - 5, 2022, the Center for Integrative Conservation Research held its biennial Integrative Conservation Conference (ICC), which brought together over 250 participants from 13 countries and 5 continents – suggesting a growing interest in the ICC. Attendees were diverse, with students and faculty from more than 50 academic institutions and representatives of tribal agencies, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector.
Organizing such a conference and doing so in the context of the uncertainties of a global pandemic is no easy task. I want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the Conference Co-Chairs, Kristen Morrow and Bryan Bozeman, who did a remarkable job of keeping the process on track, thinking through every detail, and tactfully navigating the complexities of a program on a particularly daunting theme. I also want to acknowledge the other students and faculty who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the conference ran smoothly, from both logistical and programmatic standpoints. These included Jeffrey Beauvais and Jorge Rojas (Presentation Sessions Committee); Rachel Arney (Workshops Chair); Maya Henderson (Panel Chair); Justice Britton, Amit Kaushik and Alyssa Quan (Charette Committee); Alec Nelson and Asa Julien (Technology Committee); Alyssa Quan and Patty Torres (Logistics Committee); David Hecht and Lainie Pomerleau (Communications and Publicity Committee); and Talley Vodicka, Nate Nibbelink, Rhianna Hohbein, Lindsey Popken and myself (Steering Committee). They also include those who provided opening remarks (the two co-chairs and Nate Nibbelink, former CICR Director) or graciously accepted roles as chairs (Justice Britton, Lizzie King, Alyssa Quan and Julie Velasquez Runk).
I also want to acknowledge the generous support of this year’s ICC sponsors: the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research; the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts; the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; the Department of Marine Sciences; the Odum School of Ecology; the Office of Sustainability; Chemonics International; UGA's Ideas for Creative Exploration; the Nature Conservancy; and the Upper Oconee Watershed Network.
As a testament to the creativity of the conference organizers, this year’s program was incredibly rich, including each of the following:
- Two opening night presentations led by UGA students (Rachel Arney, Maya Henderson, Lindsey Popken and Olivia Ferrari) to provide some conceptual and theoretical scaffolding around the conference theme of “decolonization conservation research and practice”;
- A keynote address by Dr. Sherry Pictou, a former Mi’kmaw Chief of L’sɨtkuk, Nova Scotia and Assistant Professor of Law and Management and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Governance at Dalhousie University;
- Films by Dr. Sherry Pictou and UGA’s own Dr. LeAnne Howe (Director of the Institute of Native American Studies);
- A panel chaired by Dr. Julie Velasquez Runk that brought together representatives of tribal agencies, non-profits and universities from Canada, Kenya, Peru and the United States to explore what it means to decolonize conservation and the role of non-Indigenous conservation actors in advancing equity, justice and sovereignty for Indigenous peoples and First Nations;
- A charette involving Mike Lavoie and Tommy Cabe from the Natural Resources Department of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and their United States Forest Service partners (Drs. Michelle Baumflek and John Schelhas);
- A lunchtime discussion facilitated by Dr. Lizzie King exploring where science fits with the concept and practice of decolonization;
- 10 presentation sessions with 46 presentations;
- Workshops on data visualization with ggplot2 (led by ICON students Alec Nelson and Angela Hsiung) and Nagoya Protocol implementation (led by Dr. Pete Brosius);
- A poster session, with many posters profiling the research of undergraduates; and
- A closing roundtable reflection on what conference attendees “unlearned” and “relearned” throughout the conference.
By centering the theme “decolonizing conservation research and practice,” we sought to honor this moment of racial reckoning and wider calls for racial, climatic and environmental justice by using the ICC as an opportunity to grow, to unlearn certain habits of the past and to re-learn – asking how we might root graduate education and integrative research in the lessons of this moment and grow from it. While this conversation may not have resonated with all of you, for those who were able to attend, it undoubtedly broadened the conceptual canvas from which we think and write. The conversations were incredibly rich, and based on the informal feedback received to date, seemed to energize people from near and far. While everyone will have their own highlights, I’d like to center Dr. Sherry Pictou’s observation of how Indigenous views and forms of relationality are caught between the two extremes of fortress conservation on the one hand, and neoliberal extraction on the other. If I were to highlight a few of the many noteworthy quotes, I might start with this one from Dr. Pictou: “I think women standing up in front of industrialists, at the risk of losing their lives and at the risk of being criminalized, is what conservation is all about.” Or perhaps the observation by Mordecai Ogada that, “Conservation, the term itself, is a concept that grows out of a destructive society; in Kenya, there is no Indigenous society that has conservation as a word. You just protected the water because you need the water.”
I have so much gratitude for the incredible outpouring of energy, creativity and raw talent into this year’s ICC. If anyone has any ideas for how to make the 2024 ICC an even greater success, please reach out; we would love to have you at the planning table next time around!
Sincerely,
Laura German
Director, Center for Integrative Conservation Research
Conference Schedule
Latest update: 2/3/22
Conference Program
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Download the full conference program here.
This year's conference featured 50+ research presentations, a keynote address by Dr. Sherry Pictou, an interdisciplinary panel discussion, a conservation film screening, and much more!
Download the program to view the full slate of conference events. See the abstract guide for a complete list of presentation abstracts. |
Click to download the program.
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Please note that the conference program and abstract guide are subject to change. Latest update: 2/3/22.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sherry Pictou
Dr. Sherry Pictou is a Mi’kmaw woman from L’sɨtkuk (water cuts through high rocks) known as Bear River First Nation, Nova Scotia. She is an Assistant Professor and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Governance at the Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law and the School of Public Administration. She is also a former Chief for her community and the former Co-Chair of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples. More recently, she became the first woman Honorary District Chief for the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq. She is a member of the IPBES Task Force on Indigenous and Local Knowledge. Her research interests include decolonizing treaty relations, Social Justice for Indigenous Women, Indigenous women’s role in food and lifeways, and Indigenous knowledge and food systems.
Dr. Pictou currently holds a SSHRC Partnership Grant in Partnership with KAIROS Building Indigenous-Academic-Not-for-Profit Relations for Mobilizing Research Knowledge on the Gendered Impacts of Resource Extraction in Indigenous Communities in Canada.
Learn more about Dr. Pictou's scholarship here, and her documentary film projects here.
Dr. Pictou currently holds a SSHRC Partnership Grant in Partnership with KAIROS Building Indigenous-Academic-Not-for-Profit Relations for Mobilizing Research Knowledge on the Gendered Impacts of Resource Extraction in Indigenous Communities in Canada.
Learn more about Dr. Pictou's scholarship here, and her documentary film projects here.
ICC 2022 Sponsors
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