Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine

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Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine

• Group concluded it would operate more effectively
  if it amalgamated with MEDINET (COMNAP)
  (recommendation)
• Development of Human Biology and Medical Research
  involvement during IPY (recommendation)
• Collaborative research of medics and bios
• Microbial flora of seal mouths
• Transmission of Lyme disease by Ixodes ticks in
  birds
• Do human viruses affect indigenous animals

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Expert Group on Seals

• Document produced for delisting Fur Seals
• APIS report delayed. LSSSG requested CO-EGS to do
  all that is required to ensure that the outcomes
  of the APIS programme, and especially population
  data on Antarctic seal species, are made
  available as soon as possible.

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Expert Group on Birds

• Guidelines on aircraft approach distances adopted
  by COMNAP
• ratification of ACAP (Agreement for the
  Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels)
  (recommendation)
• identify Antarctic IBAs (Discussion with SC-ATS)
• produce assessment of the status of Southern
  Giant Petrels (for CEP 2005)
• detrimental effects of flipper bands on penguins,
  reports now indicating adverse effects
  (recommendation)
• initial discussions on the need for marine
  ecosystem reference areas in the Southern Ocean
  (SCAR-CCAMLR-CEP)

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Progress report on the EASIZ programme
Final Symposium 27 Sept. to 1 Oct. 2004 Korcula,
Croatia
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Progress report on the EVOLANTA programme

• Proceedings of the workshop on
• Adaptive Evolution of
• Antarctic Marine Organisms
• (Siena, It.)
• were published in
• Antarctic Science vol 16, no.1 (2004)

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Progress report on the RiSCC programme
www.riscc.aq

• Field work highlights
• NL, GB, G Peninsula Transect (Falklands, Signy
  I., Anchorage I., Mars Oasis)
• I, NZ, US, SA Latitudinal Gradient Project
  (Victoria Land)
• F, AUS, SA, B, NL Four-Islands Project (Marion
  I., Kerguelen A., Crozet A., Heard I.)

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Progress report on the RiSCC programme

• RiSCC related activities have now produced over
  100 papers
• Recent highlights include
• Frenot, Y. et al. (2004) Biological invasions in
  the Antarctic extent, impacts and implications.
  Biological Reviews (in press)
• Huiskes, A.H.L. et al. (2004) Stable isotope
  ratios as a tool for assessing changes in carbon
  and nutrient sources in Antarctic terrestrial
  ecosystems Plant Ecology (in press)
• Robinson, S.A. et al. (2003) Living on the edge -
  plants and global change in continental and
  maritime Antarctica. Global Change Biology 9
  1681-1717
• Walther, G.-R. et al. (2002) Ecological responses
  to recent climate change. Nature 416389-395

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Progress report on the RiSCC programme

• Vth RiSCC workshop in Varese
• (I, 2003)
• Results
• 1. Volume of Terra Antarctica Reports
• 2. Draft Code of Conduct (recommendation)
• VIth RiSCC workshop in Paimpont
• (F, 2004)
• Result
• Life acros the Frigid Biome Biogeographical
  patterns in the Antarctic Region
• draft for Science(?)

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Special Research ProgrammeEvolution and
Biodiversity in the Antarctic

• Collaboration of Marine, Terrestrial, and
  Limnetic Biologists
• Describe the past,
• understand the present,
• predict the future.
• (recommendation)
• More about EBA under item 5.3 of the agenda

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Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica

• Within EBA
• AG for the
• Circum-Antarctic Census of Marine Life
• (recommendation)
• Comprises also SCAR-MarBIN

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Special Research Programme Subglacial Antarctic
Lake Exploration

• The LSSSG endorses and strongly supports the SALE
  SRP
• (recommendation)

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Special Research Programme Antarctic Climate
Evolution

• LSSSG urges EBA SPG and ACE SPG to explore the
  apparent connections in the mutual objectives of
  the programmes

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Specially Protected and Managed Area plans
LSSSG elected four members to assist the SC-ATS
in the assessment and adoption of ASPAs and
ASMAs E. Fanta, Brazil J. Valencia, Chile E.
Woehler, Australia L.G. Sancho, Spain
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Action Group on Biological Monitoring

• Membership increased AEON, E. Fanta (liaison
  CCAMLR).
• Open workshop at College Station (TX, USA),
  16-03-2005 18-03-2005, outcome working paper
  for ATCM, Stockholm.
• Establish connection with ICG-CEP

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Antarctic Conservation in 21st Century

• Workshop in March 2005
• Plenary discussion on the workshop report during
  SCAR IXth Biology Symposium, Curitiba, Brazil

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IXth SCAR Biology Symposium
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IPY activities

• Circum-Antarctic Census of Marine Life
• Biodiversity of remote areas (in combination with
  traverse by glac./clim.)
• Arctic-Antarctic research (with ITEX?/ Northern
  RiSCC)
• Quantifying human-carried propagules
• Programme on human biology and medical research

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Strategic Plan for SCAR

• LSSSG meeting was very supportive.
• 2 Concerns
• Is there financial room to support
• 5 major research programmes?
• Why are the financial implications of
• a renewed agreement with SCOR
• and SO-GLOBEC put on the budget
• of the LSSSG?

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Open Science Conference

• LSSSG positive despite earlier reservations
• Include one session with few keynote speakers on
  a hot topic followed by lots of discussion

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Office Bearers

• A. Huiskes (Netherlands), Chief Officer
• succeeded S. Chown (South-Africa)
• K. Conlan (Canada), Secretary
• succeeded A. Huiskes
• L. Palinkas (United States of America), Deputy
  Chief Officer
• Position of second Deputy Chief Officer
• lapsed