We are pleased to announce that the “European Conference of Tropical Ecology” - the annual scientific meeting of the Society for Tropical Ecology (Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie, gtö) - will be organized in 2017 in Brussels, Belgium, by three Universities and three research-museum institutions. It will take place from Monday 6 to Friday 10 February 2017, on the campus “Etterbeek” from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, a location easily reached from the city centre by public transport.

The overarching topic will be “(re)connecting tropical biodiversity in space and time”. It highlights both the importance of integrating fundamental sciences inferring past processes (e.g. paleoecology, evolution, social history…) to understand current patterns of biodiversity, and the urgent need to reconnect patches of fragmented landscapes if we wish to conserve tropical biodiversity and ecological services of tropical ecosystems for future generations.

This conference aims to connect researchers at all levels of their career and from all disciplines relevant to tropical ecology, and to promote scientific exchanges and cooperation in a friendly atmosphere. Students and young scientists are very welcome and to encourage them, the organizers of the conference will make their best to maintain costs accessible to all. The conference addresses also topics relevant for tropical ecosystem managers, conservationists and policy makers, who are encouraged to participate and exchange with researchers.

The scientific program of the conference includes plenary talks by renowned international scientists presenting syntheses or new results on topics of broad interest, and contributed talks or posters organized in thematic sessions. For the 2017 edition, a free half-day is programmed on Wednesday pm to allow you to participate to specialized workshops, discover tropical collections of nearby research-museum institutes, or visit Brussels at your best convenience. We hope that these extra-activities will give a break in the flow of contributed talks and help create new contacts between participants. A welcome reception (Monday evening), an evening public conference (Tuesday) and the conference dinner “party” (Thursday) will complete the social program.

For more Information, please check: HERE