Annual Report 2001

ISB Commission 1

(Vegetation dynamics, climate, and biodiversity)

Submitted by Mark D. Schwartz, Chair

Members of the Commission participated in a “Workshop on Phenology & CO2 and H2O Fluxes” held at the Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station, Finland, 3-5 September. The goal of the workshop was to bring together researchers from the phenological and flux communities, to foster more interdisciplinary cooperation between these groups. Twenty-nine scientists listened to 15 presentations and participated in discussions. One result of this workshop was a draft protocol for phenological observations proposed to be used at Fluxnet sites world-wide: Pheno_phases_Fluxnet_proposed.pdf. This protocol was introduced as part of an invited paper I gave at the AmeriFlux annual meeting, held at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 31 October to 1 November.

Members of the Commission planned and sponsored an international conference held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, 5-7 December. The Conference was formally titled: “The times they are a-changin'”, with the sub-title: “Climate change, phenological responses and their consequences for biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, and human health.” Approximately 110 participants from 22 countries listened to 11 key-note presentations and 40 papers, viewed 26 posters, and took part in several organized discussion sessions. The conference served as the first major meeting of the European Phenology Network (EPN), so the focus was on Europe. However, papers also addressed interconnections, applications, and implications for other continents, as well as global change. Additional EPN workshops are planned for 2002, with a second major conference planned for early 2003. Detailed information about the talks, including the abstracts, can be viewed at the conference web page: http://www.dow.wau.nl/msa/epn/conference/. Notably, the journal Nature ran a news feature in its 6 December 2001 issue mentioning the conference, and including quotes from several participants (additional reference: “The budding amateurs” by John Whitfield, Nature, Vol 414, pages 578-579). I was given the honor of officially opening the conference, where I was able to welcome all the participants on behalf of ISB and publicly thank the ISB for its support, review the history of previous phenology meetings leading up to this event (starting with the Calgary ISB Congress in 1993), comment on the discipline-diversity of the participants and the challenge-potential of phenological research, closing with thankfulness for the positive contribution of conferences like this one to international cooperation and future benefits for science and society.

In other activities, Commission members continue to promote phenological observations around the world through the Global Phenological Monitoring protocol, and through cooperation with the GLOBE program. Several new initiatives are in the planning stages with GLOBE in Germany. Canada is also moving forward with a national phenological protocol, thanks to the efforts Elisabeth Beaubien.