IMCG field symposium and general assembly Finland 2006

On behalf of the organizing committee we cordially wish you welcome to the biennial IMCG field symposium and general assembly in Finland to be held from 13 to 26 July 2006. The main organizers will be the Ministry of the Environment, Finnish Environment Institute, Regional Environment Centres, Forest and Park Service and the Finnish Nature Conservation Association.

The field symposium starts with an excursion through Finland from Kittilä in Lapland to the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the south. We will travel along western Finland and see different kind of aapamires and raised bogs as well as young mires in the land uplift coast. We will visit sites with rich flora and bird fauna. Another focus will be on mires with conservation problems due to ditching, groundwater pumping and mining. We will see different solutions for the problems and visit restored sites. A number of the field sites are included in the RAMSAR treaty (Teuravuoma, Martimoaapa, Olvassuo, Liminganlahti, Salamajärvi, Levaneva, Kauhaneva and Torronsuo). We will also visit national parks (Seitseminen, Kurjenrahka, Lauhanvuori, Liesjärvi) with old-growth forests, small watercourses and traditional human settlements connected with the mires. Altogether we will travel about 1100 kilometres in a bus during 9 days.

After the excursion there will be a three days symposium and IMCG general assembly in Tammela, southern Finland.

If you are interested to participate in this Symposium and field excursion please send the following data to the address raimo.heikkila@ymparisto.fi as soon as possible, no later than 30th September. If you have not participated in IMCG events earlier, please write a short description about yourself and your mire conservation activities.

Name

Status and title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.)

E-mail address:

Postal address:

Fax: Organization:

I want to participate (X for your choices):

Symposium and general assembly

Do you want to make a presentation or present a poster?

Comments:

The prices include transport, accommodation, meals, programme and excursion and symposium materials. Special fees will be available on request to a limited number of participants from countries with currency problems. Information for bank transfer payment will be available in the Third Circular in autumn 2006.

The number of participants for the field excursion is limited to 50. Professional participants will receive first preference, and accompanying persons are welcome if there is space for them. Those who send the preliminary registration will have priority if all those who send registration do not fit in the bus. If there are more than 50 willing to take part in the excursion, the organizing committee will take care of regional and professional coverage.