The future of genetic research in conservation biology will connect genetics with broader issues of ecology, biodiversity, human history, landscape changes, and species recovery.  We will need to consider the benefits, risks, and limitations of emerging technologies, such as cloning and genetic engineering, to accurately manage populations and ecosystems.

This international gathering brought biologists, ecologists, geneticists, conservation resource managers, and students together to discuss the expanding role of molecular technology as current and proposed conservation management strategies are evaluated.  Presenters explored the increasing importance of genetics research to the conservation of biology.

Conservation Genetics in the Age of Genomics was sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation and the Wildlife Conservation Society.  Support for the symposium was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel C. Johnson.  Support for the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation is provided by the Starr Fund for Biodiversity and Conservation and by other generous foundations, corporations, and individuals.

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DAY ONE

7:00PM
American Museum of Natural History Main Auditorium (77th Street Entrance)

Lecture and Panel Discussion
CAN BIOTECHNOLOGY SAVE THE WORLD’S SPECIES?
Jeremy Rifkin, Founder and President, Foundation on Economic Trends
Val Giddings, Vice President, Biotechnology Industry Organization
Joshua Ginsberg, Director for Asia Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society
Anne R. Kapuscinski, Director, Institute for Social, Economic and Ecological Sustainability

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DAY TWO

9:00
WELCOME
Michael Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of Science, American Museum of Natural History

INTRODUCTION
George Amato, Director for Conservation Genetics,Wildlife Conservation Society

9:15 PART I
SETTING THE STAGE: THE ROLE AND PROMISE OF CONSERVATION GENETICS
Kaufmann Theater

Session Moderator: George Amato, Director for Conservation Genetics,Wildlife Conservation Society

EXTINCTION CRISES AND LOSS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY
William Conway, Senior conservationist, Wildlife Conservation Society

SPECIES CONSERVATION AND THE NEW GENOMIC TECHNOLOGIES
Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief, Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute

WELCOME
Ellen V. Futter, President, American Museum of Natural History
James M. Large, Jr. Acting President, Wildlife Conservation Society

NEUTRAL, DETRIMENTAL, AND ADAPTIVE GENETIC VARIATION IN CONSERVATION GENETICS
Phil Hedrick, Ullman Professor, Department of Biology, Arizona State University

BIODIVERSITY, GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND CONSERVATION
Barbara A. Schaal, Professor, Evolutionary and Population Biology, Washington University

Panel Discussion
William Conway, Senior conservationist, Wildlife Conservation Society
Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief, Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute
Phil Hedrick, Ullman Professor, Department of Biology, Arizona State University
Barbara A. Schaal, Professor, Evolutionary and Population Biology, Washington University

11:00 PART II
GENETIC THREATS TO SMALL POPULATIONS
Kaufmann Theater

Session Moderator: Don J. Melnick, Director, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University

GENETICS AND EXTINCTION IN FRAGMENTED POPULATIONS
Kent Holsinger, Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

STOPPING EVOLUTION: GENETIC MANAGEMENT OF CAPTIVE POPULATIONS
Robert C. Lacy, Population Geneticist, Department of Conservation Biology, Chicago Zoological Society

FINDING FAMILIES IN THE FIELD: GENETIC METHODS FOR STUDYING BREEDING BIOLOGY
Mary V. Ashley, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

RANGE COLLAPSES AND THE LOSS OF GENETIC VARIATION WITHIN SPECIES
James Gibbs, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Forest Biolog, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse

Panel Discussion
Kent Holsinger, Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
Robert C. Lacy, Population Geneticist, Department of Conservation Biology, Chicago Zoological Society
Mary V. Ashley, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago
James Gibbs, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Forest Biolog, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse

3:20 PART III
CONSERVATION GENETICS: WHAT SHOULD WE CONSERVE?
Kaufmann Theater

Session Moderator: Howard Rosenbaum, Conservation Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society

UNITS IN CONSERVATION GENETICS: WHAT IS USEFUL?
Craig Moritz, Director, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley

RECENT CHARACTER FIXATION IN THE NORTHEASTERN BEACH TIGER BEETLE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PHYLOGENETIC SPECIES CRITERION
Paul Z. Goldstein, Assistant Curator, Division of Insects, Field Museum

MAINTAINING POPULATIONS AS FUNCTIONING ELEMENTS OF THEIR ECOSYSTEM: THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT UNITS
Barbara L. Taylor, Conservation Biologist, National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center

SPECIES AS TAXA: THE UNITS OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
Joel Cracraft, Curator, Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History

Panel Discussion
Craig Moritz, Director, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley
Paul Z. Goldstein, Assistant Curator, Division of Insects, Field Museum
Barbara L. Taylor, Conservation Biologist, National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Joel Cracraft, Curator, Ornithology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History

6:00
POSTER SESSION
Central Park Zoo

PRESENTATION OF NEW RESEARCH AND CASE STUDIES
Central Park Zoo Gallery

Reception
Central Park Zoo Tropic Zone

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DAY THREE

9:00 PART IV
THE ROLE OF EXPANDING TECHNOLOGY IN CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY

Session Moderator: Rob DeSalle, Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History

COMPARATIVE GENOMICS AND THE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
Judith A. Blake, Research Scientist, Mouse Genome Informatics, The Jackson Laboratory

RECENT ADVANCES IN CLONING AND ITS APPLICATION IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Philip Damiani, Research Scientist, Advanced Cell Technology

ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY ISSUES POSED BY GENETICALLY MODIFIED FISHES
Eric M. Hallerman, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

CAN OUR LAWS ACCOMMODATE THE NEW CONSERVATION GENETICS?
Barbara A. Ruskin, Molecular Biologist, Patent Attorney and Associate, Fish & Neave, and Gerald J. Flattmann, Jr., Patent Attorney and Partner, Fish & Neave

Panel Discussion
Judith A. Blake, Research Scientist, Mouse Genome Informatics, The Jackson Laboratory
Eric M. Hallerman, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Barbara A. Ruskin, Molecular Biologist, Patent Attorney and Associate, Fish & Neave
Gerald J. Flattmann, Jr., Patent Attorney and Partner, Fish & Neave

11:10 PART V
THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATION GENETICS

Session Moderator: Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

THE VALUE OF GENETICS IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: PAST SUCCESS AND FUTURE TRAJECTORIES
Steve R. Palumbi, Professor of Biology and Curator of Invertebrates, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY: A LANDSCAPE APPROACH
John Robinson, Senior Vice President and Director, International Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society

CONSERVATION AND GENOME RESOURCE BANKING
Oliver A. Ryder, Kleberg Chair in Genetics, Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego

CONSERVATION GENETICS MEETS ECOLOGY: TOWARD A MORE INTEGRATED APPROACH
George Amato, Director for Conservation Genetics, Wildlife Conservation Society

Panel Discussion
Steve R. Palumbi, Professor of Biology and Curator of Invertebrates, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
John Robinson, Senior Vice President and Director, International Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society
Oliver A. Ryder, Kleberg Chair in Genetics, Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego
George Amato, Director for Conservation Genetics, Wildlife Conservation Society

THE HISTORY AND PURVIEW OF CONSERVATION GENETICS
John C. Avise, Professor of Genetics, University of Georgia

SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY
Rob DeSalle, Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History

CONCLUDING REMARKS
George Amato, Director for Conservation Genetics, Wildlife Conservation Society, and
Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History