Baroness Emma Nicholson and Edward Davey representing the AMAR International Charitable Foundation, of which the Baroness is co-founder and chairwoman.
The Traditional Wetland Cultures in Transition global conference was held June 16-17, 2005 , at the University of Miami 's Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science on Virginia Key in Miami , Florida . Sponsored by the University of Miami's Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, the British Consulate of Science and Technology, and the University of Florida's Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, the conference brought together a group of international wetlands experts to address traditional human cultures living in wetlands, how such cultures are changing as a result of wetlands management policies, the interactions of Native Americans in South Florida with their environment, and how the Everglades experience in wetlands management and restoration can serve as a model globally.
Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne, member of the British House of Lords and the European Parliament and founder and chairwoman of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation, opened the conference with a presentation focusing on her work to improve the plight of Iraqi marshlands.
Dean Otis Brown, top photo, representing RSMAS and CESP, opens the conference. Azzam Alwash, bottom photo, of the Iraq Foundation.
Presenters included Azzam Alwash, Iraq Foundation; Moshe Gophen, Migal Galilee Technology Center, Israel; Sandra Norman, Department of History, Florida Atlantic University; Maria Jose Viñals, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Ignacio Porzecanski, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida; Thomas Crisman, Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, University of Florida; Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami; Barbara Purdy, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida; Brad Bennett, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University; Syamak Moattari, Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, University of Florida; Rosanna Rivera, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Florida; Michele Stevens, Imperial Valley Junior College; Alberto Vega, URS Corporation, Miami, Florida; and Erik Kiviat, Hudsonia Ltd., Annandale, New York.
A publication combining the presenters' papers is currently in the works.