Avian futures | #BOUasm26

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Avian futures: predicting and preparing for the future of avian biodiversity

Conference theme, aims and scope

What will the state of our avian biodiversity be in 30-50 years? How will we monitor future diversity and analyse results? What are the biggest requirements for successful conservation in a changing and uncertain world? To answer these and similar questions, we need to look to the future. Birds are currently facing a myriad of pressures from many different angles; from climate change to pollution and from habitat decline to disease outbreaks. If we are to have any chance of mitigating the negative impacts of these pressures, we need to be able to anticipate avian responses and target our actions accordingly. This challenge to predict the future of avian life and to adapt our management actions brings together field researchers, statistical and mathematical modellers, data holders, population managers, conservation organisations, and policy makers. Most work has looked at explaining how things are, less work has looked at predicting what will be, but the number that do is increasing. From predicting range shifts, to phenological change and population dynamics, and planning for future adaptation (e.g. landscape management and decision making under uncertainty). Now is the time to bring together different strands of avian research, conservation, and management to look to the future together and work out how we can best anticipate what is next.

This meeting will share current best practice, knowledge, and insight from research, data collection innovations, and anticipatory management practices.

The conference will aim to cover the following forward facing topics:

• Pressures and forces that shape bird populations
• Predicting shifts (range, abundance, phenology) or organism adaptations
• Monitoring technologies and advances
• How we can adapt to a changing world; rewilding, habitat restoration, uncertainty in decision making

It will also include a workshop on: The future of avian research, conservation, and management.

Key dates

To help you plan your attendance, please note the following key dates:

Call for keynote nominations: summer 2025
Call for abstracts: winter 2025/2026
Registration opens: summer 2026

Parallel conference format

The BOU aims to run inclusive and accessible events. One way we seek to achieve this is by delivering our conferences in parallel on a freely accessible social media platform. From 2025 onwards, this has been Bluesky.

All presenters at our conferences will be invited to post a summary of their presentation on Bluesky, and will be provided with helpful guidelines to support them in doing so. No conference registration, or Bluesky account, is required to view these presentations.

Social media has broadened the reach of our conferences, attracting a significantly larger and more diverse audience than meetings without this element.

View previous BOU conferences on Bluesky

Scientific Programme Committee

Emily G. Simmonds (chair) | University of Edinburgh, UK & BOU Meetings Committee
Matthew Grainger | Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Norway
Lucy R. Mason | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
Phil Atkinson | British Trust for Ornithology, UK

Images
Morro Strand State Beach (banner) | Mike Baird CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons
Western Kingbird (top small) | Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons
White Tern Chick (middle) | Dan Clark/USFWS Public domain Wikimedia Commons

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