By Holly Appleby and Tom Hornby, Uplands Research
In late August, Holly and Tom from GWCT Uplands Research had the pleasure to present at the 16th International Grouse Symposium (IGS) in Hamar, Norway.
The first ever IGS was held in Inverness in 1978, when the group was originally sponsored by the World Pheasant Association. This association was eventually transitioned to the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1993. It was the second meeting in Norway, with a 36-year gap since the last meeting in 1990.
The conference ran for five days, with a peak attendance of around 130 grouse researchers, scientists and enthusiasts. There were four days of talks, including keynote talks by Dr. Kathy Martin, Dr. Michael Schroeder, and Dr. Erlend B. Nilsen and invited speakers from Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland for “Nordic Day”. There were also numerous 15-minute presentations, 5-minute speed talks during the sessions, along with an evening poster session.
Attendees came from all around the world, sharing research and exchanging ideas on grouse ecology, genetics, conservation and hunting management. The audience was dominated by Scandinavian and North Americans, with only four presenters from Britain and Ireland. Holly and Tom represented black grouse research in England, presenting the GWCT’s research on translocation successes and usefulness of VHF and GPS tracking technology.
One of the many highlights of the conference was the mid-conference fieldtrip to the Finnskogen – the Forest of the Finns. This included a visit to the Bråtedammen, a winter base for researchers catching black grouse and capercaillie where the Statskog (Norwegian National Forest) also spoke about hunting management; Kjølberget, a wind turbine site; and Soppberget, a black grouse and capercaillie lek. This was followed by a late lunch of capercaillie and whole-roasted reindeer and then a tour of the Norwegian Forestry Museum in Elverum before returning to the hotel for the conference banquet.
The organising committee, led by the University of Inland Norway (INN), in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), did an excellent job of running the conference smoothly. The event connected researchers, managers, and other stakeholders all hoping to support long-term efforts for grouse conservation. You can find a list of the presentations given here: 16th International Grouse Symposium | IGS