Welcome to the 2^nd European Mollusk Conservation Society meeting, a worldwide exploration of freshwater mollusk study and conservation! Hosted by Karlstad University in the sunny Swedish city of Karlstad, we hope to connect international mollusk researchers, stimulate further international collaborations and much more, both in-person and online!

Important Dates

Early bird registration ends: 15 May 2024
Regular registration ends: 30 June 2024
Abstract submission ends: 15 May 2024

Abstract Submission

Keynote Speakers

David Aldridge – University of Cambridge, UK
Carla Atkinson – University of Alabama, USA
Wendell Haag – U.S. Forest Service, USA
Niklas Janz – Stockholm University, Sweden
Manuel Lopes Lima – University of Porto, Portugal
Brendan McKie – Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Sweden

Scope

Mollusks are the second most species rich animal phylum on earth, and have a wide variety of adaptations and ecological niches in their terrestrial and aquatic environments. The freshwater mollusks provide many important ecosystem functions and services; however, their highly endangered status, mainly caused by anthropogenic factors, means that their impact on the environment is in drastic decline. To combat this, conservation and reintroduction practices need to be developed and implemented to reduce and reverse their drastic population declines. Nonetheless, conservation strategies for freshwater mollusks are hampered by a lack of key information surrounding freshwater mollusk biology and ecology. In recent decades there has been an increased interest in studying these animals; integrating the knowledge from researchers and conservationists is a key for scientific progress. This conference aims to connect international freshwater mollusk researchers and conservationists to stimulate more international collaborations, and to help global policy makers establish policies and guidelines for future mollusk conservation efforts.

Goals

1. To bring together international experts in biology and conservation of freshwater mollusks that, through the present and forthcoming conferences and debates, will be able to create a network of knowledge with the final goal of develop collaborative projects and eventually global directives for the protection and conservation of this important faunistic group.

2. To provide an incentive for non-North American freshwater malacologists to become members of FMCS and participate in planned activities, symposia, publications and workshops.

3. To set up a subcommittee within the society of local malacologists – e.g. initially from Europe, but to be expanded to other continents around the world – to provide structure and communication about resources, lobbying, collaboration and outreach. This will facilitate answering key questions and developing techniques to address the same or similar problems encountered across freshwater molluskan research.

4. To arrange joint international meetings around the world. The first four international freshwater bivalve meetings (Baltimore, Maryland, 2009; Bragança, Portugal, 2012; Buffalo, NY, 2015; and Verbania, Italy, 2018) were exciting and fun with a very good international participation. With the 2024 international meeting at Karlstad University in Sweden, we want to expand the focus on bivalves including all the freshwater mollusks and thereby further improve the building of an international network.

Schedule

17 September: Registration & Talks (09:00-18:00)
17 September: Reception (19:00)

18 September: Talks (09:00-18:00)

19 September: Conference talks (09:00-1800)
19 September: Conference dinner at Karlstad University (18:30–)

20 September: Field excursions (limited space & variable time)

Prices

In person participation for FMCS members

In person participation for non-FMCS members

Virtual participation

Ticket price includes costs for Reception, Coffee breaks, Lunches and Conference dinner.

Become a Member of FMCS

Become a member of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS) at the link below to receive a discount when registering for the 2^nd European Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Meeting!

Each Friday, a list of new & current FMCS members will be sent to meeting organizers. The following Monday, new members can register for the September 17-19 event at a lower rate.

Additional Information

The city of Karlstad is very sunny city located in hilly forests between Stockholm and Oslo, surrounded by a vast variety of stream and lakes. The city is located on the delta of the River Klarälven (the longest Swedish river) as is enters Lake Vänern (the largest lake in the European Union). Karlstad has been an important city since the viking age, and their artifacts and burial mounds can be found scattered in the forests still today!

Traveling to Karlstad

Travelling from Stockholm (Arlanda)
After arriving at Arlanda, there is a direct bus to Karlstad (bus station) which takes ca 4h 15 min. Check Vybuss.com for itinerary and to buy bus tickets. You could also chose to take a train, typically, traveling by train will involve switching trains in Stockholm (central station). Check sj.se for trains and tickets to Karlstad Central.

Travelling from Gothenburg/Göteborg (Landvetter)
After arriving at Landvetter, book a bus ticket at Flygbussarna.se for transfer from Landvetter to Nils Ericson terminalen (Gothenburg central station). From Göteborg Central station take a SJ train (sj.se) to Karlstad Central (ca 2.30 min with direct train).

Travelling from Oslo (Gardemoen)
https://avinor.no/en/airport/oslo-airport/to-and-from-the-airport/train-buss-and-taxi/trains
After arriving at Gardemoen, there is a shuttle bus to Oslo central station (Oslo S) ca 20 min. After arriving at Oslo S you can take a direct train from Oslo S to Karlstad central station (ca 3h30m with direct train). Check sj.se for trains and tickets to Karlstad Central.

*Check connections and transfer before booking flight tickets. The Swedish train service (SJ) usually releases tickets 3 months in advance, so tickets will be released during the summer.

Book your stay in Karlstad at either the Elite Stadshotellet Karlstad or Scandic Hotel City. Use the reference code provided after registering to take advantage of the conference package we have arranged with the hotels.

The conference venue is located in the Karlstad University Campus. Travel between hotels in the city center and the conference venue is most easily done with the local bus service (the red buses). Bus tickets can be purchased from ticket booths next to certain bus stops, directly from the driver or, most conveniently, through the dedicated app Karlstadbuss. Buses 1, 2 and 3 (in that order) all easily connect the city center with the university campus.
NB: The bus stop Campus is not the university campus.

Whova!

This conference will be using a web browser and smartphone app called Whova for event and conference management. Whova is an award-winning app that helps attendees navigate the conference by providing an online program to view and bookmark all conference activities, allowing for social networking, conference gamification, and postings to meeting organizers, along with other conference resources such as abstracts, logistics, local information, etc. The Whova site for the conference will open 30 days before the start of the meeting so that participants can get excited and start planning for social events, business meetings, and presentations. Click below to get the official Whova event app now!

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For feature details, visit Whova

Organizing Committee

• Martin Österling – Committe leader, Karlstad University, Sweden
• Sebastian L. Rock – Karlstad University, Sweden
• Magnus Lovén Wallerius – Karlstad University, Sweden
• Raviv Gal – Karlstad University, Sweden
• Lea D. Schneider – The Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies, Halland, Sweden
• Ted von Proschwitz – Gothenburg Natural History Museum, Sweden
• Niklas Wengström – Swedish Anglers Association, Gothenburg, Sweden
• Alexander Gustavsson – Södermanland County Administrative Board
• Contact email – fmcs.karlstad@kau.se

Scientific Committee

• Martin Österling – Karlstad University, Sweden
• Nicoletta Riccardi – CNR – ISE, Italy
• Manuel Lopes Lima – CIBIO, Porto University, Portugal
• Tadeusz Zając – Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Maria Urbanska – Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland
• David Aldridge – University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Alexandra Zieritz – University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Malaysia
• Ronaldo Sousa – Minho University, Portugal
• Karel Douda – Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
• Anna Łabęcka – Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
• Paz Ondina – University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
• Jouni Taskinen – University of Jyväskylä, Finland
• Jürgen Geist – Technical University of Munich, Germany
• Mary Seddon – IUCN, Mollusc Specialist Group
• Vincent Prie – Institute of Systematics, Evolution, Biodiversity (ISYEB)
• Amy Maynard (president elect of the FMCS) – Neosho National Fish Hatchery, USA
• David Strayer – Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, USA
• Arthur Bogan – North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, USA
• John Pfeiffer – Smithsonian Institution, Natural Museum of natural History
• Carla Atkinson – University of Alabama, USA
• Megan Bradley (president of the FMCS) – Fish and Wildlife Service, USA
• Teresa Newton – U.S. Geological Survey in Wisconsin, USA
• Astrid Schwalb – Texas State University, USA

Questions?