THE 16TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HARMFUL ALGAE

27-31 OCTOBER 2014 – WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

Kia ora koutou katoa (greetings to all) ISSHA members, colleagues and friends.

The international Harmful Algae science community are invited to the 16th International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA) to be held in the Convention Centre, Wellington City, New Zealand on 27–31 October 2014.  The theme of the conference is “Advancement Through Shared Science” in recognition of the multidisciplinary nature of the field and the important role that international collaboration has played in the understanding of HAB phenomena and the mitigation of their effects.

We are planning an innovative, informative and enjoyable meeting where scientists can present their research, and interact with regulators and industry representatives, share ideas, form new collaborations and explore ways in which science can be applied to meet the challenges of the future. New Zealand has important cultural and economic relationships with other nations in the South Pacific and we are planning sessions on cyanobacteria and ciguatera-related subjects of special importance to the Australasian/Oceania region. However there is considerable commonality in HA issues world-wide and we welcome contributions on any relevant topic from anywhere around the globe.

New Zealand was the last major habitable land mass to be occupied by humans, it has a high degree of endemic biodiversity and its economy is based on the growing of primary products for export to international markets. It is a challenge to do this in a sustainable fashion that minimises damage to our precious natural environment and maintains the quality of our food products and water resources. We look forward to the opportunity to host the collective wisdom of the HA science community to help us achieve this.