INTERNATIONAL PALAEONTOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2008

OBJECTIVES

The International Palaeontological Association (IPA) aims to promote and coordinate international cooperation in palaeontology and to encourage the integration and synthesis of all palaeontological knowledge. A detailed mission statement is published on the IPA web site at <http://ipa.geo.ku.edu>.

MEMBERSHIP

Corporate Membership is open to national, regional, and disciplinary palaeontological societies and sections of societies; as well as to other scientific societies, agencies, institutions, organizations, working groups, and informal associations that support the aim of IPA. Corporate Members pay annual dues to IPA.

All organizations that are interested in palaeontology and in supporting the aims of IPA are encouraged to contact the IPA Treasurer about becoming a Corporate Member.

There are two classes of individual membership: Subscribing Members are individuals who subscribe to an international palaeontological journal affiliated with IPA. A portion of the subscription is designated for dues to IPA. Ordinary Members pay dues directly to IPA.

CONSTITUTION

The revised Constitution of IPA was approved by the IPA General Assembly meeting of June 20, 2006, in Beijing. It is published on the IPA web site at <http://ipa.geo.ku.edu/constitution2006.html>.

OFFICERS 2006-2010

The officers of IPA for the term June 2006 through June 2010 are:

President: David A. T. Harper (Denmark)

Vice-President Stefan Bengtson (Sweden),

Vice-President: Luis Buatois (Canada),

Vice-President: Greg Edgecombe (United Kingdom),

Vice-President: Hou Xianguang (China),

Vice-President: Bettina Reichenbacher (Germany),

Vice-President: Jean Vannier (France).

Secretary-General: Rosalie F. Maddocks (U.S.A.)

Treasurer: Bruce S. Lieberman (U.S.A.)

Councillor-At-Large: Hiroshi Kitazato (Japan)

Councillor-At-Large: Tat'yana Koren (Russia)

Past-President: Richard J. Aldridge (U.K.)

The President, Treasurer and Secretary-General compose the Executive Committee to conduct the day-to-day business of the IPA.

IPA COUNCIL

In addition to the Executive Committee and the other Officers of IPA, the Constitution provides that the IPA Council shall include Delegates representing the Corporate Members and the journal Lethaia, as well as Delegates charged with responsibility to carry out a specific task on behalf of IPA.

Corporate Members of IPA who have not yet named their Delegates are encouraged to do so and to send the contact information to the Secretary-General.

The following delegates have been designated as of November 2008:

Dr. Jan Audun Rasmussen (Delegate for Lethaia, Denmark)

Jere H. Lipps (Delegate for IPA PaleoParks Project, U.S.A.)

Michal Kucera (Delegate for The Micropalaeontological Society, Germany)

Dr. Makoto Manabe (Delegate for The Palaeontological Society of Japan)

Prof. M. P. Singh (Delegate for The Palaeontological Society of India)

Howard A. Armstrong (Delegate for The Palaeontological Association, United Kingdom)

Lucy E. Edwards (Delegate to the IUBS Annual Meeting, 2007, U.S.A.)

BUSINESS MEETING

The most recent meeting of the IPA General Assembly was held during the Second International Palaeontological Congress in Beijing, China on June 20, 2006.

The next meeting of the General Assembly is scheduled for the Third International Palaeontological Congress in 2010.

An open informational meeting was held on Sunday 10 August in Oslo at the 33^rd IGC. A summary of that meeting is attached as Appendix 1.

AFFILIATIONS

The IPA is affiliated with the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and with the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) but receives no funding from either organization.

MEMBERSHIP OF IPA

Corporate Membership in IPA is open to all international, national, regional, and disciplinary paleontological societies, as well as to other institutions, agencies, working groups, informal associations, and organizations who wish to support the aims of IPA on behalf of their members. Corporate Members are entitled to appoint a Delegate to the IPA Council as their representative.

Annual dues notices are sent by the IPA Treasurer at the beginning of each calendar year and are payable immediately. Some Corporate Members choose to pay ahead for multiple years, and this procedure is strongly encouraged for the convenience of all.

The following is the list of Corporate Members in good standing for 2008 (dues received for 2008):

China - Palaeontological Society of China

Czech Republic - Geological Institute AS CR

France - APF (Association Pal?ontologique Fran?aise)

France - Staff of Carnets de G?ologie - Notebooks on Geology

India - Palaeontological Society of India

Japan - Palaeontological Society of Japan

New Zealand - The Royal Society of New Zealand

Romania - Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Geology

Spain - Sociedad Espa?ola de Paleontolog?a

United Kingdom – The Palaeontological Association

United Kingdom – The Micropalaeontological Society

United States – The Paleontological Society

Some of these societies have been faithful Corporate Members of IPA for many years, and the IPA appreciates their continuing support.

Subscribing Membership in IPA is included within each subscription by an individual to Lethaia. The IPA has authorized the publisher of Lethaia to collect membership dues as a component of each subscription. As of December 2007 the total number of individual subscribers to Lethaia was 158.

Ordinary Membership is available to individual palaeontologists everywhere. Individuals pay annual dues of $5 annually directly to the Treasurer. As of November 2008 there are two Members in this category.

To ensure continuity and accurate records, all Corporate and Ordinary Members are encouraged to pay dues ahead for multiple years at a time.

IPA AND LETHAIA

Lethaia, an international journal of palaeontology and stratigraphy, is published by Blackwell Publishing (now part of Wiley) under the oversight of the Lethaia Foundation <www.lethaia.org> (Dr. Jan Audun Rasmussen, Chairman) . The Editors of Lethaia described the continuing mission and some new policies in an Editorial [Stouge, S., D. A. T. Harper and J. A. Rasmussen, 2007. Changes in Lethaia and Fossils and Strata. Lethaia 40 (1): 1].

Members of IPA are eligible for online and print subscriptions to Lethaia at discounted rates. For information, visit the publishers website <www.blackwellpublishing.com>.

The IPA and Lethaia have enjoyed a long and fruitful symbiotic relationship. Members of IPA were influential in the founding of Lethaia in 1968 as an international journal of broad scope in palaeontology and stratigraphy, at a time when nearly all other journals were tied to national organizations and specialized scientific interests. In 1970 IPA formally adopted Lethaia as its official journal and authorized the publisher to collect IPA dues from individual subscribers. Lethaia is a formal publication outlet for the IPA, and subscription to Lethaia by an individual confers membership in IPA. The IPA encourages all palaeontologists to support Lethaia and IPA by subscribing and by submitting high-quality palaeontological manuscripts.

THE IPA WEB SITE AND ELECTRONIC DIRECTORIES

The IPA Constitution prescribes the publication of a World Directory of Palaeontologists. Since 2001 this has been published electronically.

The IPA web site <http://ipa.geo.ku.edu> features general information about the association, its officers, rules and by-laws, links to the publisher of Lethaia and Fossils and Strata, information on palaeontological symposia, and several directories and databases. The site is immensely popular and receives over 600 hits a month from all over the world.

The officers of IPA are grateful to the IPA web master, Michael Cormack, and to the host institution (the Paleontological Institute, The University of Kansas), for capable development and maintenance of this valuable resource.

Three electronic directories have long been part of the IPA site.

The Directory of Paleontologists of the World (1,884 records)

The Directory of Fossil Collections of the World (99 records)

The PaleoLink Database (313 records)

A new electronic directory is now viewable and under continuing development:

PaleoParks: The Preservation and Conservation of Fossil Sites, coordinated by Jere H. Lipps (33 records)

All palaeontologists are requested to submit their information to these databases and to update and verify existing information.

SPONSORSHIP FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL MEETINGS

All organizers of international palaeontological meetings are invited to request IPA sponsorship, which includes mention of IPA sponsorship on advertising materials and use of the IPA logo on conference documents and publications. Organizers may also apply to IPA for small grants of seed money to support initial planning. Application should be made well in advance of the meeting.

The following meetings in 2007 and 2008 were sponsored by the IPA:

"X International Congress on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera," August 5-22, 2007 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The final report of this meeting by Dr. Olga Kossovaya, President of the Executive Committee, is attached as Appendix 2.

 "Major Events in the Evolution of the Marine Biota" (Organizers, Drs. David A. T. Harper and Rong Jiayu). 33^rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, August 2008. The report on this meeting is attached as Appendix 3.

"Fossils from Orogenic Belts" (Organizers, Drs. David Bruton and David A. T. Harper). 33^rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, August 2008. [Note: This symposium was in fact cancelled but many of the individual contributions were relocated within symposia on Caledonide Geology.]

"PaleoParks: The Conservation and Preservation of Paleontological Sites" (Organizer, Dr. Jere Lipps). 33^rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, August 2008. A report on this workshop is attached as Appendix 4.

 "Oceanic hypoxia: Present and past" (Conveners: Elisabeth Alve, Hiroshi Kitazato, Bruce Corliss). 33^rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, August 2008. A report on this symposium is attached as Appendix 5.

 "International Conference on the Cambrian Explosion," August 3-7, 2009, in Banff, Alberta, in honor of the 100^th Anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale by Charles Doolittle Walcott. (Organizer, Jean-Bernard Caron) <http://www.geology.utoronto.ca/facultycaron/Walcott2009.htm>

Antarctic Conference for Gondwanan Palaeontology, March 19-30, 2009 (Dr. Paul Willis, Organizer).

5^th International Symposium on Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk, Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Switzerland, August 17-22, 2009 (Dr. Christian A. Meyer, Organizer).

YES (Young Earth Scientists for Society) Congress 2009 <www.yescongress2009.org> Saturday 9th August, 12.30-13, Conference Centre, Lillestrøm, Norway. Organizers: Elyvin Nkhonjera (Secretary), Dr David Govini (VP for Finance) and Dr Luca Micucci (VP for International Relations). The project aims to establish an international network for young geoscientists, attract more young people into the Earth Sciences and more importantly involve them in decision-making processes. One of the themes, 'Earth and Life', is particularly relevant to the IPA.

THIRD INTERNATIONAL PALEONTOLOGICAL CONGRESS 2010

On 13 June the IPA received a formal bid from Professor Michael G. Bassett, President of The Palaeontological Association, to host the Third International Palaeontological Congress in London in the summer of 2010. In consultation with the Officers and Delegates of the IPA Council, who expressed appreciation and enthusiastic support for this opportunity, this invitation was accepted on 1 July. That invitation is attached here as Appendix 6.

The IPC3 will be organized by a consortium led by The Palaeontological Association (PalAss) and the International Palaeontological Association (IPA), in cooperation with the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, the Natural History Museum, The Micropalaeontological Society and the Palaeontographical Society. The Co-Organizers and Executive Committee include Dr. David A. T. Harper (President IPA) and Dr. Richard J. Aldridge (Past-President IPA, President-Elect PalAss). The main venue will be the Royal School of Mines, South Kensington, London, with some events in the Natural History Museum and the Royal Geographical Society. Programmes of field excursions and social events will be organized.

The committee structure and the budget are in place for the Congress, dates have been fixed, and lecture and meeting rooms reserved in the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College. There is a website (http://www.ipc3.org/) that will be supplemented during the coming months. Also, Bruce Lieberman and Tim Palmer presented a poster for the meeting at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America in October. The meeting has been advertised on PaleoNet and to the membership of the The Palaeontological Association.

33^rd INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS

The IPA sponsored several palaeontological symposia at the 33^rd IGC, 5-14 August 2008 in Oslo, as well as the PaleoParks Workshop and an open informational meeting about the activities of the IPA. Titles of these meetings are listed above, and the reports are included in the Appendix.

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

E-bulletins describing activities of the IUGS are received regularly and are published at the following web site: <http://www.iugs.org/iugs/news/>.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANET EARTH (IYPE)

On 22 January 2006 the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2008 (the middle year of the 2007-2009 triennium) as the International Year of Planet Earth. This UNESCO program was initiated by IUGS.

In January 2006 the IPA was granted Associate Partner status as a sponsor of IYPE. Dr. Richard J. Aldridge (Past-President of IPA) is the representative of IPA to IYPE.

The IYPE website is <http://yearofplanetearth.org/index.html>. Information about the objectives and activities of IYPE is available on that site, including regular status reports. Also downloadable from that site is the color brochure "Earth and Life: Origins of Diversity," which is one of the 10 themes of the IYPE., edited by Dr. Bettina Reichenberger (Vice-President IPA).

The IPA hopes to be involved in outreach activities of the IYPE. In fulfillment of this objective, IPA is conducting PaleoParks workshops and database development for monitoring of endangered palaeontological sites worldwide (Dr. Jere Lipps, Coordinator). In May of 2006 the IPA submitted an Expression of Interest to the IYPE to register our intention to request funding for the PaleoParks project. Proposals have not yet been solicited by IYPE. We continue look forward to the opportunity to submit a formal proposal for this purpose.

The IPA encourages all of its Corporate and Individual Members to examine the objectives of the IYPE, to consider submitting proposals for palaeontological activities under either the outreach or investigative science rubrics, and to request IPA sponsorship of these activities as appropriate.

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

IPA is a member organization of IUBS. Information about IUBS is available at <www.iubs.org>. We look forward to continued cooperation with IUBS in activities of mutual interest.

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE, ICZN AFFILIATES, MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION

On 13 July 2006 President David A. T. Harper signed a Memorandum of Cooperation establishing the new status of IPA as an ICZN Affiliate. This status acknowledges that IPA supports the aim and activities of the ICZN but requires no financial contribution.

PALEOPARKS INITIATIVE

"PaleoParks – The Preservation and Conservation of Fossil Sites World-Wide" will be published by Carnets de Geologie as Memoir 2008/03 in December 2008. This online volume, edited by Jere H. Lipps, contains contributions to the workshops sponsored by the IPA at the International Paleontological Congress in Beijing in 2006. The Carnets de Geologie web site is <http://paleopolis.rediris.es/cg>.

As part of the IPA PaleoParks Initiative, IPA sponsored a PaleoParks Workshop at the International Geological Congress in Oslo on August 10, 2008, convened by Dr. Jere H. Lipps. The report on that workshop is attached here as Appendix 3.

An online database concerning threatened and endangered fossil sites is now publicly accessible, being developed by Dr. Jere H. Lipps (IPA Delegate for PaleoParks) and Mike Cormack (IPA Webmaster).

You can help the IPA's efforts to protect fossil sites world-wide and the data and fossils that they still contain. For more information about this activity and to nominate a fossil site, visit <http://ipa.geo.ku.edu> and click on "PaleoParks."

Our goal is to collect data on all important fossil sites, both protected and threatened or endangered, from around the world in order to create a searchable on-line database to be used for research, education and recreation. It consists of two parts--adequately protected sites where the general public is welcome and unprotected sites that might be or are endangered by any threat whatsoever. The first will provide all three values, while the second will provide only research opportunities and documentation of sites IPA will work with local authorities, scientists and other individuals to protect. The first is available on-line, the second is a secure list in order to prevent further destruction of the sites, accessible to IPA authorized individuals only.

GEOHERITAGE

On 15 August Dr. W.A.P. Wimbledon, ProGEO Secretary (ProGEO, European Association for the Conservation of the Geological Heritage, affiliated to IUGS) invited IPA to join a consortium of national and international, scientific and geoconservation organizations, which will function as a global editorial board for a proposed new journal Geoheritage. The proposed scope of Geoheritage will include geosite conservation but also a spectrum of on-site science, geological and geomorphological research, GSSPs, management and physical conservation, interpretation, education, tourism, sustainable development, wider environmental issues, the built heritage where there is a connection to natural materials, and also data, materials and places relevant to science and the history of science. IPA was invited in order to provide a focus for palaeontology among the wider geoscientific interests already represented. It is hoped that consortium members will help to encourage people, groups and organizations to edit, write, and promote the writing of papers for the journal.

IPA gladly accepted the invitation to join this consortium for purposes of palaeontological oversight and communication. Dr. Jere Lipps (IPA Delegate for PaleoParks Project) has been appointed to serve as Liaison with the consortium on behalf of IPA. In discussions concerning viability of a new journal, IPA would encourage consideration of either an online journal or systematic alliances with a short list of existing journals such as Lethaia. Although it would be inappropriate to take a direct part in editing a journal, the IPA will be delighted to coordinate this initiative with existing projects, such as PaleoParks and the International Year of Planet Earth, and to encourage all Members and Corporate Members of IPA to participate.

According to the IYPE Status Report for November 2007, Geoheritage will be launched as a Springer journal in 2008. No further news has been received from this project.

ACCOUNTS FOR 2008

Treasurer's Reports are compiled quarterly and annually.

In April 2001 the Secretary-General and the Treasurer submitted a signed statement to the United States Internal Revenue Service seeking to register the IPA as a charity pursuing educational aims and therefore exempt from paying tax. This status has been approved and continues.

SMITHONIAN INSTITUTION ARCHIVES

In 1993 an agreement was reached with the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) to deposit the IPA records there. Correspondence with Archivist Shawn Johnstone confirms that one box of records was deposited in 1994 covering the dates 1973–1992.

In January 2005, Dr. Roger L. Kaesler, IPA Treasurer, transferred correspondence and records accumulated during the years 1995–2002 to the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Other IPA officers for the period 1993–2002 have been asked to transfer their IPA records to the SIA. Anyone having information concerning the whereabouts of IPA records for any part of the period 1933–1973 is requested to contact the Secretary-General.

CONCLUSION

In 2008 the IPA continued to provide leadership and support for palaeontological activities worldwide.

In 2009, the Executive Committee of IPA intend to:

Support, communicate, and coordinate international palaeontological activities effectively, with the help of IPA Corporate Members.

Help to coordinate the planning for the Third International Palaeontological Congress 2010.

Sponsor international palaeontological symposia and workshops at many sites and occasions.

Develop formal goals and specific objectives for the PaleoParks Program, and begin to accomplish them.

Cooperate with other international organizations and programs on behalf of the palaeontological sciences, including IUGS, IUBS, IYPE, the Geoheritage program, and ICZN.

Continue developing an electronic Directory of Globally Important Palaeontological Sites (PaleoParks Initiative).

Cooperate in planning and sponsorship of palaeontology-related activities for the International Year of Planet Earth.

Encourage more palaeontologists to subscribe to Lethaia.

Encourage more palaeontological societies to become Corporate Members of IPA.

Encourage working groups and other informal palaeontological organizations to affiliate with IPA.

Encourage contributions by organizations and individuals to the directories maintained by IPA.

Encourage specialist palaeontological societies to hold their meetings in close juxtaposition with the International Palaeontological Congresses.

Encourage participation by palaeontologists in relevant interdisciplinary scientific programs.

Continue to represent and develop the interests of palaeontology where appropriate — nationally, regionally and worldwide.

Submitted November 25, 2008

Rosalie F. Maddocks

Secretary-General IPA

Appendix 1: International Palaeontological Association, Information Meeting

Sunday 10th August, 14.30-15.00, Conference Centre, Lillestrøm, Norway.

The meeting was led by David Harper on behalf of the IPA.

In brief a number of points were covered:

1.      The aims and mission of the Association, together with the classes of membership.

2.      The electronic directories and services offered by the Association.

3.      Recent and current meetings sponsored by the Association.

4.      Cooperation with other international bodies and the some of the aspirations of the Association.

5.      The location and timing of the next International Palaeontological Congress: South Kensington, London: 28th June - 3rd July 2010 with field excursions before and after.

Appendix 2: Report on X International Congress on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera

By Olga Kossovaya, 24 January 2008

The X International congress on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera was held in the All-Russian Research Geological Institute (VSEGEI), St. Petersburg, Russia from August 5-22, 2007. This tenth jubilee congress of the Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera Association was dedicated to the Academician of the Russian Academy of Science, Boris Sokolov, one of the 'founding fathers' of the Association and the President of the First Symposium in Novosibirsk in 1971.

The Sponsors of X Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera Congress were the Ministry of Natural Recourses, Russian Academy of Science, National Geological committee of Russia, St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Geology of KOMI Scientific Center of RAS and Institute of geology of the Bashkirian Scientific Centre of the Uralian Branch of RAS. The Estonian Technical University was an associated member of the Organizing Committee.

HONORARY ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Honorary President: - B.S. Sokolov – Academician of RAS, Paleontological Institute RAS;

President: O.V. Petrov – Director General of All-Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI);

Vice-President: T.N. Koren´, Head of Stratigraphy and Paleontology department, VSEGEI;

Members: V.N. Puchkov – Director of Institute of Geology, Bashkirian AS,

D. Kaljo – Head of Paleontology and Stratigraphy department, Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of technology,

I. V. Buldakov – Head of Geological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF

X FOSSIL CNIDARIA AND PORIFERA CONGRESS

President of St. Petersburg Congress: – Olga Kossovaya, VSEGEI;

Scientific secretaries: Valentina Stolbova, Geological museum of Mining Academy, St. Petersburg, Yuri Zaika, VSEGEI;

Members: Irina Evdokimova (VSEGEI), Tatiana Tolmacheva (VSEGEI), Yuri Savitsky (St. Petersburg State University), Anna Suarkova (VSEGEI), Elena Sokiran (VSEGEI), Vladimir Tsyganko (Institute of Geology, KOMI AS); Vladimir Lukin (Institute of geology, KOMI AS), Mari-Ann Motus (Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology); Olle Hints (Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of technology), Elena Kulagina (Institute of Geology Bashkirian AS), Irina Bugrova (St. Petersburg State University), Vladimir Arkad'ev (St. Petersburg State University), Sofia Stepan'antz (Zoological Institute RAS), Aleksandr Grybelnyi (Zoological Institute RAS), Viktor Ogar'(Kiev University);

English Editing: – Dr. Ian Somerville, University College, Dublin, Ireland

The subjects of congress embraced the different aspects of fundamental and applied palaeontology, biostratigraphy, palaeoecology, and biogeography of various coral and poriferan groups. The general problems of palaeoclimatology, ecosystem evolution and patterns of reef and build-ups distribution were highlighted.

About 120 participants from the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Norway, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, England, Ireland, Belgium, Estonia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia took part in the Congress. In total there were representatives from 24 countries.

During the 4 days of the meeting there were 78 oral and poster presentations, including a special thematic session dedicated to the memory of the late Bill Oliver. The working language was English. The Program and Abstract volume had been published prior to the beginning of the meeting. A notable event during the meeting was the gathering of participants who had been present in the First symposium in Novosibirsk in 1971.

Immediately following the Congress participants communicated their gratitude to the Director of the All-Russian Geological Institute and the organizing committee for the excellent organization of the Congress. In their responses the participants recognised and highlighted the following features of the Congress:

- The developments in multidisciplinary research, including the involvement of methods of isotopic geochemistry, biodiversity dynamics of the reef-building organisms, and ecosystem evolution. These, together with the continuation of traditional and evolutionary palaeontological investigations, is the reliable basis for progress in fossil Cnidaria and Porifera research, aided by the application of palaeontological results in general.

- The practical usage of research based on modern advances of interdisciplinary sciences in geology and biology leads to more accurate dating of strata, refinement of correlation and resolution ability of stratigraphical results.

- The investigation of the ancient and modern reefs and reef-building organisms is of special significance, because of the value this knowledge gives in the prospecting for oil and gas reservoirs.

During the Congress a special working group on Scleractinia carried out their meeting and special resolution:

X th International Congress on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera

Resolutions proposed by the Working Group on Scleractinian Coral Taxonomy (WGSCT) and adopted by the Congress:

The Working Group on Scleractinian Coral Taxonomy (WGSCT) at a meeting held on 14th August 2007 in Saint Petersburg, during Xth International Congress on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera :

Recognized: that the influx of new molecular and microstructural data on scleractinian corals require a tight cooperation between the specialists working on modern and fossil scleractinians in order to propose a new, reliable scheme of phylogeny and a framework of classification.

In relation to this, the WGSCT

Supports: to its fullest extent current efforts to publish a new edition of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (coordinating authors: Jaroslaw Stolarski, Stephen Cairns, Ann Budd, George Stanley) and to develop associated data-base infrastructure (Corallosphere project by Ken Johnson and coordinating authors of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology).

Given the rapid advances presently taking place in scleractinian coral taxonomy, and given the fundamental role played by scleractinian corals, as primary framework builders of coral reefs, WGSCT :

Recognizes: the necessity to communicate effectively and efficiently to the coral reef scientific community at large, with special reference to geologists, ecologists, conservationists and managers, the recent and on-going advances in scleractinain coral taxonomy.

Recommends: The inclusion of a session "New trends in taxonomy of fossil and modern scleractinian corals" in the framework and scientific program of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) 2008 (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). This session should focus on the advances in the field of skeletal studies, including microstructural characteristics, morphometrics and fractal analysis, in addition to that brought about by molecular techniques. This recommendation should be passed on to the organizers of the 11th ICRS.

Participants in the meeting:

Francesca Benzoni, Michaela Bernecker, Nancy Budd, Jean-Pierre Cuif, Vyara Idakieva, Boguslaw Kolodziej, Bernard Lathuiliere, Michel Pichon (organizer), Ewa Roniewicz, George Stanley, Jaroslaw Stolarski, Agostina Vertino, Carden Wallace, Vassil Zlatarski.

During the Congress the special exhibition of books on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera published in Russia was held in the Institute library. The numerous collections of corals and poriferans were available in CNIGR museum. The well organized curation was noted by many visitors to the Palaeontological Department Museum.

The organising committee arranged several cultural events including trips to Catherine the Great Palace, Petergoff Palace and the Hermitage. Special social events included a guided sighseeing tour of the city of St Petersburg and a congress dinner in a folk restaurant on the outskirts of St Petersburg.

The Program of the Congress included four geological excursions: (i) on Lower Carboniferous of Moscow Syncline, (ii) on the Palaeozoic section of the Polar Urals, (iii) on coral and reef facies of the Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian of the South Urals, and (iv) on Lower Palaeozoic sections and corals of Estonia. About 60 participants were involved in these excursions.

Election report for the next term: 2007 - 2011

President – Dr. Olga Kossovaya,

Vice Presidents:

Nancy Budd / USA

Markus Aretz / Germany

Ewa Roniewicz / Poland

Gregory Webb / Australia

Stephen Kershaw / UK

Secretary: Dr. Tomasz Wrzolek

Newsletter Editors from 2007-2011:

Tomasz Wrzolek

Ian Somerville

Treasurer from 2007-2011:

Stefan Schroeder

The 11th Congress will be held in Li?ge, Belgium in

Mid-late August, 2011

Organizing Committee of 11th Congress

Eddy Poty (Liège)

Frédéric Bouvain (Liège)

Marie Coen-Aubert (Brussels)

Bruno Mistiaen (Lille)

Markus Aretz (Köln)

The President of the International Association for study of Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera

Dr. Olga Kossovaya.

Appendix 3: HPF-13 Major Events in the Evolution of Marine Biota

by David A. T. Harper

33IGC – Symposium report from the conveners

Code and title of the symposium

HPF-13 Major events in the evolution of marine biota

This symposium was supported by the International Palaeontological Association

Conveners

David Harper, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Rong Jiayu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China 

Number of presentations

15 oral presentation (two no-shows) and four posters. 

Symposium summary:

Marine ecosystems have evolved through at least 3.8 Ga of Earth history. Metazoan life has participated in at least five unique evolutionary faunas, commencing with the Neoproterozoic Ediacara fauna and ending with the Modern fauna that dominated Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine environments. These faunas are generally partitioned by extinction and subsequent radiation events; for example the Paleozoic evolutionary fauna was established during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification and largely disappeared during the end-Permian extinction. Within each evolutionary fauna characteristic ecological systems were developed, involving new community and guild structures, innovative bioturbation and tiering strategies, trophic chains and predator-prey interactions together with distinctive organism-substrate relationships.

This symposium targeted  both the ecological and taxonomic changes that occurred during major events in the history of the marine biosphere and offered  a strong focus on multidisciplinary solutions to our understanding of these changes in the biodiversity and bicomplexity of the marine ecosystem through deep time.

General comments:

Numbers remained constant at about 25-30 participants throughout the day. Since there were a number of competing palaeontology and stratigraphy sessions there was considerable traffic in and out of the session and a number of delegates expressed their disappointment at missing presentations since they were elsewhere. A few of the papers, such as those on the Ordovician biodiversification and extinction, the P/T boundary, the K/T boundary and that on chemosynthetic biotas generated good discussions. 

Appendix 4: Report on PaleoParks Workshop at 33^rd International Geological Congress

Sunday 11th August, 10-14, Conference Centre, Lillestrøm, Norway

The workshop was led by Dr Jere Lipps as IPA's PaleoParks delegate.

Report by Dr. David A.T. Harper, President IPA

1.      Jere gave a detailed overview of the scope and status of the project following open meetings in Florence (IGC 32: 2004) and Beijing (IPC 2: 2006). The key aim of the project is to help preserve sites of palaeontological interest and importance through dialogue with local contacts and groups and other organizations, such as Dinoparks, Europarks and Geoparks. The project can help with advice, letters of support and, in case of violations, for example in the case of the 'Eocene Valley of the Whales' in Egypt, can help rally public opinion against the perpetrators.  The project includes any fossil resources or even living fossils in the case of the giant Redwoods in, for example, Muir Woods State Park, just north of San Francisco, and the stromatolites of Shark Bay, western Australia.

2.      There are two main types of site, those that are protected by rangers or at least by clear signing and barriers, and those which are unprotected. Jere outlined problems with three specific examples. (a) A Miocene forest from Bukkabrany in Hungary within a working quarry (the IPA has agreed to take up the case with relevant politicians and colleagues in Hungary, see below); (b) Miocene shark-tooth hill, California, now threatened by construction; (c) Ediacara biota of the White Sea region, Russia now threatened by illegal collecting and dealers selling invaluable scientific material on the net. The IPA has accepted the area as an endangered fossil site.

3.      Two well-constructed and fully functional 'PaleoParks' were also presented. (a) Dinosaur Ridge outside Denver, Colorado. This is a spectacular, well-maintained site well labelled and with illustrated guidebooks, rangers and a well-documented trail. It is administered and operated from the grass roots without local or federal interference. (b) Vallee de Sirènes , Bareme, France. Although Eocene fossil seacows are the main focus there is a time trail through the Mesozoic into the overlying Paleogene. The trail is well signed and well protected. This project is operated largely by the local community and is part of a network that involves over 60 villages throughout France. A dinosaur trackway under threat in southern France was mentioned. The owner would like to sell the land or charge admission. Many of these community-based parks, for example Dinosaur Ridge, are not part of the PaleoParks project. These should be considered as part of the IPA's list of sites. Information regarding the PaleoParks project together with a note of congratulations, intent to include them on our website, and an offer of assistance should be sent to these organizations. 

4.      Patrick de Wever (Museum National d'Historie Naturelle, Paris) presented the French initiative on PaleoParks/GeoParks (http://inpn.mnhn.fr/isb/index.jsp). Although faunas and floras are protected, geology has not yet been formally considered although a wide range of organizations is involved (http://www.mnhn.fr/ppf/pgn/ASSama.html) and site data are available on a CD.  The GILGNES programme has selected Brittany as a pilot project. A database includes various sites of scientific interest with descriptions and data regarding level of threat and protection. Assessment of sites is based first on an assessment by regional panels that send proposals further to a national panel. Sites can be plotted on maps of different scales.

5.      The possibility of licensing collectors at certain sites and under particular circumstances was discussed in the context of protected park areas.

6.      Géza Császár (Hungarian Geological Survey) presented details of the Miocene forest in Hungary currently under threat (see above). The lignite mining company will soon undermine the spectacular area exposing actual Miocene trees, in situ. In order to preserve this area, mining should be halted immediately, compensation should be sought for the company, and the exposed forest should be conserved and further excavated and housed in a purpose-made building.  A letter will be prepared, under instruction, by the IPA to relevant politicians and oil companies that may be able to support the project. G?za was also encouraged to submit a manuscript to the PaleoParks e-book.

7.      The presentations developed a number of issues and points that should be taken further by the IPA's PaleoParks project.  (a) The title was again discussed. Would PaleoSites be more accurate and scientific or is PaleoParks sufficient, indicating the recreational aspects of the project? 'Paleo' could also indicate, say, meteorites and minerals but this ambiguity can be avoided by using a clear fossil logo for the project. (b) The IPA's database is central to the project, data are input by individuals and organizations. However there is no procedure to vet the sites. The establishment of an advisory board was suggested and the project should be more widely advertised with e mails and messages on list servers inviting proposals. Evaluation and review procedures for sites should be developed.  Public support is essential as is publication of the results of the project (see below). The data base will give freely details of those sites that are fully protected but access will be restricted to sites that are unprotected. (c) A symposium dedicated to the project and its aims should be planned. (d) The home page should have links to other similar websites, e.g. UNESCO and relevant research projects.

8.      Publication is an important part of outreach for the project. Eleven contributions from the Florence and Beijing meetings will be published later this year as an e-book in the Carnets de Géologie system edited by Jere Lipps together with Bruno Granier. Further editions of the book will be possible, adding in due course additional material and additional sites.

9.      The IPA thanked Jere for his dedication and sterling efforts on the PaleoParks project.

Appendix 5: Report on OSP-08 Oceanic hypoxia: Present and Past at 33^rd IGC

By Hiroshi Kitazato

14^th October 2008

OSP-07 Oceanic hypoxia: Present and past

Symposium report, 33^rd IGC, Oslo, Norway

The symposium was supported by the International Palaeontological Association

Conveners:

Elisabeth Alve, University of Oslo, Norway (session chair)

Hiroshi Kitazato, JAMSTEC, Japan

Bruce Corliss, Duke University, USA
 
Number of presentations:
Oral: 9 Posters: 2
 
Symposium summary:
Understanding the processes and effects of oceanic hypoxia on biota and depositional environments is crucial when interpreting ancient as well as more recent environmental change. Many important biogeochemical processes in the past, as well as in the contemporary biosphere, take place only under anaerobic conditions. Still, we have limited information about biogeochemical cycling in strongly oxygen-depleted environments and how it affects eukaryotes. Only recently, it was shown that specific benthic foraminifera are taking part in the nitrogen cycle under dysoxic-anoxic environmental settings. What about sulphur cycles and bacterial endosymbiosis? From a practical/applicable point of view, a closer understanding of how benthic foraminifera respond to hypoxia, based on information in the sedimentary record, is of prime importance when interpreting the effects of climate change and human impacts on the marine environment.
 
Topics of particular interest to this session included observations and interpretations of biotic responses to both present-day and past hypoxia and the interactions between organisms and their biogeochemical environment under hypoxic conditions. Some questions posed and discussed were: How do benthic organisms respond to modern hypoxia and how did they respond in the past? Which biological proxies reflect hypoxia and what are the adaptive strategies for organisms dwelling in strongly oxygen depleted environments? In terms of the biology of benthic organisms, results from both molecular analyses and physiological observations were documented for understanding adaptive strategies against hypoxic conditions. Benthic foraminifera that dwell under hypoxic conditions commonly adapt by means of specific organelles and/or endosymbiotic organisms. Pore shape and size of epifaunal organisms change in relation to oxygen concentration in the deep sea. This may be a sensitive proxy for hypoxia. Population responses during seasonal, ephemeral and more long-term hypoxia were reported from the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico. Specific species were recurrent after seasonal hypoxia. Deep-sea benthic foraminiferal faunal responses were discussed for Mediterranean sapropel layers through high-resolution analyses. Similar responses to hypoxic environments are shown between fossil and modern assemblages/species. The results indicate that common responses or adaptation processes for hypoxia may exist among benthic organisms.
 
General comments:
The overall quality of the presentations was very good with informative well-prepared slides and some magnificent SEM-pictures of benthic foraminifera. There were no cancellations and most speakers kept their time limit. The advancements in this fundamental and applied research theme is obviously of world-wide interest as, at times, more than 50 people from five continents gathered in the session room (A 1-4). Before the first talk, we encouraged people to have a look at the posters in the coffee break, and we encouraged those who would not be able to pose questions between talks to save them to our discussion session after the last talk. This worked perfectly well. There were some questions between talks but most were saved for the final discussion. After the talks, the first authors of the posters gave a summary of their studies. About 10-15 people took active part in the final discussion which was fruitful, well-focused, and lively. It was kept in a constructive atmosphere and lasted for more than 30 minutes. Afterwards we went over to the posters where the discussions continued. Overall, we felt that this was a very successful session on a topic that is of wide interest to geoscientists, and we thank the organizers for including this topic at the 33rd International Geological Congress. cooperation in palaeontologyand to encourage the integration and synthesis of all palaeontologicalknowledge. A detailed mission sta

Appendix 6: Third International Palaeontological Congress, London 2010

Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:26:06 +0100
From: "Paula Knapman (Geology)" <Paula.Knapman@museumwales.ac.uk>
Subject: International Palaeontological Congress
To: "'RMaddocks@uh.edu'" <RMaddocks@uh.edu>
Cc: "'ra12@leicester.ac.uk'" <ra12@leicester.ac.uk>,
 "'Dharper@snm.ku.dk'" <Dharper@snm.ku.dk>

Dear Rosalie,

Please find attached a formal bid from The Palaeontological Association to host the 3rd International Palaeontological Congress in London in 2010.  Please let me know if you require any further information at this stage.  Essentially, the plans are being put together by Professor David Harper and Professor Dick Aldridge, but will come under the overall umbrella of The Palaeontological Association.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M.G. Bassett

President, The Palaeontological Association

Bid for the 3^rd International Palaeontological Congress on behalf of a consortium led by The Palaeontological Association

1. This bid has been developed during a series of meetings with David Harper, Richard Aldridge and members of the Council of the Palaeontological Association together with colleagues in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London.

2. It is proposed that the 3^rd International Palaeontological Congress (2010) be hosted by a consortium led by The Palaeontological Association in cooperation with the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College, the International Palaeontological Association (IPA), The Natural History Museum, The Micropalaeontological Society and the Palaeontographical Society.

3. The congress will be primarily organized by Scientific, Logistics and Publicity committees that will report to an Executive Committee. All four committees will be populated by members of the consortium and provisional chairs and co-chairs of these committees have already been identified from within The Palaeontological Association, IPA and Royal School of Mines.

4. The main venue will be the Royal School of Mines, South Kensington, London, with some social events in the adjacent Natural History Museum and plenary sessions in the Royal Geographical Society. The Royal School of Mines can cater for up to six parallel, breakout sessions per day in a range of lecture theatres of varying sizes. Lunches can be served in and adjacent to the school and internet access is possible to delegates with their own laptops.

5. The timing of the congress is largely dependent on the availability of Student Halls of Residence that many of the delegates may wish to use. There are two possible windows: arrive Monday 26^th June, depart Sunday 3^rd July (6 days); or arrive Sunday 3^rd July and depart Saturday 9^th July (6 days).

6. A programme of field excursions to some of the classic palaeontological localities in Britain and Ireland will be organized by the scientific committee. A midweek excursion is planned to sites of palaeontological interest within the Greater London region.

7. A programme of social events, including the congress banquet (probably in the main Dinosaur Hall of The Natural History Museum), will be organized by the Logistics Committee. With prior booking, access will be available to the palaeontological collections in The Natural History Museum.

8. It is too early to set a registration fee but the consortium is aware that fundraising will be important part of its brief to support the attendance of more junior delegates and offset the costs of the main social events.

Professor Michael G. Bassett

President, The Palaeontological Association

Professor Michael G. Bassett

President

The Palaeontological Association

June 17, 2008

Dear Professor Bassett:

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the International Palaeontological Association, I would like to tell you how pleased we are to receive the bid from The Palaeontological Association to host the International Paleontological Congress in London in 2010.

The invitation is not merely welcome -- we receive it with outright delight and enthusiastic expectations! Such a historic site, such experienced leadership, such opportunities for field excursions to classic localities and examination of hallowed collections!

According to our procedures, we will now circulate this invitation to the officers and delegates of the IPA Council for advisement. We confidently expect that their response will be a positive endorsement, and we look forward to officially accepting this invitation.

It is apparent that you have already invested much thought and planning in the preparation of this bid, and this is much appreciated. You will hear from us again soon. We look forward to cooperating with you in the organization of this historic event.

Best wishes,

Dr. David A.T. Harper, President

Dr. Bruce S. Lieberman, Treasurer

Dr. Rosalie F. Maddocks, Secretary-General

Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:12:46 +0200
From: "David A.T. Harper" <Dharper@snm.ku.dk>
Subject: Bid for the 3rd International Palaeontological Congress: London 2010
To: mike.bassett@museumwales.ac.uk,
 "ARMSTRONG H.A." <h.a.armstrong@durham.ac.uk>
Cc: "Rosalie F. Maddocks" <RMaddocks@uh.edu>,
 Richard Aldridge <ra12@leicester.ac.uk>, "Lieberman, Bruce S" <blieber@ku.edu>

Dear Mike and Howard,

I am delighted to report that our council and delegates replied most positively to your bid for the 3rd International Palaeontological Congress (2010) in London. On behalf of the executive group of the International Palaeontological Association I send our warmest congratulations and we look forward to working with yourselves and your consortium on this exciting project.

You should also be aware that as planning begins for IPC 2010 we have a Council opening to fill: The Constitution of the IPA provides for  "One Delegate appointed by the Organizing Committee of the next International Palaeontological Congress."

I hope that we can meet soon with our partners to further develop the committee structure and move forward with the advertisement and planning of this major international congress.

Very best wishes,
Dave

cc IPA executive, Dick Aldridge

David A.T. Harper D.Sc.
Professor of Palaeontology
Head of Geology, Natural History Museum of Denmark (Geological Museum)
University of Copenhagen , ?ster Voldgade 5-7 , DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark

President, International Palaeontological Association

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