RSC to examine climate change & marine biodiversity

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has announced the formation of an expert panel to examine Ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity. Commissioned at its own initiative, the panel will be led by Dr Jeffrey Hutchings, a professor and Canada Research Chair in marine conservation and biodiversity at Dalhousie Univ. The panel is the first of several planned by the RSC, now known as RSC: Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. It will commence its work in June/10 with a final report expected late in 2012. The RSC committee on expert panels — headed by Dr William Leiss — has identified several issues which it plans to subject to expert panel scrutiny. The organization is part of the Council of Canadian Academies but must raise its own funding to conduct its own assessments (R$, December 23/08)….