CIEEM Conference in Edinburgh

Last month I spent an excellent few days up in Edinburgh for the CIEEM conference.

Travelling up the day before, I had planned to have a walk around Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat. Unfortunately our train was cancelled, and by the time we arrived in Edinburgh and checked into the hotel it was mid-afternoon.  We still managed to walk part of the way, up to the crags, but as we didn't want to get caught out in unfamiliar terrain in the dark, we turned back so didn't make it to Arthur's Seat. The views from where we were across the city were spectacular though.

We managed to find a very nice pub just around the corner from the hotel, with a choice of fine ales, good music and food.  It was nice to relax before what I knew might be quite an intense few days, and the pub was so good we went back the next day.

It was about half an hour's walk from the hotel to the conference venue at Edinburgh University.  There were a range of talks on both days, mostly around 30-45 minutes in length, and covering varied topics but all focusing on the theme of Effective Habitat Restoration, Translocation and Creation.  There were plenty of breaks so that sessions didn't feel as though they were too long. Many of the talks were given by experienced practioners sharing their experiences.  It was interesting to learn about subjects I have not really been exposed to yet, such as crayfish mitigation and moving wood ant nests. 

During the conference I also took part in a speed career networking session. This was a 15 minute chat with an experienced ecologist.  It was quite thought provoking and good to talk out loud about my current situation, and it has given me some ideas about how I can progress next year.

I came away with more luggage than I went with, having bought some books and mammal scales at the on-site shop.  Overall, it was a really good few days. I'm booked onto an amphibian conference in 2015 and hopefully it will be equally as useful.