Scientific Programme

We are looking forward to welcoming all the delegates to the 15^th PAOC at Victoria Falls in November. After being postponed twice and delayed by two years because of the Covid pandemic, we now have a full conference – something some of us wondered would ever happen! The response has been fantastic, and we have planned 26 symposia, over 220 submitted talks, 6 plenaries by African and international scientists, 13 Round Table Discussions and many poster presentations. We expect nearly 300 delegates from 56 nations, 33 of which are African countries. We also have delegates from Europe, USA, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Malaysia, and India. It is shaping up to be a very good congress.

We are running four parallel sessions. To get the most out of a large(ish!) conference like this, it is important to plan carefully what you want to get out of it. We provide links below to the current incarnation of the program and to the abstract booklet. The latter document gives more details about each symposium, plenary and RTDs, together with the submitted abstracts for each talk and poster. Currently running at over 150 pages, it is definitely worth looking at this before the congress starts and familiarising yourself with the program and the content.

We are especially looking forward to welcoming to this congress so many students, who without doubt are the future of African ornithology and the conservation of African birds and their habitats. We believe that successful conservation is underpinned by sound science, good management, and community engagement, and we hope that our upcoming congress can make a positive contribution through sharing ideas and giving a unique platform to ornithologists working across the African continent. There will be a prize for the best student talk and poster, so please ensure that you let us know that you are eligible.

We look forward to seeing and listening to as many of you as possible in Victoria Falls.