4rd Announcement FRIENDS OF SOCOTRA 19th International Conference and Annual General Meeting 24–27 September 2020, Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic Conference Aim The “Friends of Soqotra” meet every year gathering naturalists, botanists, marine biologists, geographers, sociologists, linguists, archaeologists, explorers, writers, travellers interested in Socotra from all over the world. Presentations and discussions occur for ongoing projects and scientific research about Socotra. Attendees actively promote awareness for the conservation of the unique culture and nature of the Archipelago and its sustainable development. The aim is to create an event that brings together all people with a heart for the Socotra Archipelago, its biodiversity, its myths and traditions, its history and future. Conference Venue The conference will be held from September 24th to 27th, 2020, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology (Zemědělská 3, Brno, http://www.mendelu.cz), Czech Republic. For those who cannot attend personally the organisers will stream all presentation also via selected internet platform (most probably MS Teams) and also remote participants can use the same platform to hold their presentations. The meeting will therefore be mixed virtual, however attendants should register and specify whether they attend in person or not. Programme Thursday 24th September 2020 15:00 Registration, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology (Zemědělská 3, B 45), 16:00 Welcome excursion Villa Tugendhat (Černopolní 45) Friday 25th September 2020 8:00-9:00 Registration (B 43 – B building), 9:00-12:30 Conference (B 45), 12:30-14:00 Lunch – Era café (Zemědělská 30) 14:00-16:00 interactive on-line part (B45) 18:00 Conference dinner – U Královny Elišky (Mendlovo n. 1b) Session 1: Brief Updates on the Fauna of Socotra 9:00 Kay Van Damme, Petr Vahalik, Ahmed Saeed Suleiman et al.: The Dragonflies of Socotra 9:15 Vladimír Hula, Zdeněk Faltýnek Fric et al.: The Butterflies of Socotra – novelties, distribution and thread 9:30 Mauro Fasola, Edoardo Razzetti, Raquel Vasconcelos: Ecological preferences of the endemic reptile community of Socotra Session 2: Socotran Plants, Impacts and Local Uses 9:45 Pavel Hanáček: Echidnopsis of Socotra 10:00 Samuel Lvončík: Taxonomic news in the genus Boswellia on Socotra 10:15 Ghalya Abdulrahman Ahmed Abdo, Jitka Meňházová: Value chain of Frankincense resin in Socotra Island -Yemen 10:30 Martin Rejžek: The effect of grazing intensity on vascular plant diversity and composition in the plateaus of central Socotra 10:45 Coffee break Session 3 – Dragon’s Blood Trees 11:00 Abdulraqeb Shamsan Al-Okaishi: Exploring historical distribution of Dracaena cinnabari tree using ethno-botanical knowledge - Socotra Island, Yemen 11:15 Petr Maděra: First model of juvenile Dragon Tree age estimation 11:30 Lucie Bauerová: Germination of Dracaena cinnabari seeds in artificial conditions 11:45 Hana Habrová: The role of Dracaena in horizontal precipitation Session 4 – Remote Sensing 12:00 Petr Vahalík: Socotra From the Orbit 12:15 Fabio Attorre: The use of remote sensing technologies to assess land cover trends and patterns in Socotra Island 12:30-14:00 Lunch break (Era café, Zemědělská 30) Session 5 – Online Session – Environmental Challenges and Conservation 14:00–16:00 14:00 Salem Hamdiah: Conservation of the endangered Frankincense Trees of Socotra 14:15 Haifaa Abdulhalim: Socotra Conservation Status - IUCN World Heritage Outlook 14:30 Helen Lackner: Current socio-economic situation in Yemen and the position of Socotra 14:45 Anna Paolini & KVD: The Connect2Socotra Awareness Campaign by UNESCO-FoS 15:00 Mazen Mohamed Al Darhe, Jitka Fialová: A study of recreational use of the Homhil protected area in Socotra Island 15:15 Marcelo Rezende: Land Productivity in Socotra 15:30 Petr Maděra: Updating the Dragon Tree research 15:35 Yehya Khaled & Nashat Hamidan: Phase 2 of the Socotra UNE-GEF Project (to be confirmed) 15:50 Beatriz Tomé, Raquel Vasconcelos: Parasites in a hotspot: diversity and specificity patterns of apicomplexans infecting reptiles from the Socotra Archipelago (poster presentation – 5 minutes) 15:55 Paul Scholte: The Genus Boswellia (Burseraceae): The Frankincense Trees (to be confirmed) 18.00 Gala Dinner – U Královny Elišky (Mendlovo náměstí 1b) Saturday 26th September 2019 9:00-11:00 FoS AGM, B 45 Brno guided tour with brewery visit Sunday 27th September 2019 conference excursion (Moravian Karst, Punkva Caves) Fees and registration Registration via conference web sites: https://fraxinus.mendelu.cz/tropicalforestry/friends-of-soqotra- 19th-conference-and-agm/ Conference fees (not for virtual attendants): Conference fee Conference Vila Tugendhat Brno tour Moravian dinner Carst Normal 100 EUR 30* EUR 15 EUR 10 EUR 15 EUR FoS members 50 EUR 30* EUR 15 EUR 10 EUR 15 EUR Accompany 30 EUR 30* EUR 15 EUR 10 EUR 15 EUR person Student, retired 20 EUR 30* EUR 15 EUR 10 EUR 15 EUR * The price can be still specified The conference fee includes: - Conference organisational costs - All lunches during the conference and AGM - Coffee breaks - Participation in all plenary sessions - Conference materials and conference proceedings Excursions: Welcome excursion (24th September 2020) Vila Tugendhat, 4 PM The number of visitors is limited to only 32 places, so first come first serve. The Villa of Greta and Fritz Tugendhat, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built in 1929–1930, is a monument of modern architecture, and is the only example of modern architecture in the Czech Republic inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites. Between 2010 and 2012 the Villa Tugendhat underwent renovation and restoration work, during which both the structure and the adjoining gardens were restored to their original appearance following the completion of the Villa in 1930. The interiors have been equipped with exact replicas of the original furnishings. The technical equipment for the Villa (the air technology rooms, the boiler room, the engine room for the retractable windows, the so-called ”moth” room) was restored in the basement and is newly accessible to the public as part of the guided tours. This area also houses an exhibition presenting the architect, the owners and the family life in the Villa up to 1938 when the Tugendhats were forced to emigrate in connection with the threat of World War II. Visitors can also now enjoy the bookshop. Conference dinner (25th September 2020) Dinner in the typical south Moravian wine cellar with wine tasting. Brno guided tour with brewery visit (26th September 2020) Brno historical centre, Špilberk Castle, Casemate Špilberk Castle was established in the 13th century by Přemysl Otakar II to protect both the Czech lands and the town of Brno. An occasional residence of Moravian margraves, the castle became a huge military fortress in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1783, as decreed by Emperor Joseph II, it was transformed into a jail for serious criminals and soon also for political prisoners from countries throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Špilberk was known as the harshest jail in Europe. Its famous prisoners included Italian Carbonari, notably poet Silvio Pellico, and Václav Babinský, the famous Czech bandit. After 1855, the castle served as military barracks. During both world wars, the castle again functioned as a jail, as first opponents of the Austrian regime and later Czech patriots during the Nazi occupation were imprisoned there. In 1962, Špilberk was added to the National Cultural Heritage list. The castle walls offer an amazing view of Brno. The castle also serves as a cultural centre, housing Muzeum města Brna (the Brno City Museum). Concerts, theatrical performances, and festivals are often held there. The castle’s large interior courtyard holds a fifteen- bell carillon, a lookout in the corner tower, and the Baroque Holy Trinity chapel. The Špilberk casemates are a popular place for tourists. Their vaulted passages are rich with romantic as well as terrifying legends. Conference excursion – Moravian Carst, Punkva Caves, Macocha Abyss (27th September 2020) Moravský Kras is the largest and the most important karst area in the Czech Republic. The karst area consists of Devon limestone lying northward from Brno. The landscape character is formed by plateaus with many sinkholes separated by deep canyon grooves. Most of the water flow coming from the non-karstified part of the Drahanská uplands vanishes underground where the limestone area begins. The water-flow created various cave labyrinths here during the long geological evolution. The northern part of Moravský Kras is drained by the Punkva River and its tributaries. The Amatérská cave complex is to be found here, stretching for almost 35 km when contiguous caves are included, making it one of the largest cave systems in Europe. In the central part of Moravský Kras, Rudické sinking-Býčí rock is the main cave system, which is 12 km long. Ochozská cave, 2 km long, is the most famous cave in the southern part of the area. In total there are more than 1,100 caves in Moravský Kras. In most of them, traces of ancient life and social development have been conserved. Inside Kůlna cave there is evidence of the most ancient settlement ever discovered in Moravský Kras, that of Neanderthal man 120,000 years ago. Discoveries of engravings of horses and bison in Pekárna cave are also remarkable. They were made by horse and reindeer hunters and they are estimated to be from 11,000 to 13,000 years old. The caves are also the main tourism attraction. The following caves are open to the public: Punkevní, Kateřinská, Balcarka and Sloupsko- šošůvské. About 400,000 people visit them every year. Unique fauna and flora occur here due to the bedrock, broken terrain and the location on the border between the Panonian and Hercynian biogeographical regions. Cave fauna is remarkable. The most famous are bats, of which 21 species have been discovered till now.