We received a record number of abstracts this year. This made the review process much longer and drawn out than expected but we were determined to maintain the rigour of the review process. Abstracts were assigned to reviewers whose expertise was most closely aligned to the topic. Our emphasis has been to ensure as far as possible that every abstract received constructive feedback that would help the authors identify aspects of their study that can be strengthened and made more rigorous. We sincerely hope that a large number of the authors will find the review comments useful in presenting and publishing their research.

Based on the reviews, 15 abstracts were chosen for oral presentations and 98 for posters. We congratulate the authors and look forward to their participation at the conference. At the same time, we convey our appreciation to all authors for submitting their abstracts - many good studies could not be included due to space and other constraints. We do hope that you will participate in the conference nonetheless, meet like-minded people, interact with senior conservationists, and contribute to the dialogues and discussions at the workshops and other events at the conference!