SUMMARY OF THE VIII SEOUL INTECOL CONGRESS AND SUBSEQUENT PROGRESSES IN ECOLOGY IN KOREA AS WELL AS IN EAST ASIA

Since the first INTECOL Congress was held in The Hague, The Netherlands, in 1974 with the theme, “Structure, Functions and Management of Ecosystems,” subsequent Congresses have followed: 2 INTECOLJerusalem (Israel) 1978, “The Future of Ecology”; 3 INTECOL in Warsaw (Poland) was cancelled for political reasons; 4 INTECOLSyracuse (U.S.A.) 1986, “Global Connections in Ecological Theory and Practice”; 5 INTECOLYokohama (Japan) 1990, “Development of Ecological Perspectives for the 21st Century”; 6 INTECOLManchester (U.K.) 1994, “Progress to Meet the Challenge of Environmental Change”; 7 INTECOLFlorence (Italy) 1998, “New Tasks for Ecologists after Rio 1992.” At the beginning of the 21st Century, ecological issues have never been more important both at a global scale and at a national level. The International Congresses of Ecology provided important fora to learn more about these issues, to discuss recent advances in ecological science, and to highlight deficiencies in the knowledge, which we urgently need to address. After the VII Congress in Florence, Italy, 1998, the VIII Congress in Seoul, Korea, provided an important opportunity for ecologists to continue the advancement of the science of ecology, and to learn at first hand of the many pressing problems that need to be addressed. The motto of the congress was “Ecology in a Changing World.” This paper was prepared to summarize the activities and to report the progress and achievements of the Congress.