Policy Committee

• Introduction
• Committee Members
• Terms of Reference
• Current Policy Guidelines
• Policy Officer
• Previous Policy Guidelines
• Visit our Policy Website, click here
• View Policy Committee Member Bios

Introduction

SCB recognizes that “policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations, and foundations should be effectively informed by the highest quality scientific counsel, analysis and recommendations so as to advance the conservation of biological diversity” (Strategic Plan 2005). SCB thus recognizes the need to intervene on critical policy issues while not compromising SCB’s identity and reputation as a scientific society. SCB is not just another conservation interest or lobbying group – it is a professional society with world class expertise and authority. The greatest strengths of SCB in this regard are (a) the knowledge and authority of our members, (b) the scientific and analytical skills that our members can bring to bear on policy issues, and (c) the ability to gather, organize and synthesize the science underpinning conservation issues.

Committee Members

Terms of Reference

Updated: June 1, 2006

The Policy Committee shall

1. identify, with input from Sections, Chapters, SCB members and the Policy Officer, policy issues to which SCB might contribute;
2. evaluate issues, recommend positions, and propose Society actions on issues related to conservation biology and policy where the scientific or management expertise of the Society and its membership may be of value;
3. prepare and, with the approval or at the direction of the Board of Governors, oversee the implementation plan of the policy activities of SCB;
4. commission papers and analyses leading to formal statements of the Society on science-related policy issues, and develop informational materials that are consistent with the aims of the Society; (note: such positions, commissioned papers, and informational materials must receive approval of the Board of Governors before release or publication)
5. oversee and manage the process of assessing, reporting and communicating on the policy issues in which SCB will be engaged;
6. authorize spokespersons and organize appropriate members/staff to speak as experts on policy issues within its designated sphere of responsibility at the global level, depending on issue and type of advocacy;
7. receive annual policy plan proposals from Sections, and evaluate for approval within 4 weeks, any plan so submitted; and
8. report to the Board of Governors on its activities.

Current Policy Guidelines
Updated: July, 2007

The following guidelines specify the roles, responsibilities, and interaction of the Policy Committee and the Sections in dealing with policy issues.

The types of policy issues in which the Society is likely to be involved can be divided in broad categories depending on their content, scope, and audience.

Content: There are two broad types of issues in which the Society is likely to be involved: i) advocating that scientific knowledge and methodology be used when making and implementing policy decisions, especially when they affect the conservation of biodiversity, and ii) advocating for specific conservation actions by governments or other major institutions when justified by scientific knowledge and information . Advancing policy initiatives and interventions in the first category will generally be the responsibility of SCB’s Policy Committee, while those in the second will generally be the responsibility of SCB Regional Sections, coordinating with SCB’s Policy Committee.

Scope: There are four broad types of issues defined by their degree of local vs. global scope: i) issues that are clearly global in scope are the responsibility of the SCB Policy Committee; ii) issues that are clearly regional in scope are the responsibility of the relevant section; iii) issues that are regional in scope but credibly global in impact are the joint responsibility of the SCB Policy Committee and the relevant section, who together will develop a strategy for addressing the issue; iv) issues that overlap two or more regions are the joint responsibility for the relevant sections, who together will develop a strategy for addressing the issue.

Audience: There are two broad types of issues defined by the audience they are directed to: i) issues that are clearly directed to an international audience (public opinion or international organizations) are the responsibility of the SCB Policy Committee; ii) issues that are clearly directed at regional or national audiences are the responsibility of the Sections

The following describes the policy approval process adopted by the SCB Board of Governors in February 2007, as amended at its meeting in July of 2007, by adding a general requirement, with exceptions, for a “peer review” process. New material is in italics. 

Policy Positions of SCB and Its Sub-Parts

SCB Groups have considerable influence in the policy arena as they represent regional groups and various interests of the overall SCB Membership.  SCB endeavors to ensure that conservation science is included in the process by which “policy decisions of major international conventions, governments, organizations, and foundations” are made and reflected accurately in those decisions through our “counsel, analysis and recommendations.” In order to combine credibility and efficiency in the policy process, local, regional and international efforts can be undertaken in parallel fashion, but policy initiatives by SCB Groups should be coordinated with the Policy Director in the EO and the Policy Committee of the Board or its Chairman in advance in a manner that allows for consultation that is appropriate for the scale and scope of the issue to be addressed and not initiated or significantly altered independent of the parent organization.

As a general rule, which can be waived by the Chairman of the Policy Committee when necessary to meet external deadlines on matters important to SCB, the policy director or chairman shall submit for review for a reasonable time, any proposed new policy statement of SCB, or a subpart thereof, to at least five persons who are expert in one aspect or another of the issue (e.g., that area of science or law).

The SCB Board will adopt a policy plan and review it no less often than annually.  

Policy issues that are the responsibility of the SCB Policy Committee:

1. SCB’s Policy Committee will be responsible for the general coordination of all policy interventions initiated and carried out by the Society and its Sections. The Committee’s policy interventions that will focus on the general rather than the specific, most likely aimed at the policy dialogue and regulations of international conventions and organizations, and national governments and institutions with a global impact.



2. SCB through its Policy Committee will adopt an open and transparent process within the society to assess its involvement in policy discussions. Once the SCB Policy Committee has agreed that the issue is one where SCB can usefully contribute, SCB might engage in producing position papers, analyses, white papers, peer reviews and disseminate data and information. SCB might organize expert testimony, especially on issues where we judge there is a need for more scientific approaches and data or where the existing data are not accounted for or properly used. This might involve supporting the attendance and participation of SCB Executive Office staff or appropriate members at international conventions and working groups; expanding the outreach of policy products; and actively promoting the increased use of the science with those deciding policy.


A typical process might involve:

• formally announcing that the Society is reviewing the topic,
• forming a panel of experts from among the members, and
• seeking input from across the scientific community - members and non-members alike (call for evidence, etc.),
• producing a report that synthesizes the data and evidence, draws conclusions and makes recommendations. The report will be reviewed and approval granted by the Policy committee, the BOG or peer review (depending on the issue),
• sending the report to the relevant bodies,
• releasing and publicizing the report ,
• following up the release of the report with the relevant bodies so as to maximize the chances that the report is fairly and correctly considered.

1. SCB Sections will most likely initiate and be responsible for SCB’s involvement in conservation issues which have a more specific geographic or national focus, with interventions aimed at national governments and organizations. Their work might include advocacy and being more proactive at the level of governments, institutions and the public.



2. The Sections will work together with the Policy Committee on issues that are regional in content but global in scope or audience.



3. SCB Sections will adopt an open and transparent process within the section to assess their involvement in a policy issue.



4. Sections will submit an annual policy plan (including objectives, methods, resources, expected results) for consideration by the SCB Policy Committee, which will evaluate and approve the plan. Ad-hoc policy proposals can be submitted anytime for their consideration and comment within 4 weeks.



5. Policy interventions will be explicitly identified as representing the opinions and interests of the Section, not the Society as a whole, unless the intervention has been formally endorsed by the Policy Committee.

Policy Officer

• support the work plan of the Policy Committee and the process to identify and evaluate conservation issues.
• work on conservation policy issues that would benefit from the use of scientific knowledge and methodology.
• work on policy issues of global significance, some of which might also be of importance to Regional Sections

• provide staff support to the Policy Committee
• engage SCB in policy dialogues to which our professional expertise can contribute.
• coordinate and facilitate the scientific expertise within SCB. This might involve identifying and recruiting that expertise, and forming panels of experts. When appropriate seek input from across the scientific community, including people who are not members of SCB.
• organize panel discussions, workshops, and symposia. Engage experts and expertise in testimony to government bodies.
• help produce analyses and reports arising from panel deliberations, workshops.
• disseminate reports to appropriate audiences. Marketing reports to ensure that they are fairly and correctly considered.