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SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY ELECTION 2005
Starting 1 November 2004, you may cast your vote online at www.conservationbiology.org. In these statements, candidates were asked to focus on their objectives for and history with SCB. Short versions of their curricula vitae, which provide biographical details, are available on the Web site. Votes must be received by 1 March 2005.
PRESIDENT ELECTLuigi Boitani I joined SCB in 1987 and was elected President of the Europe Section in 2001. I think SCB's role in rooting conservation firmly in sound science could be greatly expanded and, through the internationalization process, SCB could play a strategic role in supporting many initiatives and conventions on conservation issues, especially at the global level. For example, we have unique opportunities to play a scientific advisory role in international conventions on global conservation issues, offering a clearing house of scientific expertise; serve as a forum for government agencies, NGOs, and foundations dealing with conservation programs; link the scientific community with programs run by IUCN, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, UNEP, CBD, and so forth; and proactively explore cutting-edge conservation science through dedicated task forces and workshops, and by producing special publications on relevant and controversial issues of conservation science at global and regional scales. To achieve these roles, SCB needs to build a stronger identity as a truly global and international organization, and to expand its membership. By progressively engaging in active roles on the international conservation stage, we would have a broader value to offer and would attract many new members worldwide. Georgina Mace I joined SCB as a founder member in 1986. I was a member of the Editorial Board of Conservation Biology from 1994 to 1997, and a member of the Board of Governors from 1997-2000. While on the Board I co-chaired the Internationalization Committee with Mac Hunter, and led the process to form the Europe Section. My motivation for standing as President is based around the observation that the science of conservation biology still needs to move forward a good deal if we are to ensure that biological issues are well placed in environmental policy over coming decades. There are both core biological issues and interdisciplinary areas that need to be developed and this will require attention to the direction and quality of both science and policy. I believe that SCB is uniquely placed to lead the science and influence the policy. As President, I would seek to grow the relevant science base to inform international environmental policy, and to do this primarily through the emerging network of regional sections. I think all this is a natural progression from recent initiatives within SCB, so is gentle evolution, not any kind of revolution.
SECRETARYPaul Beier A member of SCB since 1989, I serve as Conservation Chair for the Colorado Plateau Chapter. During my 2002-2005 term as Local Chapters liaison on the Board of Governors, I (a) worked with the Executive Office to improve services to local chapters and developed a committee of chapter activists, (b) actively supported SCB's efforts to become a global community and to welcome all conservation practitioners (including social scientists and managers) to our publications and meetings, and (c) chaired the ad hoc committee that drafted SCB's first Code of Ethics. As Secretary, I want to (a) help our Policy Committee develop meaningful guidelines for SCB policy initiatives, (b) ensure follow-through on our ongoing Strategic Plan, and (c) apply our new Code of Ethics to SCB's behavior as an organization. My research (http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/pb1) focuses on conservation issues. I am an unabashed advocate of scientific advocacy. I helped protect the Coal Canyon Corridor in California, helped initiate "Missing Linkages" projects in four states, and continue as a leader in the California and Arizona projects. In Ghana I worked with chiefs to create and manage a sanctuary on the Black Volta River, which is now financially self-supporting. Terry Rich The Society for Conservation Biology is an exciting professional society because of its great diversity of interests and palpable energy. I've been a member since 1993 and have both participated in annual meetings and published in Conservation Biology. For nine years, I served as Secretary of the Cooper Ornithological Society and learned how to make the position of secretary function as it should to support the communication and achievements of a society. More recently I also served on the Cooper Ornithological Society's Board of Directors and as President. I currently serve as an Elective Councilor for the American Ornithologists' Union. I believe that the networking made possible by involvement in multiple societies inevitably leads to new ideas and advances. Biologically, my recent experience has been with large-scale planning, including preparation of the North American Landbird Conservation Plan, the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project, and a range-wide conservation assessment for sage-grouse. The Society for Conservation Biology is on a terrific course, and I would like to contribute more directly to its future.
LOCAL CHAPTERSIngrid Hogle I am passionate about the importance of local chapters to international organizations--they enable grassroots work and facilitate personal relationships among members. As chapter liaison to the Board of Governors, I will apply my experience in establishing and maintaining effective local chapters to SCB. Strong leadership is needed at all levels to maintain a focused and effective organization. I have 15 years of such leadership experience; past positions include serving on the Board of Directors of the Amnesty International Mid-Atlantic Region and the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan, and as president of local chapters of Amnesty International, InterAct (Rotary International), and SCB. As SCB continues to expand internationally, I see a strong need for SCB to promote its mission through the activities of local chapters around the globe. If elected to the Board of Governors, I will work to facilitate the expansion of local chapters in the International Sections of SCB. I will ensure that all chapters are provided with the information and resources to be effective in promoting the mission and goals of SCB. Tom Sisk I have been a member of SCB since its founding, working in various roles, from field biologist and activist, to Washington, D.C.-based agency scientist, to researcher and college professor. These diverse experiences have led me to value "on-the-ground" perspectives, where science and policy come together in concrete applications. As a member of the Board of Governors, I would work to strengthen the network and influence of SCB chapters, so that they can provide the critical mass needed to increase and sustain SCB's influence and "reach" by connecting science and policy with local conservation efforts. I would also work to increase SCB's leverage on key policy issues. My diverse professional experiences could prove helpful as SCB responds to emerging issues, such as the roadless rule, revisions of the National Forest Management Act, new endangered species legislation, and positions on a raft of global treaties. SCB should be, first and foremost, a leading scientific society, but its charter also mandates active pursuit of conservation efforts through research, policy, and management. By strengthening the network of SCB chapters, and helping to shape the science / policy interface, I believe that SCB can become a stronger advocate for science-based conservation worldwide.
HUMANITIESTracy Dobson I joined SCB because it seeks to use science to solve real world problems and because both through its members and the organization as whole it has a realistic opportunity to do so. As a law and policy researcher I know that colleagues in biological science provide data crucial to inform decision making and policy making processes, but I recognize that solutions will be found and most effectively implemented by multidisciplinary teams. With this in mind, in SCB I have worked to strengthen collaboration between natural and social scientists through introducing my research in fisheries co-management in Malawi and tribal fishing rights in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In addition, with colleagues from anthropology, history, political science, and psychology, I co-organized two annual meeting events aimed at broadly engaging the SCB membership in a dialogue on enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration. As a board member, I would advocate continued strengthening of the bridge between the disciplines. I would also advocate for SCB to continue to position itself to play a role in national and international policy making processes. I would be a strong supporter of the newly created Sections; I am a member of the Africa and North America sections. Dale Goble Nearly four years ago I began an intensive, multidisciplinary review of the U.S. Endangered Species Act with three other conveners. The objective was to examine the law / science interface in the implementation of the Act. Working with a diverse group of biologists, economists, historians, philosophers, and lawyers has been both intellectually stimulating and highly productive. The experience reinforced my belief in the value of multidisciplinary undertakings. One of the strengths that I would bring to the Board is a broad and multidisciplinary background in natural resource law and policy. I have worked in the Solicitor's Office in the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., have taught nearly a dozen different natural resource and environmental history courses, and have written extensively, including coursebooks in the field of wildlife law. I also can be a pipeline to a new group of academics who presently may be unfamiliar with SCB. The world of natural resource and environmental law is itself going through a transformation that is encouraging interdisciplinary perspectives. It is an ideal time to facilitate greater cooperation--through joint symposia, small collaborative workshops, and other events--between two groups that have much to offer one another.
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