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INTERNATIONAL SECTION AND SCB MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Austral and Neotropical America

SCB decided to create regional sections to organize efforts and stimulate the contribution of current and new members in specific geographic areas. One of these sections is Austral and Neotropical America (ANA), which includes all of the countries south of the United States to Chile and Argentina.

ANA (which also is a woman's name derived from the Hebrew hanna,' which means graceful') is one of the largest SCB sections, and it is growing rapidly. We have taken firm steps to give life to the section. The first of these steps was organization of interim elections for the board that will guide initial development of the section. The second, a meeting that took place during SCB's 2002 annual meeting in Canterbury, served to introduce several of the elected board members and to solicit opinions regarding various aspects of SCB membership, such as options, rates, and affiliation with more than one section.

During the past few months we have discussed the bylaws under which we will operate. We are pleased to announce that after several rounds of discussion and amendment, the bylaws were approved. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of the bylaws, please contact Jon Paul Rodríguez (jonpaul@ivic.ve).

Now, we are moving forward with preparations for a planning meeting of the section, which will be held in Cuba 23-27 November 2002. The board (President, Secretary, Treasurer and the four directors) will meet with other SCB members to refine the functional structure of the ANA section, establish short-term and long-term objectives, organize efforts within the section, and define the contributions that we can make to and receive from SCB and other regional sections. We are open to receiving opinions and contributions about these and other themes that you believe are necessary to address during the meeting (please send comments to Jon Paul Rodríguez or Miguel Vázquez, m.a.vazquez@andinanet.net).

Finally, we are confident that thanks to our members' ongoing work, interests, and exchange of experiences, the section will be an important source of proposals and contributions regarding practical alternatives for conservation of biodiversity in the region and the world.

Miguel Vázquez

Australasia

The Australasian Section is moving forward!

The first strategic planning meeting of the Australasian Section's Board of Directors will be taking place at the joint Ecological Society of Australia / New Zealand Ecological Society meeting in Cairns, north Queensland from 2-6 December 2002. All members (and potential members) of the Australasia Section are cordially invited to attend the section members' meeting on Tuesday, 3 December from 6:00-8:00 P.M., followed by a reception to welcome us to the region in true style!

Our board members are looking for a few good people with a few good ideas for how our section can develop in both the short term and long term. If you have a hankering to get involved on the ground level, and help decide what focus and direction we as a group will be taking over the next few years, please contact one (or more) of the following committee chairs.

Conservation. Andrew Mack, amack@wcs.org

Keeps section members informed about current conservation issues on a regional or global scale and helps facilitate awareness of regional conservation issues by SCB members outside the section.

Programme. Robert Davis, radavis@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Assists the President Elect in arranging the program and activities schedule for the section, including members' meetings and any alternatives intended to substitute for meetings.

Education. Jean-Marc Hero, m.hero@mailbox.gu.edu.au

Acts as an extension of the section within the academic and regional community by informing the public of regional and global conservation issues and promoting the study of conservation biology. This committee also may act as a forum for discussing and debating solutions to regional issues.

Membership and Student Awards. Menna Jones, menna.jones@anu.edu.au

Responsible for encouraging membership in both the section and SCB. Assists the Secretary in maintaining the list of the section's membership and helps facilitate any mailings to the membership. Also responsible for administering the applications for student membership awards and student presentation awards at meetings.

Audit. Eric Dorfman, edorfman@doc.govt.nz

Ensures the annual audit, independent of the section's Chief Financial Officer, of the section's financial records. This committee reports to the section President.

Communications. Angie Penn, a.penn@unsw.edu.au

Provides advice on development of printed and electronic publications of the section such as newsletters and websites. This committee also works with the Membership Committee and other committees of both the section and SCB to achieve outreach and marketing goals.

Policy and Media. Meg Montgomery, megm@performancetechnologies.com

Statements of Resolutions and Public Advocacy explaining the section's views on a particular issue or controversy are prepared by this committee for review and action. The chair is the media contact for policy statements.

Nominations. Caroline Gross, cgross@metz.une.edu.au

Organizes all nominations for elected offices and presents to the section Board a complete slate of nominees

We received a number of great ideas from members for symposium topics at both the Duluth meeting in 2003 and for our first regional symposium in Armidale in 2003. Presently we are seeking a co-sponsor from Australasia to help coordinate and plan the Duluth symposium. For further details please contact David Norton, david.norton@canterbury.ac.nz or Karen Firestone, karenf@austmus.gov.au.

Please check our website periodically for news and action updates and for current job listings in our region: www.conservationbiology.org/SCB/Activities/Sections/OzNz/. If you would like to advertise a job on our website, contact Angie Penn, a.penn@unsw.edu.au.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Cairns.

Karen Firestone

Marine

Our newly formed committees--Marine Conservation Policy, Marine Conservation Science, Education, International, Membership, Program, Communications, Nominations, and Audit--have begun to meet. The Policy and Science committees in particular will be busy organizing updates on current marine science and policy to distribute via the marine website and listserv. The Membership Committee will be assisting the SCB membership committee in creating a marine' insert for the SCB brochure to promote marine conservation via distribution of this brochure. To join one of these committees, please contact Carolyn Lundquist, c.lundquist@niwa.co.nz. Further information on these committees is contained in the section bylaws, which are available on SCB's Marine Section website.

As Marine Section members (like members of any section), we now can become a voting member of an additional international section. We believe that this will be of great benefit to the Marine Section members who also are interested in joining the section for their geographical region. You can join an additional section by logging on to http://conbio.net/SCB/Activities/Sections/ with your SCB id number and password or when you renew your membership for 2003. For additional information on the Marine Section or to join the marine listserv (marinelist@conbio.org), visit http://conbio.net/SCB/Activities/Sections/Marine/ or contact any of the Section officers.

Carolyn Lundquist

Bylaws Ratified

On 10 October, the Board of Governors unanimously ratified bylaws for five sections: Africa, Austral and Neotropical America, Australasia, Europe, and North America (bylaws for the Marine section were ratified in July 2002). The President of each of these sections, or his or her designee, now serves as a voting member on SCB's Board of Governors. Congratulations and thanks to the many individuals who participated in the bylaw development and ratification process.

New Membership Alternatives and Rates

Ratification of bylaws is an important milestone, but we are aware that much important work lies ahead. The Board's mid-year meeting in March 2003 will focus on future steps toward effective internationalization of SCB. In the meantime, we hope to make progress on various fronts such as membership recruitment. A US$10 "membership only" option became functional as of 1 October. Members who take advantage of this alternative will receive an electronic version of the newsletter and access to member-only sections of the web site.

On 10 October, the Board of Governors approved a life membership option at a rate of 20 times the annual regular rate. For example, a member in a developing country will receive a lifetime subscription to Conservation Biology, and all benefits of SCB membership, for $940. Although life membership is an expensive option in the short-term, we hope it will obviate the difficulties of obtaining US currency each year and will be an affordable alternative in the long run. Some NGOs have expressed an interest in sponsoring life memberships.

At the 2002 annual meeting, SCB's Board of Governors decided that each member of SCB may join two sections as a voting member. This change is spurring strong growth in section membership; six of the seven sections now have 200 or more members. Please review and update your section affiliations when you renew your membership for 2003.

Membership Renewal Update

Once again it is the beginning of membership renewal season. With our transition to from calendar year to rolling membership and subscriptions, it is more important than ever to renew on time so you do not lose access to SCB member services or miss any issues of Conservation Biology or Conservation In Practice. Please take a moment to check the renewal date on the mailing label of your newsletter or most recent journal. You may renew online if that is most convenient for you. Regardless of the renewal method you choose, we hope you will continue to align yourself with others who are playing decisive roles in our mission of conserving biological diversity.

To access the online renewal form, go to www.conservationbiology.org/renew

Enter your USER ID (email address or login of your choice)

Press Go'

All of the information you have provided us in the past automatically will appear on the form. Just follow the easy steps to renew your membership.

We thank you for your current membership and hope you will continue to enjoy the benefits that your SCB affiliation brings. Please contact the Executive Office if you have any problems or questions.

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