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MEASURING OUR EFFECT BY THE COMPANY WE KEEP

For more than a dozen years, the Society for Conservation Biology primarily was identified with its journal, Conservation Biology. Today, private and public organizations worldwide recognize that SCB plays key roles in conservation of biological diversity that extend far beyond publication of research.

"The Society for Conservation Biology helps to integrate networks of scientists across many organizations. This matrix globally supports and binds together the work of conservationists," said Sanjayan Muttulingam, one of three lead scientists at The Nature Conservancy.

The Nature Conservancy has partnered with SCB to launch and provide a portion of the start-up funds for Conservation In Practice. The Nature Conservancy also provides office space in their worldwide headquarters, at no charge, for SCB's Executive Office. SCB's Executive Director Alan Thornhill noted, "The office space alone is worth more than $10,000 per year in addition to its valuable location across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The money saved can be spent on conservation programs such as journal subscriptions for libraries and for conservation scientists in developing countries."

During the past few years, SCB has developed a broad vision for participation in conservation initiatives in addition to continued dissemination of research. Among the ways in which the vision has been realized are publication of Conservation In Practice, a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, development of international sections, and establishment of the Executive Office. Germination of these seedling projects was successful largely due to the efforts and contributions of our partners.

For example, "The Moriah Fund encouraged SCB to establish an office near Washington, D.C. and subsequently provided two years of financial support," said Jack Vanderryn, Moriah's Program Director for Environment. A private philanthropic foundation established in 1985, the Moriah Fund supports programs that strengthen local involvement, leadership, and institutional development in the areas of equity and justice, sustainable development, the environment, and women's rights. "Moriah is interested in promoting the adoption of global policies and practices that promote biodiversity conservation and which reflect the most up-to-date knowledge about ecosystem behavior gained from conservation biology," Vanderryn said.

Organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Moriah Fund seek to engage SCB because of who we are, collectively--the largest community of practitioners of conservation science in the world. The list of partners, sponsors, collaborators, and other benefactors of SCB is impressive. Unquestionably, their motivations for support are a reflection of SCB's impact on the conservation community.

Just as the effect of Conservation Biology can be measured by its high "impact factor," the impact factor of SCB as a whole can be measured by the high quality of our partners--by the company we keep.

Thanks to Autumn-Lynn Harrison for contributing to this article

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