Notices to the ISE Membership

Nominations to the ISE Board (2010-2012/14)

Proposals to host the 14th ISE Congress in 2014

Nominations to the ISE Board (2010-2012/14)

Dear ISE members,

The ISE has received nominations for President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Regional Rperesentative for Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Get to know the nominees before voting!

Nominations for the Africa and Americas Regional Representatives and the Student Representatives will re-open on the floor during the General Assembly at the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada. During the Second General Assembly, the ISE Membership will vote for the candidates for President-elect, and the Africa and Americas Regional Representatives, should we receive multiple nominations for the Regional Representative positions. The Student Representative positions will be appointed by the incoming ISE Board.

See below for more information about the ISE Organizational Sructure and the descriptions and duties associated with each Board position.

ISE Organizational Structure

Elected Officers of the Board:
President
Vice President/President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Regional representatives: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania

Appointed Officers of the Board:
Global Coalition Director
Chair of the Ethics Committee
Administrator of the ISE Darrell Posey Fellowship Program (new position, pending membership approval by vote at the General Assembly)
Student representative(s)

Ex-officio members:
Congress Organizers of the most recent past and upcoming ISE Congresses
Past Presidents

Overview of ISE Board Duties

President (2 year term; cannot be re-elected but can be elected to a different position on the Board): The President-elect becomes the President, after serving the two-year term of President-elect.

The President is responsible for coordinating the Society’s business in consultation with the ISE Coordinator and other members of the Board. The President is responsible for supporting and working with the ISE Coordinator to draft the agenda and conduct the General Assembly at the biennial ISE Congress. During the intervening period between biennial General Assemblies, the President conducts Society business with other officers and advisors via e-mail, phone and mail and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. Executive Board members commit to ongoing fundraising for core functions and development of the Society, and fundraising in support of Congress organizers. The President, President-elect, and Coordinator must be in excellent and regular communication via phone, internet, and fax at all times. The responsibilities of the President are detailed in Article 11.10 of the ISE Constitution.

President-elect/Vice President (2 year term; leading to a second 2-year term as president): The President-elect must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The President-elect assists the President and takes an active role in the organization of the General Assembly and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. The President-elect also serves on the Nominating committee and the Financial Management committee, and commits to other aspects of fundraising for the Society and for the Congress organizers. The President-elect shall substitute for the President in the absence of the President. The responsibilities of the President-elect are detailed in Article 11.11 of the ISE Constitution.

Secretary* (2 year term but anticipated to become 4 year term as of 2010): The Secretary must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The Secretary is responsible for supporting and working with the ISE Coordinator in:

Preparing the minutes of the Board meetings and of the General Assemblies, and distributing them to the Board in a timely fashion;
Oversight, with ISE Coordinator, for all correspondence of the ISE;
Assisting in all aspects of outreach and communications for the Society, including the ISE newsletter, funding proposal preparation and website oversight, as appropriate; and
Maintaining and developing the institutional memory of the ISE.

The Secretary will obtain the Secretary’s File from the Coordinator or outgoing Secretary and obtain a summary of registrants from local organizers of the most recent ISE Congress to include in the history of the Society. The Secretary must participate as a Board member in all general Board decisions and must be in excellent and regular communication with the Coordinator via phone, internet, and fax and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. Prior to the next ISE Congress, the Secretary must obtain a complete list of the membership from the Coordinator and create a Secretary’s Report for the Congress General Assembly including the following:

Changes in membership over the term, by category;
Important changes or additions to the ISE website, www.ethnobiology.net;
Statement of notable correspondence received or sent;
Report of key decisions minuted during interim meetings or consultations of the board.

The Secretary’s Report must be presented to the Ordinary General Assembly, with copies to the Coordinator, and the Secretary’s File transferred to the incoming Secretary. The ISE Secretary must also substitute for the President and President-elect in the case that either are unable or prevented from meeting their commitments. The responsibilities of the Secretary are detailed in Article 11.12 of the ISE Constitution.

Treasurer* (2 year term but anticipated to become 4 year term as of 2010): The Treasurer must be an ISE member in good standing, and have attended at least two prior Congresses, not including the current Congress.

The Treasurer will obtain the Treasurer’s File from the Coordinator or out-going Treasurer and obtain a financial summary from local organizers of the most recent ISE Congress to include in the financial history of the Society. The Treasurer must participate as a Board member in all general Board decisions and is responsible for facilitating Board decisions on Society expenditures and financial matters. The Treasurer will take a leading role in strengthening the ISE’s financial security, including ideas for sustainable revenue-generation and fund-raising. The Treasurer will also lead on membership development and expansion of membership, including revisions of fee-scales and fee-waiver requests, with the help of the Coordinator and the Board. The Treasurer must be in excellent and regular communication with the Coordinator via phone, internet, and fax and is expected to participate in bi-monthly Board Meetings. The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing and working with the ISE Coordinator in:

Receiving, acknowledging and accounting for membership fees;
Managing the ISE's funds and payment of accounts;
Oversight and reviewing budgets for the ISE, grant proposals and/or sub-committee activities;
Preparing the biennial financial report to the Ordinary General Assembly;
Receiving and giving receipts for all legacies, donations, subscriptions or other monies bequeath, made, given or loaned to the ISE; and
Assisting with all financial aspects of the Society and preparation of financial documents, as appropriate. This includes reviewing and signing off on financial reports prepared by the Coordinator.

Prior to the next ISE Congress, the Treasurer will obtain an itemized summary of Society expenditures from the Coordinator and create a Treasurer’s Report for the Board Meeting and General Assembly that includes the following:

Statement of bank account at beginning of term
Expenditures (including banking and other fees)
Income
Statement of bank account at end of term
Indication of accounts payable and accounts receivable (if any)
Explain to the Board any significant deviations from the annual budgets.

The Secretary’s Report must be presented to the Ordinary General Assembly, with copies to the Coordinator, and the Treasurer’s File transferred to the incoming Treasurer. The responsibilities of the Treasurer are detailed in Article 11.13 of the ISE Constitution.

Regional Representatives (2 year term): The Regional Representatives must be ISE members in good standing, and have attended at least one prior Congress, not including the current Congress.

Regional Representatives are seen as key networking and outreach agents for the Society, acting as a portal or communications liaison between ethnobiological organizations and/or practitioners in their region and the ISE Coordinator and Executive Board. The position of Regional Representative is intended to build upon the strengths and interests of each individual in ways that support and further the goals of the ISE. Examples of the activities for Regional Representatives include but are not limited to:

assisting in maintaining and increasing the ISE membership base within their region,
actively engaging student and young research scholars in their regions to become members of the ISE,
helping with outreach to universities and other like-minded societies/organizations within their region,
contacting grant making foundations in their region to enable the travel of participants from their region to the ISE Congresses,
contributing articles to the ISE newsletter,
contributing content for the ISE website, and
initiating workshops, trainings, and/or regional conferences in their regions in between Congresses.

Student Representatives (2 year term): The Student Representatives must be ISE members in good standing, and have attended at least one prior Congress, not including the current Congress.

The ISE created the position of Student Representative in 2008 to increase our focus on issues of concern to students in ethnobiology and to help foster a 'next generation' of ISE leaders. The main role of this position is to keep the rest of the ISE Board in touch with a student's perspective on topics under discussion, materials under development or issues being decided on. Broad participation and input in the bi-monthly Board Meetings (held via conference call) and in various subcommittee activities is encouraged. The position of Student Representative is intended to build upon the strengths and interests of the individual in ways that support and further the goals of the ISE. Examples of activities undertaken by Student Representatives include, but are not limited to:

assisting in increasing the ISE membership base (with emphasis on students and young Indigenous peoples),
helping with outreach to student groups at universities and other like-minded societies,
assisting in development of workshops and training (with specific emphasis on programs for new ethnobiologists),
participating in Board conference calls to keep the Board up to date about student concerns and goals related to ethnobiology and indigenous issues, and
contributing articles to the ISE newsletter.

*A recommendation by the outgoing Board will be proposed to the ISE membership such that the positions of Secretary and Treasurer become 4 year terms with staggered elections. This change will be put to vote by the ISE membership during the General Assembly at the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada. If this measure is passed, the ISE will begin transitioning to 4-year staggered terms as of 2010. In anticipation of this change, all nominees for positions to be filled in 2010 are requested to indicate the length of term they are willing to serve (i.e., 2 or 4 years).

Dear ISE Members,

A membership drive and new membership benefits were announced and approved at the General Assembly during the International Congress of Ethnobiology (ICE) in Cusco, Peru (June 2008).

Membership Drive

We are pleased to announce a new membership drive. Our goal is to expand our membership base while encouraging new and renewing members to actively engage in the ISE in ways that are mutually beneficial and the build capacity of the Society to achieve our goals.

Beginning September 2008, the ISE encourages membership fee waivers in exchange for in-kind contributions to the Society. Possible in-kind contributions include (but are not limited to) language translation, computer design/graphics, photography, editing, writing, and distribution of ISE materials (e.g., regional brochures, posters, Code of Ethics, etc.). We are very open to other suggestions for in-kind contributions and ways to encourage our members to use their interests and skills to be active in the Society.

Membership Benefits

Current membership benefits include the option to receive updates on relevant conference, career, and scholarship opportunities, networking opportunities with other members world-wide, and reduced registration fees at the ISE Congresses. New benefits include an on-line discussion forum for ISE Members available through WiserEarth.org and the ISE Newsletter. There are several other membership benefits currently under development this term.

As we continue moving forward with these activities, the ISE welcomes your feedback, contributions and ideas on furthering our vision to promote understanding, dialogue and harmonious co-existence between humankind and the Bios for the benefit of future generations.

Stay tuned and keep in touch!

Warm regards,

Natasha, ISE Coordinator

(On behalf of the 2008-2010 ISE Board)

PROPOSALS TO HOST THE 14th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ETHNOBIOLOGY IN 2014

The Call for Porposals to host the 14th International Congress of Ethnobiology in 2014 is now CLOSED.

The ISE received one proposal to host this ISE Congress, from the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment. The proposed overarching theme of the 14th Congress is: Linking conservation and sacred natural sites: Understanding the conservation and management knowledge of our ancestors. Some of the sub-themes include:

Protected Areas and People
What is the role of ethnobiology in protected areas? Under this sub theme, strict nature reserves, protected areas, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries will be explored as cross-cultural interfaces with potentials for both conflict and innovative co-management of land and natural resources.

Buddhism and environments
Forestry and conservation in Bhutan is integrated with a blend of people’s religious sentiments. It is believed that “if we pollute the heaven above, the mountain in between and the land below, we are bound to suffer the wrath of their respective deities”. Ancient Bhutanese love for nature and reverence for all life forms have played a vital role factor in providing the present status Bhutan enjoys today. This sub theme will provide lot of opportunity to exchange and share thoughts and ideas among the participants.

Impact of policy evolution on natural resource management
The interaction between people and natural environment has always been intimate and strong which has favoured the conservation of biological diversity. With the change of policy regulation, people’s perceptions towards conserving biological resources are rapidly diminishing. This sub theme will explore a number of contexts for putting ethnobiological ideas into practice and using practices to inform policy for the stewardship of biological and cultural diversity and ecosystem health. We expect the congress will promote and foster the understanding of roles played by sacred sites in relation to the belief of the local community to conserve the bio-diversity and ecosystem health.

The ISE Membership will have the opportunity to accept this proposal during the ISE General Assembly at the 12th ISE Congress in Tofino, Canada.

Read the Proposal now!