This is your invitation to join the ISE Member Forum, which you can accept by clicking on this register link.

Note that you must use the same email address that you use for this ISE listserv when you register for the Member Forum, as this is what the Forum keys off of.

As a new member benefit, the ISE Member Forum is open to current members. You may be receiving this email even if your ISE membership has lapsed. If you have any questions about the status of your ISE membership, please contact the ISE Coordinator. Note that public announcements and events will continue to be posted on the ISE website.

Once you have joined the Member Forum, please introduce yourself by replying to the “Introductions” thread in the Forum – share your interests, the regions in which you work, and let other members know if you are interested in collaborating. If you are attending the upcoming ISE Congress in May, you can find information about getting to Montpellier, where to stay, and you can make new posts to connect with others who will be attending the Congress. As the Congress approaches, the ISE Board will be posting important recommendations for you to consider before voting using the new online voting system.

In addition to visiting and posting in the Forum, the user settings in the forum are pre-set for you to receive weekly digests which will outline the posts made within the week and allow for quick review. To reply to any of these posts, simply follow the link in the email and – after being prompted to login – you will be taken directly to the post. If you want to change how you receive these digests, you can change the setting to a different time span by accessing your individual user settings.

New to Forums? More information and tutorials have been developed for your use (currently in English only. Interested in translating these? Let me know!). Links to this additional information, as well as a new “Forum” link, have been added to the ISE website homepage. If you need additional help, please let me know.

The ISE Member Forum was requested by many of you, and we hope that you will find it easy to use, allowing each of you to connect and share information with the ISE Community more directly. This Forum will ultimately replace this member email listserv, as the listserv will be closed after the ISE Congress this May.

Call for Nominations to the ISE Board (2012-2014/2016)

Every two years, members of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) are invited to nominate candidates for the Board of the ISE. Nominations will be open for the 2012-2014/16 term as of 31 October 2011 and will close 20 April 2012.

Ideally, the ISE Board is comprised of individuals who span a wide age range, are from a diversity of backgrounds, and have varied personal and professional experiences. Board members need to be genuinely interested in the well-being of the ISE community, have a demonstrated commitment and responsibility in their personal and/or professional lives commensurate with being a Board member of an organization with charitable tax status, and embrace a consensus approach to decision-making. Specialized leadership and skills (or an aptitude for such) in the areas of communications, fundraising and financial management are an asset.  We encourage nominations from all parts of the world and from women and men associated with ethnobiology and biocultural diversity in diverse ways.

All members of the Board commit, as volunteers, and without remuneration, to a strong consultative role in shaping the direction and continued success of the ISE in its commitment to achieving a greater understanding of the complex relationships that exist within and between human societies and their environments.

Open positions

Due to the unusual circumstances of having an interim Board from February 2011 to May 2012, for this election the ISE invites nominations for (i) the 2-year position of President; (ii) President-elect (vice president); (iii) Secretary; (iv) Treasurer; (v) 6 Regional Representatives, one from each major region (Africa, Central and South America and the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania and Pacific Islands), and (vi) up to two student representative(s). Note that while nominations are open for the Student Representative positions, they are appointed by the outgoing Board and not open to vote by membership.

You may nominate yourself or someone else who you are familiar with, as long as that person accepts the nomination in writing. The nomination should include approximately 300 words outlining specifically how the candidate fulfills the requirements for the Board position, his/her intentions and vision for ISE development over the next 2 years, and any other information that the voting membership should know about the candidate. A photograph and a short biography or curriculum vitae are not required but may be included as supporting materials if you wish. These materials will be published on the ISE website on 23 April 2012 so that members may familiarize themselves with the candidates; these materials will also be linked to the electronic ballots so that members may review them while voting.

Send email nominations to both Leslie Main Johnson (lmainjohnson@gmail.com) and Natasha Duarte (isecoordinator@ethnobiology.net).

Qualifications

To qualify for nomination, all candidates must be members in good standing. For the positions of President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer, candidates must have attended two prior ISE biennial Congresses (i.e., not including the 13^th ISE Congress in Montpellier); candidates for Regional Representatives and Student Representatives must have attended one prior ISE biennial Congress.

Expectations of ISE Board Members

The ISE is unique in that, in addition to being a member-run Society, it maintains three distinct programs: the Global Coalition, the Ethics Program, and the Darrell Posey Fellowship for Ethnoecology and Resource Rights.  Additionally, biennial congresses are organized to provide a time and place to formally gather our diverse membership for ethnobiology exchanges and to conduct Society business.  Because of the programs and congresses, the work of the ISE Board spans a wide array of activities.  Incoming Board members are expected to learn about ISE business and core initiatives and to respect and build on the direction and decisions of Boards that came before them.

Prospective candidates should familiarize themselves with the detailed duties of each position and assess whether or not they have the time and skills to carry them out. In addition to their specific duties, Board members will have both the privilege and the commitment of guiding the ISE through an ongoing process of institutional self-assessment and development, and will need to be in regular email or telephone contact with one another and the ISE Coordinator. A minimum estimated time commitment is 4-8 hours per month for President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer; and 2 hours per month for Regional Representatives and Student Representatives.

Online voting process

Electronic voting will begin 2-3 weeks prior to the 2012 congress and will remain open through Thursday 24 May, the day before the 2nd General Assembly. For those members attending the Congress, the Coordinator will be able to facilitate e-voting if needed; additionally, the 2012 congress venues have wifi and computers will be available at the main congress building for participants to use. The results will be announced during 2nd General Assembly and subsequently posted on the ISE website and member forum. A presentation from the winning congress bid will also be made during this General Assembly.

As required by the Article 9.7.2 of the ISE Constitution, if there are fewer than two nominees for a given Regional Representative position, we will seek additional qualified nominees from the floor of the General Assemblies. For these cases, a vote will be taken by ISE members present at the 2nd General Assembly and these decisions will stand. Similarly, any motions raised from the floor of the General Assemblies will be decided by vote of the ISE members present. Note that this process was announced in August 2011.

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

The dates for early registration rates has been extended through the end of this month (29 February).

The online registration for the 13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology to be held in Montpellier, 20-25 May 2012, is now open. Please visit the page “Registration” of the congress website for further instructions about how to proceed. The various categories of registration fees are as well documented on this webpage. Please note that the online registration form is provided only in two languages: English and French.

Están abiertas las inscripciones al XIII Congreso de la Sociedad Internacional de Etnobiología, el cual tendrá lugar en Montpellier del 20 al 25 de mayo de 2012. Puede acceder a la página “Inscripción” (traducción en curso) del sitio Internet del congreso para mayor información sobre las modalidades y los costos de inscripción. El formulario de inscripción está disponible en dos idiomas: inglés y francés.

l’inscription en ligne au 13ème Congrès de la Société Internationale d’Ethnobiologie, qui se tiendra à Montpellier du 20 au 25 mai 2012, est dorénavant ouverte. Prière de vous rendre sur la page “Inscription” du site Internet du congrès pour plus d’informations sur les modalités à suivre. La grille tarifaire des droits d’inscriptions est également disponible à cette même page web. Veuillez noter que le formulaire d’inscription en ligne n’est disponible que dans deux langues: anglais et français.

To host the 15th ISE Congress of ethnobiology in 2016

Extenstion! Proposals now due Thursday, 1 March 2012

The Board of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) welcomes proposals to host the 15th ISE Congress, to be held in 2016. Institutions or groups interested in hosting the Congress should submit proposals by Thursday, 1 March 2012 as a Word or pdf document to Natasha Duarte, ISE Coordinator, with a copy to Leslie Main Johnson, ISE secretary. Electronic submissions must contain your name or your organization’s name in the file name (e.g., John_Smith_2016Congress proposal.doc).

Download the Guidelines for Submission.

Guidelines for Submissions:

Please include the following information and address the following criteria in your proposal in a maximum of 10 pages (not including maps, photos and supporting documents).

PART A: Please submit a brief narrative answering the following questions (in order):

1. Why do you want to host the 15th ISE Congress?
2. How will the Congress that you host further the goals of the ISE (refer to the ISE vision statement)? Outline any other goals (for example, to bring attention to a local issue or international interaction to a local group).
3. How will your organizing team encourage and incorporate participation of Indigenous, traditional and local community members?
4. What are your preliminary ideas for Congress themes?
5. How will your organizing team incorporate information-sharing structures into the Congress beyond conventional academic formats? How will you achieve the central goals of the ISE of using the Congress to create a productive space for exchanges between diverse political, cultural and epistemological views in ethnobiology?
6. How would you describe the host organization or institution’s strengths in relation to ethnobiology, biocultural diversity and related fields?
7. What is the host organization’s capacity and experience in relation to organizing a major event of this kind?
8. Why would ethnobiologists be interested in meeting in the host country and region? What points of geographical and historical interest exist in the region? Please make special reference to cultural and biological diversity; ability to interact with local ethnobiologists and with Indigenous, traditional, and/or local communities; and to contacts with other relevant organizations and institutions.
9. What is your team’s proposed organizational plan? Please include information about the following: specific Congress location and locations of potential venues; local organizing committee; infrastructure and services; institutional, governmental and other support, and a well-developed funding strategy. Maps and photos of the proposed location and region can be included as supporting materials.

PART B: Please make sure you provide details on the following criteria:

1. Logistics: Please provide estimates of travel cost and convenience (how well the location is connected to the rest of the world). Do adequate facilities exist for accommodation? Is local administrative support available for logistics? Are visas relatively easy to obtain? What strategy do you have to help participants get visas? Are interesting field sites nearby and accessible?
2. Institutions, infrastructure, and communications: Do appropriate cultural or scientific institutions exist in the proposed Congress location? What is the state of local communications and Congress facilities? Is local administrative support available for communications and correspondence (through fax, email, and message posting on the web)?
3. Organizational and funding support: Is your team able and willing to establish a strong and active local organizing committee to work on the Congress program, logistics, and fundraising? How will the team maintain good communication with and involvement of the international organizing committee, ISE Board and ISE staff?
4. Additional criteria: Does your team have the ability to develop and regularly update a detailed web page or create a website for the Congress?
5. Proceedings: Does your Congress organizing team have an interest in, and ability to compile and oversee publication of Congress Proceedings, either electronically or in print? Note: it is expected that at least 50% of royalties from Proceedings are donated to the ISE to support ongoing organizational costs.

The ISE Board will evaluate and rank proposals based on the above criteria while also striving to maintain geographic rotation of congresses across different regions. The Board may contact you for additional information and clarification. Please note that final decisions (vote by membership) will be based on the information you provide and recommendations of the ISE Board.

To date Congresses have been held in:

14th (planned) Congress 2014 Lamai Gompa, Bumthang, Bhutan

13th (planned) Congress 2012 Montpelier, France

12th Congress 2010 Tofino, Canada

11th Congress 2008 Cusco, Peru

10th Congress 2006 Chiang Rai, Thailand

9th Congress 2004 Canterbury, Kent, UK

8th Congress 2002 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

7th Congress 2000 Athens, USA

6th Congress 1998 Whakatane, Aotearoa/New Zealand

5th Congress 1996 Nairobi, Kenya

4th Congress 1994 Lucknow, India

3rd Congress 1992 Mexico City, Mexico Chair

2nd Congress 1990 Kunming, China

1st Congress 1988 Belem, Brazil

Proposals must be received by the due date to allow sufficient time for members to read them online before voting in May 2012. As the ISE is moving to online voting in 2012, finalists are encouraged to supplement their written proposal with a short video or powerpoint presentation which can be linked to in the e-ballot.

The organization with the winning bid will be invited to make a short presentation during the 2nd General Assembly in person, but a presentation by proxy is also acceptable. The decision will be announced publicly in June 2012. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have as you consider your proposal submission.

Expectations of the ISE

As Society business also takes place at the ISE Congresses, it is expected that the Congress hosts will work closely with the ISE to ensure that sufficient time is allocated on the Congress agenda to conduct the business of the ISE. The amount of time required for this will be determined through direct conversations with the ISE Coordinator and Board.

The Congress hosts will not be directly responsible for funding participant costs to attend the 15th ISE Congress (e.g., travel costs or registration fees), but are expected to assist the ISE to fundraise for Indigenous travel bursaries or awards. In the event that funds are raised by the Congress hosts for the purpose of supporting Indigenous participant travel, decisions on dispersment will be made in collaboration with the ISE.

The ISE will support the ISE Congress Organizing Committee through the donation of time of the ISE Coordinator, ISE Board Members and other interested ISE members for Congress planning, fundraising, and other activities agreed by the Congress host and the ISE

The ISE will provide planning documents, schedules, grant applications, and template announcements and letters to the Congress hosts which can be drawn on as needed. Likewise, Congress hosts are expected to provide the ISE with copies of all planning documents, schedules, grant applications, and financial information pertaining to their ISE Congress for the purposes of future Congress planning. Additionally, a final Congress report and final list of Congress participants will be provided to the ISE in a timely manner following the completion of the Congress.

Beginning with the 2014 Congress, the ISE will manage the online registration for the Congress and will retain up to $10,000 USD of the registration revenue as the administrative fee.

The group with the winning bid will be expected to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the ISE, which will clearly identify the above responsibilities and expectations. Other responsibilities and expectations will be negotiated with the Congress hosts and will be dependent on the capacity and needs of the host organization.

At least one representative from the host organization is strongly encouraged to attend both the Congress where they make their initial presentation and the Congress immediately preceding the one that they will host. The ISE has found that having this overlap is beneficial to successful Congress planning and supports good communication between the Congress hosts and the ISE. The ISE will assist in fundraising to support this if needed.

Thank you in advance for your submission,

The ISE Board

The INEE was founded in 2010 at the ISE Congress in Tofino, BC, Canada. During the pre-congress workshop, emerging ethnobiologists from around the globe came together to discuss key topics in ethnobiology and common challenges. The network was founded with the declared aim to foster international connections between emerging ethnobiologists and to establish a support network of mentors.

We encourage you to join our e-mail list and our facebook and linkedIN groups, as well as subscribe to our blog feed.

The success of this network depends heavily on input from emerging researchers as well as more senior and established researchers from around the globe. We therefore encourage you to email us all relevant messages (such as job adds, or information on upcoming training or funding opportunities).  If you feel you may be able to contribute to the network by participating in our ‘mentorship program’, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us as well.

The call for individual contributions is now closed.

The call for individual contributions to the 13th ISE Congress in Montpellier France (20-25 May 2012) is now open. All proposals should be submitted via the online form, unless this poses a hardship due to limited internet access. If you require a paper version of the form, please contact the Congress organizers with this request.

When you begin the online form you will be asked to create a user account. This is the same account that you will use to register for the Congress (beginning in late September), so please retain your account information.

In the online form you will be asked for a title of your proposed presentation and a 300 word abstract. Individual contributors are encouraged to review the list of open sessions and associated session abstracts, and to identify whether their contribution may fit into one (or more) of them. Please select the appropriate session(s) from the dropdown menu, or select “S00: other”. The Congress organizers will group the individual submissions into new sessions based on theme, as necessary.

In the author section, you are asked to include a “laboratory”, which is simply your affiliation.

Submissions are due 31 October 2011.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Congress organizers or the ISE Coordinator.

The call for applications and nominations is now closed.

Dear ISE Members,

We are pleased to announce a Call for Nominations and Applications for the 2011 – 2013 ISE Darrell Posey Fellowship for Ethnoecology and Traditional Resource Rights awards. In addition to the Field Fellowship and Small Grants awards that you are all familiar with, we are pleased to announce two new components of the Institutional Fellowships designed to support the enthusiasm and help build expertise in the younger members of the ethnobiology community, and to encourage emerging leaders and build capacity in this field. The PhD Fellowship is a two-year fellowship ($6,000 per year for two years) and the Masters Fellowship is a one-year fellowship (one-time award of $3,000).

In December 2011 we will award one Field Fellowship, two small grants, one PhD Fellowship, and two Masters Fellowships. All six awards include additional funds to support the recipients’ participation at the 2012 ISE Congress.

As you may remember, we have continued to solicit nominations in addition to accepting direct applications because we have found that this makes the process more inclusive. Many remarkable individuals and groups are not experienced fundraisers, proposal writers and do not have large international networks. Please read more about the award process.

The timeline for this year’s nominations/applications, selection, and award process is as follows:

• Nominations/Applications due: 1 November 2011
• Selections made and recipients notified: December 2011

Below are the forms for submitting nominations and proposals. We are happy to answer any questions or send additional information, and we look forward to receiving your nominations and applications.

With warm regards,

Sarah Laird, Program Chair
Natasha Duarte, ISE Coordinator

Field Fellowship Nomination Form

Field Fellowship Application Form

Small Grant Nominations Form

Small grant Application Form

PhD/Masters Fellowship Nomination Form

PhD/Masters Fellowship Application Form

Attention professors of Ethnobotany/Ethnobiology:

The Open Science Network (OSN) is planning to host a mentorship program at the 2012 OSN and Society for Economic meeting to be held 3-7 June 2012 at Frostburg University, Maryland, and we would highly value your participation!

This is a great opportunity to network with other professors in the field, contribute to educational outreach and development of the next generation of ethnobiologists, and meet potential new students to mentor and/or attract to your program.  Proposed mentoring activities include at least one group reception/activity coupled with individualized one-on-one mentoring with your assigned undergraduate/graduate student(s) (guiding the student through what papers to hear and discussing those papers with him/her, introducing the student to people, guiding the student through the process of attending a professional conference, and linking with the OSN).

If you are planning to attend the 2012 Society for Economic Botany conference AND are interested in potentially being listed as a mentor, or would like more information about this opportunity, please send your name, affiliation, and email address using the subject heading “OSN Mentors” to Gail Wagner or Laura Weiss Shiels. They will get back to you once they have finalized our ideas about this new mentoring program that is geared toward students who are attending their first SEB conference.

Invitation to the Virtual Forum for Consultation and Dialogue

September 5 to October 5, 2011

The Bolivian Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies (CEBEM), the International Secretary for Human Development (ISHD), York University and the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), invite you to participate in a Forum for Consultation and Dialogue: “Self-determination and Indigenous Autonomy in Latin America and Canada.”

This is a follow up to the course “Indian Self-Determination and Autonomy in Latin America and Canada” which took place during July and August 2011 and which was attended by 19 individuals (professionals, academics/policy makers /indigenous leaders/community members) from Argentina, Bolivia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Spain, the United States, Honduras and Peru.

Learn more about this Forum and Register today!

~~~

Invitación al foro virtual de consulta y diálogo: “Autodeterminación y Autonomía indígena en América Latina y Canadá”

Del 5 de septiembre al 5 de octubre de 2011

Más información acerca de este foro

Registro

The following information and link to the petition was shared by an ISE member:

Dear friends,

The Amazon is in serious danger: Brazil is on the verge of gutting its forest protection laws — unless we act now, vast tracts of our planet’s lungs could be opened up to clear-cutting devastation.  This threat to the Amazon has sparked widespread anger and protests across the country and tensions are rising.  But the movement is fighting back — on August 19, indigenous people are leading massive marches across Brazil to demand action and inside sources say President Dilma is considering vetoing the changes.

We need a global cry of solidarity with the Brazilian people to really force Dilma’s hand. Our global petition will be boldly displayed on banners at the front of the massive marches for Amazon protection. Let’s urgently build a 1.5-million-strong petition to SAVE THE AMAZON!

For more information:

ICTSD: The Brazilian Forest Code: Exploitation and Preservation
WWF, More voices speak out against relaxing Brazil’s Forest Law
BBC — Brazil passes ‘retrograde’ forest code
AP — Another Amazon activist killed in logging conflict
Mongabay — Majority of Brazilians reject changes in Amazon Forest Code:
Science Insider — Furor Over Proposed Brazilian Forest Law
Guardian — Death in the Amazon: a war being fought for us all