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CLOUT OF AFRICA: POLICY EMPOWERED BY ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS, HIGHER PROFILE

Policy played a prominent role at SCB's 2007 annual meeting. In addition to two workshops, policy was featured during meetings of SCB's membership, Sections, and working groups.

The most important decisions made by SCB's Board of Governors concerning SCB policy process were

1. To reconstitute the Policy Committee by seeking at least two nominations from each Section President by 1 September 2007. One representative will be selected to serve on the committee from each Section. Subsequently, the committee chair will select a comparable number of members at large to complement the skills, gender, and regions already represented on the committee.

2. To adopt a general guideline that we ask five experts to review proposed policy positions before making policy decisions, while allowing the chair to proceed without that review in cases that require more immediate responses.

In two policy workshops held on 2 and 4 July, Section leaders and chapter liaisons summarized their policy activities and plans. Information on these activities may appear on the Sections' Web sites or SCB's policy Web site.

Representatives of the Africa Section noted that a critical mass of members is needed to influence policy on the continent. In part because of its size, diversity of languages and cultures, and uneven infrastructure, Africa faces substantial challenges in communications and education. As a result, the Section cannot easily develop unified, top-down position statements. Instead, the Section hopes to work from the bottom up, strengthening grassroots engagement with policy.

The Austral and Neotropical America Section, and SCB at the global level, may become involved in a series of workshops that Mexico is hosting in 2008 to develop better guidance for applying the key requirements for trade in Appendix II CITES species. The Section also is compiling lists of endangered species according to the IUCN system and working with the federal government of Mexico to brief policy makers on conservation issues.

Primary policy interests and projects of the Australasia Section are global climate change, livestock grazing and other land uses in arid lands, and invasions of non-native species. The Section intended to develop a stronger policy statement at its meeting in Sydney, Australia in mid July 2007. Further, the Section is working to promote education and awareness, and to provide scientific advice to governments. In addition, the Section hopes to work with Pacific Island Nations, which have essentially no legislation on environmental issues.

The Europe Section aims to deliver scientific expertise -- characterized as information and facts, not value judgments -- to inform legislation. The Section currently is focusing on the European Habitats Directive, Natura 2000, Water Framework Directive, and marine and fisheries issues.

The Marine Section is in the process of developing a statement on fisheries policy. The Section expects to focus on international policy issues and to convene an International Marine Conservation Congress in Washington, D.C. in 2009. The Section is building relationships with other societies and the editor of Marine Wildlife Law Journal has just joined its board.

The North America Section is working to increase involvement of representatives from Canada and Greenland in Section and SCB activities. The Section is making an effort to take a more global perspective on its policy priorities and to become more proactive in informing legislation. The Section has written a number of reviews or critiques, including but not limited to a critique of proposals to remove populations of wolves and grizzly bears from the U.S. Endangered Species list, and a comprehensive review of the management of fire-prone forests of the western United States. The Section is emphasizing development of policy related to climate change, endangered species, invasive species, and a policy blueprint for North America. Also, the Section intends to send expert representatives to testify at government hearings.

Although the Asia Section did not brief the policy workshop attendees, it has an ambitious policy agenda that includes issues of international as well as regional significance, many falling within SCB's five global priorities. The Section will consider hosting a technical regional meeting every two years. The Section plans to assess

-- Means of providing payments for forest conservation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
-- The impact of different forms of energy production, such as increased production of oil palm, on biological diversity (SCB's Executive Office also plans to develop short papers on this subject and will be working closely with the Asia Section in the process).
-- Trade in endangered and threatened species
-- Improving scientific input to the Convention on Biological Diversity
-- Enhancing support for the Global Environment Facility
-- Zoonotic diseases
-- Human-wildlife conflicts

Jon Rosales briefed attendees at the second policy workshop on the long process of developing an International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB). This mechanism would complement major wildlife treaties by serving as an active, objective body to deliver scientific information independent of political influence (see SCB Newsletter 14(1):20 for more information).

The Freshwater Working Group presented five priority policy issues or considerations (see related article).

Mike Scott, a member of SCB's Board of Governors, emphasized that our Board and members want SCB to increase its visibility and relevance in the policy arena, becoming a trusted source of unbiased information. To achieve this goal, Scott suggested that we ask more forceful policy questions, be aggressive about the relevance of our scientific work, be careful to articulate uncertainties in our research, and convey information clearly to non-scientists. Scott distinguished between policy prescriptions and policy directions. He suggested that while SCB might endorse policies, draft our own policies, write white papers, and evaluate options, we should articulate clearly the nature of each paper we undertake and the objectives of our activities.

A representative of Flora and Fauna International (FFI), Annalisa Gripp, presented a summary of the United Nations Environment Program's Finance Initiative and its biodiversity workstream. FFI is co-hosting the biodiversity workstream along with U.S.-based World Resources Institute. Gripp noted the large and growing sum of money managed by pension funds and others committed to consideration of social and environmental impacts in investing according to the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investing (for more information, see www.unepfi.org/).

Tom Sisk, Chapter Representative on SCB's Board of Governors, reported on efforts to establish new chapters and maintain strong connections with Sections and the global organization. Chapters typically work to inform and influence policy at a local level. The potential is increasing for policy activities by Sections and the society as a whole to strengthen policy work by chapters. Both educational programs and policy initiatives are likely to strengthen the bonds between chapters and SCB as a whole.

Aletris Neils reported that several chapters have been particularly active in informing policy. For example,

-- The Montana Chapter developed an initial draft of comments, submitted by the North America Section, on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to remove Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the list of species protected by the Endangered Species Act

-- The Minnesota Chapter has developed a set of recommendations on the Farm Bill that also were adopted by the North America Section

-- The Florida Chapter has engaged in policy activities related to biological security, particularly invasive species

Note that SCB's Web pages on policy provide chapter representatives with templates or guidelines for policy comments and activities.

News from Washington, D.C.

While SCB was meeting in South Africa, the U.S. Congress was developing its first energy bill, an amalgam of measures produced by several committees in each house. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives prepared, and in late July passed, a farm bill with some increase in conservation assistance but not the more fundamental changes some hope that the Senate will adopt. The House Natural Resources Committee continued its investigation into political manipulation of science in the natural resource agencies with a hearing on 31 July. The hearing focused on the impact to threatened and other salmon of water diversions from the Klamath River to farms before the 2002 elections.

John Fitzgerald, Policy Director, SCB

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