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RECENT SCB POLICY ACTIVITIES

Energy Policy and Scientific Integrity

A recent email from SCB's Executive Director to the membership (archived at www.conbio.org/new/2008-10-AllMemberEmail.cfm#Policy) included links to descriptions of many recent policy actions of the global Society and its Regional Sections. See the North America Section's update in this newsletter for more information on comments filed by the Section on climate-change efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Transition to a New Administration and A New Congress

Like many organizations, SCB is in the process of developing recommendations for the new U.S. administration. The Policy Committee, which includes members from all of SCB's Regional Sections, will review a draft before the recommendations are finalized and issued. We hope to complete recommendations soon after the election in anticipation of a rapid transition driven by concerns about the economy and national security.

Cooperating with Other Societies

We successfully have developed peer reviews and joint comments of regulatory proposals with colleagues at The Wildlife Society, Ornithological Council, and American Ornithologists' Union. The North America Section and Executive Office are working with these professional groups and the Union of Concerned Scientists to draft a set of transition recommendations. The transition document will address each of SCB's five priority policy issues. We hope to circulate this document to other professional scientific societies for contributions or co-sponsorship.

SCB helped to assemble a panel for a breakout session, scheduled for 8 December, at the annual conference of the National Council on Science and the Environment. The session will focus on recommendations for improving and implementing national and international laws relevant to conservation of biological diversity. These will be presented to the conference as well as during visits to Congress on 10 December that we are helping to coordinate. We also are working with SCB's Marine Section to develop agendas for congressional visits following the International Marine Conservation Congress in May 2009.

John Fitzgerald

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