Actions, challenges and perspectives from AsAE (Asociación Argentina de

GALETTO, L.

Bonito

Congreso; 49 annual meeting of the Associacion of TB&C; 2012

ATBC

The Ecological Society of Argentina (AsAE) is 40 years old. The main goals of the society are (i) the development of ecological research, (ii) the improvement of professionals and (iii) to solve environmental problems. In this period, AsAE has organized 25 national or regional congresses every two years; published a regular journal with a high standard review process, including a forum section with contributions by senior ecologists and a section on tools for teaching ecology, in addition to regular papers; has produced a monthly e-bulletin (AMEN) with ecological news (graduate courses, job opportunities, meeting information, etc.) subscribed by over 3,500 Latin-American ecologists; created an environmental committee to develop position papers on different environmental problems of regional impact and social interest . Environmental issues are considerable and complex in Argentina, with an increasing social demand for solutions and policy implementation and control. However, ecological scientific knowledge is largely marginalized in legal and policy discussions. We agree on the potential value of a regional alliance among South American ecological societies to develop common objectives, share experiences, and define new strategic tools to develop better scientific knowledge and to educate ecologists of high professional standard.