Some dangers for ecology on the way to becoming a profession

[EIANZ Ecology]

Some dangers for ecology on the way to becoming a profession

The ecological profession should furnish members with standard minimum qualifications, codes of ethical conduct and discipline procedures for those breaking the code.

Such were the findings of an article published in the Australian Journal of Ecology in 1984 (Abstract). Yet a quarter of a century later, our profession is still unregulated. Poised on the edge of one of human-kind's worst ever catastrophes, climate change, can we any longer afford to be complacent?

In the recent EIANZ Annual Conference in Canberra, Bill Haylock (President, EIANZ) referred to meetings with the Commonwealth Environment Minister's advisors, forwarding concerns from the EPBC Act review process about poor standards in the profession. To what extent are we to blame for not encouraging good standards in each other? This is why EIANZ Ecology has started the process of developing certification standards for ecologists. We are aiming for the first round of recruitment to CEnvP in ecology by June next year.

Being part of this process is essential to the integrity of the ecological profession and for the future of the environment. We urge you to take a moment to visit Certification of Ecologists.

Here you will find the first round of results from a consultation on what skills and knowledge characterise an ecologist. This is an open Wiki so you may go in and edit / amend or add material. This process will be open until November 20th. After that, we begin the task of identifying assessment criteria.