We are the British Ecological Society: the oldest ecological society in the world.
We were established in 1913 and we have been fostering the science of ecology ever since. We have over 6,000 members around the world and bring people together across regional, national and global scales to advance ecological science. Membership is open to anyone, anywhere.
Our vision is nature and people thriving in a world inspired by ecology. We rely on the commitment of hundreds of volunteers to help us – from the editors who work on our journals, reviewers in our Grants Review College, the teams behind each of our Special Interest Groups, the trustees and members of our Board of Trustees and committees to the helpers at our Annual Meeting – we could not do what we do without their effort and passion.
We actively value the diversity and wide range of perspectives that people from different backgrounds bring to their work, to ecology and to our Society.
PUBLICATIONS
We have seven world renowned journals and a book series in our publications portfolio. Our journals have:
GRANTS
We provide grants to promote excellent ecological research, support early career ecologists, help fund training and travel, and to communicate ecological science as widely as possible. In recent years, we have awarded over £400k to support research, outreach, training and travel.
EVENTS
We organise a number of diverse, innovative events throughout the year. Our Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to network with and present your research to 1,200 delegates from around the world; you can also hear the latest ecological science, develop skills with our careers programme and enjoy a social programme that is all within an inclusive, friendly environment.
POLICY
We support our members and combine their knowledge to promote ecological science and evidence informed solutions to policymakers. We offer training and development programmes for all career stages and work with members on briefings and consultation responses.
CAREERS
We provide careers support to ecologists at all stages of their lives – especially at transition phases – with mentoring, training events, online resources and advice. We support the teaching of ecological science and fieldwork as an essential aspect of practical science.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
We help our members communicate ecology to diverse audiences, through the provision of science communication training, funding and the opportunity to attend events including music festivals.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Our SIGs organise scientific meetings, field trips and innovative events and rely solely on the enthusiasm and hard work of volunteers. They are a great way of networking and bringing the ecological community together.
