President's Message - Sept.

Aloha fellow SEB members,

For the last several years the SEB council has held a "mid-year" meeting in January. During these meetings we have taken care of SEB business, but more importantly, we have tried to address some of the big questions about where the Society is going and how we should position ourselves within the scientific community. In January 2007, the council will meet again to pick up these issues. We will specifically address a question recently raised by Dr. Peter Raven. He asked "What is the key issue that motivates the SEB members, that unites them as a battle cry, that is a message easily heard and understood by the public?" The answer to this question is not easy. Dr. Raven gave examples of complex topics that other scientific societies have used to shape their cause: "global warming," "loss of rainforest," "keystone species extinction" and "green revolution hunger alleviation." So, what is the key issue that motivates the SEB members? The SEB council is interested in leaning about your perspectives on this question. As a society, we are looking at refining our direction.

A few observations about SEB activities that have been mentioned by various members provide some examples. Please use these and your own observations to lead us to possible motivating issues.

- We are recognizing our roles in assessing biodiversity in collaboration with communities who know it best. Scientists of our sort are uniquely positioned to recognize the value of traditional observations and methods of observing the world and therefore should serve as conduits of this information to the global community.

- We are usually conducting research at the human scale of time, space, change. This is the same scale at which the causes of large perturbations to climate, forest cover, diversity, etc. are taking place. We are therefore well situated to address the causes of and solutions to problems rather than just the symptoms.

- Ethnobotany is a term that is increasingly understood by the public. Although the understanding may be filled with erroneous ideas and false expectations, ethnobotany (or "ethnobotanical") is part of people's awareness. We need to recognize this situation and leverage it for the greater good.

- Since the earliest days of the SEB, articles in the journal and presentations in meetings have decried the loss of culture, particularly as it is intertwined with the loss of biodiversity. As the general public becomes more aware of the relationship between biological and cultural diversity, what role will ethnobotanists play in the discussion?

Are there short "battle-cries" such as "global warming" that we can use to capture the public's attention? The power to enact change rests in the membership and I see my job as one of facilitating changes. In this regard, I hope that all of you will contact me with your ideas, interests, suggestions, and offers to help develop the SEB.

I look forward to your insights.

Will McClatchey
2006-7 SEB President