Biodiversity Professionals is 15,000 members strong

Dear Biodiversity Professional,

Since November 2010, our group has shared news and information, and engaged in often spirited discussion. Yet, we have always done that with goodwill and civility—testimony to the human spirit to collaborate and work together to solve seemingly intractable problems. Hence, I am delighted to announce that we now comprise 15,000 members.

Thank you for helping the group grow. As we move forward, I urge you to participate. As you work toward your own goals I hope the group can support you. In that light, below are some messages from fellow members. If you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, please email me: roger[at]biodiversityprofessionals[dot]org

Roger Harris
Biodiversity Professionals Group Founder

MEMBER MESSAGES

World Federation for Coral Reef Conservation recruiting for TV show
Are you an adventure seeker? Take the opportunity to win money for an important cause. Check out Dare me for Charity. http://www.dareme4charity.com

Help wild chinchillas
Volunteers stay in tents in simple barns with basic living facilities, and arrange food and transportation. Stay for free and help plant seedlings. http://www.wildchinchillas.org

Society for Application of Forest Ecological Research (SAFER) and eJournal of Applied Forest Ecology
Published by SAFER, the eJAFE is a peer-reviewed e-journal on application of ecological principles in forest ecosystems. http://www.saferecology.org www.ejafe.com

The Orangutan Foundation
Staff in Borneo and London are focused on orangutan habitat, translocation & release, capacity building & sustainable livelihoods, education, awareness and scientific research. http://www.orangutan.org.uk

2014 IUCN National Committee UK AGM and Conference
Meeting theme: “Nature-based solutions to flood management problems” May 30, 2014 at WWF-UK, The Living Planet Centre, Rufford House, Woking, Surrey. http://www.iucn-uk.org/news/latestnews/tabid/72/default.aspx

Interdisciplinary re-examination of biodiversity
Biodiversity at 25: The Problem of Ecological Proxy Values is a series of free workshops at the University of Oregon. Next workshop: May 12, 2014, Kim Sterelny, Australian National University. http://pages.uoregon.edu/nmorar/Biodiversity/Speakers.html

New book on community ecology
Community Ecology: Analytical Methods Using R and Excel gives methods for analyzing ecological communities. For undergrads, postgrads and researchers. http://www.dataanalytics.org.uk/Publications/

Wildhelpers
Wildhelpers is for anyone wanting to make a difference for biodiversity. Share your experience on the website and our tips for biodiversity. http://www.wildhelpers.com

International Analog Forestry Network Presentation
Presenting at the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. Need success stories of biodiversity restoration. Contact Adam Kabir Dickinson at kabir@analogforestry.org by April 12th. http://www.analogforestry.org

Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development
1 week course on sustainability, exploring practical methods for introducing sustainability to classrooms. June 23-27, 2014 at University for Peace, Costa Rica. http://www.earthcharter.org/educationandvalues

Help us create the Global Biodiversity Institute
The Global Biodiversity Institute will be a global network to support biodiversity workers and researchers. Join the subgroup to participate in ongoing discussion about the Global Biodiversity Institute. http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4151032

Positions Wanted
• Retiring from university position this year and soon be looking for new opportunity. Please connect via LinkedIn. M. I. Zuberi, Ambo University, Ethiopia
• Biodiversity and ecosystem services consultant with 25 years experience with biodiversity planning and capacity building in Africa, South and North America. Fluent in Spanish, French and English. Benoit Limoges, M.Sc. benoit.limoges@bell.net

The post Group Announcement: April 2014 appeared first on Biodiversity Professionals.

But I just had to share with you the news that we now have more that 10,000 members in the group.

As one of the biggest, if not the biggest, conservation-related groups on LinkedIn we have the opportunity to make a difference. Through strength in numbers, sharing and networking we will support each other in our professional goals. With that in mind, please read below for some important messages.

There is no more important endeavor than protecting and restoring biodiversity, our beautiful Earth and its precious life. You are a part of that.

Regards,

Roger Harris, MS
Founder, Biodiversity Professionals LinkedIn group

IMPORTANT MESSAGES

DONATE TO SAVE OLINGUITO HABITAT
The discovery of the first new mammalian carnivore in 35 years got a lot of media attention recently. You can imagine our delight when we found the species in our project area at La Mesenia in Colombia. In fact, we published the first ever photos of a olinguito cub on our website just days after the new species had been announced.
But ideal olinguito habitat is diminishing fast. Our approach uses the best available GIS technology to identify high priority areas for conservation. By focusing on Connecting, Protecting and Restoring low-grade land back to native forest, we are using science to develop scalable solutions for tough conservation problems (CPR for Earth). Color-coded maps created by our vice-president, Clinton Jenkins, help decision-makers focus on the areas where we will have the greatest impact for the donations we receive.
So we need your help! Please click the link to donate $5 (tax-deductible in the US) today to help save the olinguito and the other uncounted species that share its habitat. Thank you so much.
~ Stuart Pimm, President, SavingSpecies, Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Biology, Duke University
http://savingspecies.org/how-to-donate/

SUPPORT COMMUNITY CONSERVATION
Our methods focus on catalyzing community conservation projects. The critical factor for success is encouraging community-based organizations (CBOs) and governing institutions that manage the community’s own involvement in the project. To date our projects have established 44 CBOs and 22 protected areas, and ten projects support existing protected areas. In more than half of the projects, communities are protecting forests. I am interested in helping others become involved in this solution for stopping the loss of biodiversity. If interested, please look at our website and contact me.
Rob Horwich, Director at Community Conservation (ccc@mwt.net)
http://www.communityconservation.org

VOICE YOUR OPINION IN THE ECONOMIST DEBATE
Is economic growth good for biodiversity? This question is being debated in the Economist. Visit the page and weigh in. You have until Wednesday September 28 to comment. http://www.economist.com/debate/overview/259

USE THE GROUP JOBS PAGE
Whether you are looking for a job, or have an opportunity to share, the group Jobs page is a great way to network, check out opportunities, and to seek talented matches for your available positions.

SHARE THE PAGE
The more people we have in this group, the louder our voice will be when the time comes to speak collectively. Ten thousand people speaking together is a force that will be listened to. Please share the page with anyone who has a professional interest in biodiversity. Copy and paste this link into your emails, Twitter feed and Facebook page http://bitly.com/biodiversityprofs

HELP BUILD THE INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE
The International Biodiversity Institute is an idea to make the most of this group’s collective wisdom and enthusiasm. We are looking for a few dedicated professionals to serve as founders and to drive this initiative. http://www.linkedin.com/groups?&gid=4151032

Original post: http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&gid=3667510&discussionID=275384021

The post Group Announcement: November 2013 appeared first on Biodiversity Professionals.

Here is a rare email from me. I must say that I am overwhelmed by how many people have joined the group. We now number more than 6,500! It is an honor to connect with so many like-minded professionals. It is through strength in numbers and by sharing and networking that we will support each other in our professional goals.

With that in mind, please read below for some important messages from fellow members.

Your time is valuable. I respect that. So I’ll keep this short, and only say again how much I appreciate your interest. Your dedication to biodiversity, our beautiful Earth and its precious life is making a difference.

Regards,

Roger Harris, MS
Founder & manager, Biodiversity Professionals LinkedIn group

IMPORTANT MESSAGES

1. We want to fund your conservation project!
SavingSpecies wants to add to its roster of successful conservation projects. Interested parties are invited to respond to the Request for Proposals by submitting an initial letter of interest. You are invited to learn more about our project criteria and how to submit your letter of interest: http://bit.ly/fundconservation(Declared Interest: I am a SavingSpecies Board Member)

2. Please vote today for the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s Biodiversity Youth Ambassador Project in the Give for Youth Challenge. VOTE HERE: http://bit.ly/biodiversityyouth
Cast your vote by March 1st to give 12-16 year old Biodiversity Youth Ambassadors the opportunity to participate in BioBlitz 2013 at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park in New Orleans. We are helping Biodiversity Youth Ambassadors to raise biodiversity awareness to their peers. The Youth Ambassadors’ attendance at the 2013 BioBlitz will sustain the growth of the Biodiversity Youth Ambassador network into the future. (Declared Interest: I volunteer consulting services for the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation)

3. The European Commission and ALTER-Net (Europe’s biodiversity research network) will host a major science conference: “Science underpinning the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy” in Ghent, Belgium, from 15-18 April 2013. Register before 22 March: http://www.alter-net.info/outputs/conf-2013 (Member contact: Andrew Sier)

4. Progress and challenges in recovering endangered salmon populations in the US Pacific Northwest are highlighted in a recent online report with links to supporting data: http://www.StateofSalmon.wa.gov(Member contact: Phil Miller)

5. The Cloud Forest Conservation Initiative invites researchers and collaborators to a remote Guatemalan cloud forest. Learn more at http://www.conservationimaging.org (Member contact: Philip Tanimoto)

6. Why is biodiversity important for business? An interview with Marion Hammerl, President of the Global Nature Fund, and Dr. Michael Rademacher, Global Manager Biodiversity & Natural Resources at HeidelbergCement, about impacts of loss of ecosystems and species on businesses, how to integrate biodiversity concerns in business models and assessments of biodiversity-related opportunities and risks.http://www.business-biodiversity.eu/default.asp?Menue=49&News=1315 (Member contact: Sven Stöbener)

7. If you are on Google+ and lean towards marine biodiversity issues, please consider joining us in the Marine Biodiversity Community. https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/101247541499803612222(Member contact: John Starmer)

8. NREL is conducting a vegetation test plot study to evaluate restoration of native plants beneath an 8 acre PV array. http://www.nrel.gov/news/features/feature_detail.cfm/feature_id=1553 (Member contact: Brenda Beatty)

9. WELCOME! If you are new to the group please take a moment to introduce yourself!http://linkd.in/15K7SZl

10. SHARE THE GROUP: Please invite fellow professionals to join! Here’s a short URL for email or to post to Twitter, Facebook and your other social networks: http://bit.ly/biodiversityprofs

Link to original post http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=3667510&type=member&item=217404663

The post Group Announcement: April 2013 appeared first on Biodiversity Professionals.

You don’t want any unwanted emails cluttering your inbox! So I hope you’ll forgive this rare message from me as founder of the Biodiversity Professionals group on Linkedin. It’s the first I’ve sent since I started the group less than a year ago.

I’m writing to report an important group milestone. Yesterday the group added its 1000th member! I am excited and humbled by your interest and dedication. I hope you will take a few minutes from your busy schedule to contribute your expertise and enthusiasm to the group’s lively discussions, report your own news or post job opportunities as they arise.

In the meantime, I’d very much appreciate if you’d consider for a moment my vision for this group. I have registered the domain name biodiversityprofessionals.org (and .com) and I hope you can offer some thoughts and ideas about how we might use this resource. Linkedin is great, but I wonder if we will outgrow it, and if our own space online might be a worthwhile endeavor. I’m not sure what would work best. Perhaps a forum or community blog might work. In any case your opinion would be most welcome.

Another thought that occurred to me was that we could create an online Global Institute of Biodiversity. I know that this is an ambitious endeavor, but it strikes me that bricks and mortar institutions, while very useful, have their limitations. A Global Institute of Biodiversity would be an advocacy and support organization for biodiversity professionals around the world, perhaps serving as a licensing organization, clearing house for granting agencies and perhaps an online journal. Of course, other organizations serve these purposes in one way or another, but perhaps the time has come to gather these disparate functions under one (virtual) roof. I surveyed all the significant biodiversity related organizations (published in a recent blog post) and to my mind, they’re not meeting the needs of our global community. This is just the embryo of an idea, so I’d welcome any feedback, whether you consider it worth pursuing or not.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and thank you again for dedicating your life to the most worthy cause of today — studying and working for the beauty and wonder of the life on this Earth that we call biodiversity.

Sincerely,

Roger Harris
Founder, Biodiversity Professionals Linkedin Group

Link to original post: http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=3667510&type=member&item=77726137

The post Group Announcement: October 2011 appeared first on Biodiversity Professionals.