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The Ecological Society of America

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a professional society for ecologists engaged in all aspects of the discipline, from field work to computational modeling, teaching at all educational levels, environmental policy, communications, and more. The society has convened yearly meetings since its founding, in 1915. We are the largest community of professional ecologists, with 9,000 members worldwide, and a trusted source of ecological knowledge. ESA is committed to advancing the understanding of life on earth.

The society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized exclusively for scientific and educational purposes to:

  1. Promote ecological science by improving communication among ecologists through publication of journals and holding meetings.
  2. Raise the public’s level of awareness of the importance of ecological science and ensure the continuing supply of new ecologists through educational and outreach activities.
  3. Increase the resources available for the conduct of ecological science through efforts of the membership in both the private and public sectors.
  4. Finally, to ensure the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision­-making by enhancing communication between the ecological community and policy­makers at all levels of government and the private sector; provided, however, that all of the foregoing purposed are within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law (the “Code”).

 

Education: ESA runs workshops for educators, fosters diversity in undergraduate education through our SEEDS program, and maintains a Digital Library of educational resources. Learn more about our educational initiatives on our programs page.

 

Science: working groups, ad hoc publications, workshops, and small meetings. Learn more about these and other initiatives to advance the science of ecology on our career development and programs pages.

 

Ecology April coverOur journals publish cutting edge research from the full spectrum of ecological science. Members have free access to journal contents online through the membership portal. Join us.

  • ESA’s oldest journal, Ecology, has reported basic research in ecology since 1920.
  • Ecological Applications, as its name implies, focuses on research reports that support environmental decision-making and address emergent problems for environmental policy and management.
  • Longer, data intensive reports representing major empirical and theoretical advances find a home in quarterly issues of Ecological Monographs.
  • Our first fully open-access journal, Ecosphere, is broad in scope and designed for rapid publication of research results.
  • Frontiers in Ecology in the Environment features short, high impact research reports, reviews, letters, news, commentary, and a commitment to accessible academic prose.
  • The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America publishes letters, longer commentaries, and philosophical and methodological items related to the science of ecology. The open access, online archive extends back to the first issue, in 1917.
  • Earth Stewardship is ESA’s newest journal and serves as an open access forum for the cultural exchange of diverse knowledge systems and collective understanding on how we can protect our planet.

 

Journalists

ESA provides journalists with access to our meetings and publications. We are available to help find experts in ecological science and identify resources. Find more information on our media and communications page or contact Public Affairs Manager Mayda Nathan (mayda@nullesa.org).