About the Society

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an international professional organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of conserving the Earth’s biological diversity. The Society’s membership comprises a wide range of people interested in the conservation and study of biological diversity: resource managers, educators, government and private conservation workers, and students.

The Society is a global community with more than 12,000 members world-wide and representatives from over 140 countries. The Society is organized internationally by seven Regional Sections that initiate activities relevant to conservation needs on their continents or in their oceans. With the assistance of the SCB Policy Director, the Society informs policymakers through its Regional Sections, local Chapters, and the policy committee of the SCB Board of Governors. The Society provides many benefits to its community including global and regional conferences, free online access to publications for members in developing countries, and a very popular online job board.  SCB also administers the prestigious David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Cedar Tree Foundation.

SCB is the leading voice for the study of the scientific phenomena that affect biodiversity conservation, publishing the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the field, Conservation Biology. The Society is dedicated to linking conservation science, management, policy, and education with its award-winning magazine, Conservation. Affiliated publications include Biological Conservation and Pacific Conservation Biology.

About the SCB Marine Section

After the first (1997) and second (2001) Symposia on Marine Conservation Biology confirmed the large number of marine conservation biologists (MCB’s) interested in furthering marine science, research and public policy, a group of marine professionals organized a formal society for MCB. After much discussion, this group accepted an invitation from the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) to become one of their ‘sections’ as SCB strives to internationalize and increase its membership to encompass both global marine and terrestrial conservation. The section opened and elected its first board of directors in December of 2001, and is continuing to recruit members interested in the marine realm – both current SCB members and those new to SCB who are looking for a network for focusing their research interests.

The Section's mission statement is: To advance the science and practice of conserving the Earth’s marine biological diversity. The Section's goals are to 1) Be a global focal point for marine conservation; 2) Facilitate the dissemination of the science of marine conservation through education, publications, presentations, and media outreach; 3) Promote marine conservation as a priority for SCB; 4) Inform and facilitate the implementation of marine conservation policy; 5)Encourage communication and action across disciplinary, national, and institutional boundaries; and 6) Create the capacity to accomplish the aforementioned goals. The Section board of directors currently has nine members whose work crosses international boundaries and represents a wide range of marine conservation issues.