BES Facebook groupScience Policy at the BES
The BES's Public and Policy Committee works with the Science Policy Team and the Press Officer to communicate ecological science to parliamentarians, policy makers and members of the media.
Activities
The Public & Policy Committee regularly review Science Policy activity at the Society to ensure that the Policy Team engages with the most relevant and topical issues of interest to our members. Current priorities include: climate change, ecosystem services, the marine environment and funding to support science and scientists.
The BES has a number of strategic objectives, set out in the Society's 2007 - 2012 Strategic Plan. The activities of the Public & Policy Committee further the following objectives:
Developing ecological science and scientists
Our annual Fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), for PhD students, and our Shadowing Scheme for early-career researchers, provide a fantastic opportunity for ecologists to gain first-hand experience of the use of science in policy-making.
Promoting the use of ecological science
The BES organises parliamentary receptions, workshops and meetings to bring ecologists and policy-makers together, discussing gaps in current policy and research. Our Policy Advisory Groups are a fantastic resource which the Policy Team and policy-makers can draw on for information.
Building collaborative partnerships
The BES works closely with many key organisations in the biological sciences and more widely to advance the science of ecology and make it count.
