Guidelines for setting up a regional chapters (IALE-Xxy)

Are you interested in starting a national Chapter?  

We have outlined the process below.  First and foremost:  Contact a member of the Executive Committee to discuss your needs and how we can help make your new chapter a success!

download guidelines (PDF 457 KB)

1. Work out a road map for establishing IALE-XXY (with approx. dates) by taking into consideration points 2 - 11 described below. Be aware that the new chapter shall reflect the interdisciplinary character of landscape ecology in different institutions and among different practitioners within the region.

2. Determine between 2 and 4 founding members (IALE members in good standing). Include several disciplines and institutions either in the foundation group and especially among the disciplines/subjects/practioners and institutions invited to the foundation meeting.

3. Determine legal status of IALE-XXY in home country (could be a NGO, a tax exempt unit, or part of an already existing association, e.g. Ecological Society of XXY) that allows collection of membership fees. Document the legal status for IALE International. IALE International cannot pay the expenses of the legalization.

4. Assess the expected number of IALE-XXY members.

5. Discuss the planned membership fees of IALE-XXY with President, Treasurer and Secretary General. High income countries pay 20 Euros/member (10 Euros/student member) to IALE International; medium income and transition countries pay 10 Euros/member (5 Euros/student member) to IALE International. As a rule membership fees for IALE-XXY have to be added to this amount to give the total membership fee per IALE-XXY member. Note that Members of IALE-XXY are always members of IALE International and there is no membership in IALEXXY without membership in IALE International. However, countries in harsh financial situations or currency conversion problems can negotiate special agreements with IALE International. These exceptions will however be periodically assessed by the EC.

6. Work out Statutes that suit your regions needs. In any case, they should not be in contradiction with the newest ones by IALE international. The Secretary General, the President of IALE International or any member of the IALE Council will help in the set-up. Statutes can be formulated in the language of the region but must – for consultations and approval by the IALE Executive Committee and the IALE Council – be translated into a basic English. Example Statutes of existing IALE regions will be provided by the Secretary General or the President of IALE International. Do not hesitate to contact other regional IALE-chapters that might be of relevance as model for your new chapter. (see list of IALE Council representatives at the IALE website).

7. Determine the number of officers in the IALE-XXY Executive committee. We recommend a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, a Secretary-General and a delegate to the IALE International Council (the representation of all IALE Chapters). Optional are a Bulletin/Newsletter officer and further officers as determined in the Statutes of IALE-XXY. The officers have to be members in good standing of IALE International. Determine how the liability of the board members is handled in case of financial emergency.

8. Work out a list of candidates for the first Executive committee. These can be the founding members. Nomination of candidates shall be made by two members of IALE in Good Standing and shall be consented to in writing by the signature of the nominee.

9. Determine a date for the first election of the EC (all prospective members of IALE-XXY can vote, they have to agree that they will become member of IALE-XXY in good standing immediately after the first election of the EC has taken place) Must be controlled.

10. Determine an inaugural event.

11. Work out a 1 – 2 page document describing why this chapter is needed and the Status of Landscape Ecology in the region (important schools, Universities, teaching, important publications, practical landscape ecological problems in the region, problem solving-strategy, collaboration with practitioners in your region etc.). This document helps the EC of IALE International and the IALE council to get a picture of the Landscape Ecology scene in IALEXXY.

12. Submit documents 1 through 12 to the President or the Secretary General of IALE International.

13. The President will then formally submit all documents to the Executive Committee of IALE International. If the request is approved by the EC, the documents will be forwarded to the IALE Council. If approved, IALE-XXY is formally founded.

14. The finalized documents have to be sent to the Secretary General.

15. Foundation of the region is announced in the Bulletin and on the Web Page of IALE International.

Please note

• that chapters do not have to be mutually exclusive regions, and do not have to conform to political boundaries, e.g., IALE-Africa does not exclude the formation of a IALE-Ghana, a region comprising a river basin can cover a part of or different parts of other region(s), e.g. a Rhone-region or a Danube-region (see also statutes I1). 

Approved by IALE EC, Jesper Brandt and Xiuzhen Li, 18. June 2012