The British Ecological Society (BES) is a learned society in the United Kingdom with over 4,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1913 by Charles Elton, John Heslop-Harrison, Edmund Harvey and others. The society promotes ecology through its journal, conferences and publications. It lobbies on behalf of ecologists, provides grants and awards for ecological research, and engages in public outreach to raise awareness of ecology.
The BES was founded in response to what its founders saw as a need for a professional body to promote ecology and support ecologists. The society has always been interdisciplinary, embracing both natural science disciplines such as botany, zoology and soil science, as well as social sciences such as economics and geography. The society publishes the Journal of Ecology which is one of the leading international journals in the field of ecology. In addition to publishing scientific papers, the journal includes regular features on policy issues relevant to ecologists, reviews of books relevant to the discipline, obituaries of eminent ecologists and information about forthcoming events organized by BES or other societies with an interest in ecology.
The BES organises an annual conference which attracts around 1,500 delegates from all over the world. The conference covers all aspects of ecological science including global change biology, conservation biology, ecosystem services and environmental management. The conference programme also includes plenary sessions featuring keynote speakers from outside the discipline who are invited to share their perspectives on topical issues with ecologists. In addition to its annual conference, BES also organises smaller meetings throughout the year on specific topics relevant to its membership.
The society administers a number of grant schemes which provide funding for ecological research at all career levels from studentships for undergraduates through postdoctoral fellowships to senior research grants. These grant schemes are supported by donations from individuals and charitable trusts as well as income generated from investments managed by BES Council Members.
Beside supporting ecological research financially ,the Society also advocates on behalf of UK ecologists at policy level . In recent years it has been involved in lobbying Government Ministers on issues such as biodiversity offsetting , hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’)and neonicotinoid insecticides . The Society also provides evidence-based input into key policy documents suchas National Ecosystem Assessments and State of Nature Reports . To increase awarenessof ecology among non-specialists ,the Society runs Public Engagement Grants Scheme which supports initiatives that engage members ofthe public with ecological science . It also offers free membershipto under 18s ,teachersand education professionals .
So if you want know more about Ecology or deepen your knowledge in this filed , British Ecological Society would be definitely your first choice !