SCBNA strongly opposes the decision of the United States to withdraw from more than 60 international scientific, environmental, and cultural organizations.

Participation in international institutions is not symbolic – it produces tangible results:

1. Reducing disaster risk and economic losses.

2. Protecting food, water, and ecosystems.

3. Advancing science, education, and heritage.

Withdrawal carries real and measurable harms. SCBNA urges the U.S. government to reverse this decision immediately and reaffirm its commitment to science-based leadership.

See our full statement: https://conbio-northamericansection.informz.net/InformzDataService/OnlineVersion/Pub/bWFpbGluZ0luc3RhbmNlSWQ9OTUyOTczNA==

10/28 SCBNA Policy Webinar: From regional to local: scaling scientific assessments

Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the third webinar in our series on scientific assessments. This session will explore how assessments can be scaled for different levels of use, along with the benefits of carrying out assessments at a more local level.

Speakers:

1) Dr. Dave Reidmiller, Chief Impact Officer, Gulf of Maine Research Institute

2) Dr. Patrick Keys, Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University

3) Dr. Christine J. Kirchhoff, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Law, Policy and Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University

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Date/Time: Tuesday, October 28th, 2025, from 2:00 PM- 3:30 PM CDT

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/z6d1t6ylQw-K5PgJZEaXzA#/

Learn about upcoming events with SCBNA here: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/events/

Learn more about SCBNA: https://scbnorthamerica.org/

Thank you! Hope to see you there!

SCBNA

10/15 SCBNA Policy Webinar: Learning the language: scientific assessments 101

Join the SCBNA Policy Committee for the first webinar in our series on scientific assessments. This session will provide an overview of assessments, how they are used by governments at different levels, what potential biases may be present in assessment data, and how assessments can act as tools to connect and bring together conservation professionals from different backgrounds. In addition to speaker presentations, this session will also feature a Q&A session and comments led by our invited discussant, Dr. Shai André Devon, Professor of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).

Presentation Topics & Speakers:

1) The language of Scientific Assessments – from State Ranks to the global IUCN Red List

Speaker: Dr. Sérgio Henriques, Red List Authority Coordinator, IUCN Species Survival Commission

2) The language of climate change – potential biases when assessing climate change projections

Speaker: Dr. Mark C. Urban, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

3) The language of bees to navigate government partnerships

Speaker: Dr. Gillian Bowser, Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University

4) The language of connectivity – why we all depend on the sea

Speaker: Dr. Brian Helmuth, Professor, Northeastern University and Chief Scientific Officer, Proteus Ocean Group

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Date/Time: Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, from 10:00 AM-11:30 AM CDT

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/erh3E7LSQ4ub5K1J2Vm0Lw#/registration

Learn about upcoming events with SCBNA here: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/events/

Learn more about SCBNA: https://scbnorthamerica.org/

SCBNA—part of the global Society for Conservation Biology, which represents nearly 3,000 members across six global regions—is writing to express strong opposition to the proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. If passed, this legislation would roll back the foundational safeguards that have protected marine mammal populations for over 50 years, undermine ocean health, reverse decades of conservation success, and harm the coastal economies that depend on productive, resilient marine ecosystems.

Read WHY and HOW we MUST protect the MMPA: https://scbnorthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SCBNA-MMPA-Letter.pdf

Browse the full visual graphic: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGv5j7T7Ac/aI681Udlb0qV-9RotLHD4w/view?utm_content=DAGv5j7T7Ac&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hb34edb3ca6

Protect the MMPA TODAY!
Phone & email your representatives –
find yours: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
use our scripts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PLyBVxkrb8R-W8pFSw6Q4B9T51rHsgc8QAOH2M_VxkU/edit?usp=sharing

Follow our action toolkit to amplify on social media! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1E9WHU5H6-Q6rok9TG5m5f8go0SAKP0NHBeHRkKro_t4/edit?usp=sharing