An NAU professor has been elected president of a global community of more than 10,000 conservation professionals.
Paul Beier, professor of conservation biology in the School of Forestry, was elected president of the Society for Conservation Biology this month. The society’s mission is to promote scientific study to maintain and restore biological diversity, promoting conservation worldwide.
As president, Beier wants to build on what the organization has accomplished so far and become even more globalized.
“I want us to follow through on the commitment to increase capacity for conservation biologists around the world,” Beier said. “Every continent should have its own community of conservation practitioners, and in a 10-year period, our goal is to hold a meeting on every continent.”
Beier will assume the office of president-elect in July at the society’s global meeting in Beijing, China. He said the organization holds meetings every two years to reduce their carbon footprint and allow global sections to develop and have their own meetings.
Being a member of the society also has given Beier the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and a deeper understanding of global issues.
“I find working with people from all over the world really exciting,” Beier said. “I’ve been able to meet people whose papers I’ve read, along with other people I respect. I also appreciate the unique problems in developing countries. I’ve realized how well people cope with how little they have.”
NAU has been successful in the realm of conservation biology, ranking among the top 40 academic institutions in the United States and Canada for research productivity in the field of conservation biology. The university also ranked 27th in total number of publications in the first-ever comprehensive ranking of scholarly productivity in conservation biology.
Beier’s six-year term will include two years as president-elect, two years as president and two years as past president.
Overall, Beier’s research and service focus on design and implementation of wildlife corridors in the Western U.S., community-based conservation in Ghana and conservation ecology of birds and mammals. Beier has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.
Visit Beier’s web site.