The Ecological Society of Argentina (AsAE) is 40 years old. The main goals of the

society are (i) the development of ecological research, (ii) the improvement of

professionals and (iii) to solve environmental problems. In this period, AsAE has

organized 25 national or regional congresses every two years; published a regular

journal with a high standard review process, including a forum section with

contributions by senior ecologists and a section on tools for teaching ecology, in

addition to regular papers; has produced a monthly e-bulletin (AMEN) with ecological

news (graduate courses, job opportunities, meeting information, etc.) subscribed by over

3,500 Latin-American ecologists; created an environmental committee to develop

position papers on different environmental problems of regional impact and social

interest . Environmental issues are considerable and complex in Argentina, with an

increasing social demand for solutions and policy implementation and control.

However, ecological scientific knowledge is largely marginalized in legal and policy

discussions. We agree on the potential value of a regional alliance among South

American ecological societies to develop common objectives, share experiences, and

define new strategic tools to develop better scientific knowledge and to educate

ecologists of high professional standard.