THE IAVS-BULLETIN

1998

The city of Uppsala, venue of the 41th Symposium of the IAVS, 1998. Foto: Jonas Norén.

Content

Introduction
Circular by H. Dierschke
Announcements
Minutes Meeting General Assembly, Ceske Budejovice 21 Aug., 1997
Minutes Meeting of the Advisory Council, Ceske Budejovice on 18 Aug., 1997
1 st Circular 42nd IAVS Symposium Bilbao, July 24-30, 1999
Election list for the new Advisory Council(1998-2001)

Introduction

Welcome to the electronic version of the Bulletin of the IAVS!
We aim to offer reguraly updated information on all Association activities, as well as personal and other news. We are eager to hear from you aboutsuggestions and comments on this Bulletin. We also invite you to send us interesting links to relevant sites, as well as personal sites of members!

Most of the information in this number consists of a copy of the Circulars sent to you in Nov. / Dec. 1997, by the General Secretary Dr. H. Dierschke.
Subscribers to the Journal of Vegetation Science received this circular enclosed with issue 8:5.

Circular 1997

Göttingen, November 1997

Dear IAVS Member,

Hereby you receive our newsletter with information about the activities of this year and plans for the future, especially through the minutes of our meetings in Ceské Budejovice in August 1997. Our 40th annual symposium was organised very well by our Czech colleagues and offered many interesting lectures, posters and discussions. About 250 participants of 31 countries attended the symposium which was complemented by some excursions in the Czech Republic and a post-symposium excursion to Bulgaria.

During the meeting of the Advisory Council (AC) a new list of candidates for the next AC (1998-2002) was made up (enclosed). Although there was a request for proposals of candidates included in the last circular to allIAVS members, no further candidates had been nominated. Please, return the election list before the end of March 1998.

The new AC will have its first meeting during the coming symposium in Uppsala in August 1998. The next General Assembly will be held there as well. The second circular of the Uppsala symposium has just been sent out to ca. 500 members.

Included in this circular you will find the first invitation to the Symposium 1999 in Bilbao and subsequent excursions in Spain.

A new membership list is in preparation and will be issued early 1998. If there are any changes in your address, phone, fax or e-mail, please contact administrator Marijke van der Maarel.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Now I want to make some more personal remarks:

During the Symposium 1982 in Prague I was elected as General Secretary of our Association. I had the pleasure of working together with three presidents (H. Ellenberg, S. Pignatti, E.O. Box) for more than 15 years. During this time IAVS has changed into a worldwide community of vegetation scientists and related researchers, it has established a new journal (JVS) and many symposia, workshops and excursions took place. All this meant a change from a rather small, family-like society to a really global association, in which very different scientific Schools and approaches are united.

The last 15 years have meant quite some work for me, but also many delightful experiences and international friendships. However, now I have become 60 years of age, it is time to make place for a new secretary, representinga younger generation. Therefore I confirm (I proposed that already in Lancaster in 1996) the end of my activities as Secretary at the end of this period of the AC. I have looked for an appropriate successor and I think I have found him. So I put forward to the AC the name of Dr. Joop H.J. Schaminée, one of the leading vegetation scientists of the younger Dutch generation,who is willing to take over the job, if he will be elected to the new AC.

I want to thank all members for a pleasant and fruitful cooperation and for cordial encounters during all those years. Though I will have to concentrate more on the work for our institute in Göttingen and my own scientific research, I am, of course, willing to participate in further activities of our Association. I am sure that the IAVS will prosper in the years to come!

With best wishes, especially for a peaceful 1998

Hartmut Dierschke

Announcements

Just published:

IAVS Symposium Volume Tenerife 1993:

Islands and High Mountain Vegetation: Biodiversity, Bioclimate and Conservation.

- 20 contributions, 264 pp. ISBN 84-7756-448-5. Price 20 USD + postage.

Please, send your order to: Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidadde La Laguna, E- 38271 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

Assistant Restoration Plant Ecologist. Tenure-track, Assistant Professor level, as per 1 July 1998

Employment will be 9 months; extension to 11 months depends on yearly review. Teaching in undergraduate courses within the departmental majorand relevant graduate courses; research into new management techniques andmonitoring criteria for revegetation of degraded wildlands or open spaceaffected by urban and/or agricultural encroachment within California. Must have a doctorate (or equivalent ) in ecology, botany, or conservation biology and a record of research in restoration plant ecology. Submit a cover letter,statements of teaching and research interest, curriculum vitae (including a list of publications and representative reprints), official undergraduateand graduate transcripts, and names and addresses of three references to:

Dr. Michael Barbour, Chair of Search Committee, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8587.Phone: +1 916-752-2956; Fax +1 916-752-1819; E-mail: mgbarbour@ucdavis.edu

Applications should be post-marked by 15 February 1998 to assure consideration.The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Michael Barbour

Minutes of the General Assembly of the International Association for Vegetation Science in Ceské Budejovice on 21 August 1997

1. The President (E.O. Box) opened the Assembly at 17.15. All members had been notified of, and invited to, the General Assembly through the Circular of November 1996, which identified the most important agenda items. Therewere 70 members present, which constituted a quorum for decision making.

2. The Assembly held a moment of silence in memory of recently deceased IAVS members:

Hermann Meusel (2.11.1909 - 3.1.1997)
Heinz Ellenberg (1.8.1913 - 2.5.1997)
Paul Seibert (18.2.1921 - 5.6.1997).

3. The President and the General-Secretary (H. Dierschke) reported onthe results of the Advisory Council Meeting of 18 August 1997 (see Minutesof this meeting). Some additional information was provided and discussedconcerning upcoming meetings and excursions.

The results of the postal ballot on the new Statutes were accepted unanimously.

4. The President announced the new Honorary members. Of these, David Goodall, Akira Miyawaki and Dieter Mueller-Dombois were present, while Wadysaw Matuszkiewicz and Sandro Pignatti were not. The announcement was accepted with enthusiastic applause.

5. The meeting was ended at 18.10.

(E. O. Box, President) (H. Dierschke, General Secretary)

Minutes of the Advisory Council Meeting of the International Association for Vegetation Science in Ceské Budejovice on 18 August 1997

In attendance were 21 persons: E.O. Box (US), G. Bredenkamp (SA, with voting right for L. Mucina), H. Dierschke (DE), J. Falinski (PL), G. Fekete(HU), K. Fujiwara (JP), F. Krahulec (CZ), J. Loidi (ES), A. Miyawaki (JP),J. Moravec (CZ); D. Mueller-Dombois (US), Z. Neuhäuslová (CZ),J. Podani (HU), F. Romane (FR), J. Schaminée (NL), A. Schwabe-Kratochwil (DE), J.-P. Theurillat (CH), E. van der Maarel (SE), O. Wildi (CH), J. Willems(NL) and M. Zobel (EE).

All members had been invited to the Advisory Council Meeting through the mailing of 2 July 1997, which provided an agenda for the meeting. This was amended (see Statutes, Point 8) to include a new Regional Section in Southern Africa.

1. Opening

The president (E. O. Box) opened the meeting at 16:45.

2. Report of the Executive Committee (E.O. Box, H. Dierschke)

Since the Symposium in Lancaster (1996) there had been various other IAVS events:

- International Phytogeographical Excursion in South Africa, led by R.Lubke and G. Bredenkamp (17 September to 7 (-12) October 1996) with help of colleagues. 51 people from 12 countries as well as colleagues from South Africa, participated.

- Meeting of the Nomenclature Commission in Hannover (26 - 27 February1997); see Point 6.

- 6th International Workshop on the 'European Vegetation Survey' in Rome (14 - 16 March 1997) with more than 70 participants from 23 countries. Main topics included the preparation of a Summary of the Higher Syntaxa of Europe(Alliance - Class), the European beech forests and numerous short contributions.

Status of the IAVS membership: the number of IAVS members has risen from1415 in November 1996 to 1460 in July 1997. Full members: 1180 (Europe:870, North America: 160, Other continents: 150); Associate Members: 280.

Since the last Advisory Council Meeting the following IAVS members passed away:

Heinz Ellenberg (DE), Hermann Meusel (DE) and Paul Seibert (DE).

Financial Situation at the end of 1996:
Income 1996: 21.323.42 DEM (including contributions for 1994-95 from Opulus Press)
Expenditures 1996: 9.096.62 DEM
Balance on 31 December 1996: 65.356.03 DEM

3. New Statutes

The New IAVS Statutes were accepted by the General Assembly of 11 September 1996 in Lancaster. In addition, the Statutes were sent for a mail vote toall members in November 1996. The responses were evaluated in Göttingen and Uppsala, with the following results:

Ballots sent 1415
Responses received as of 7 July 1997 519 (37%)
Of these: Yes: 424 (81.7%)
No: 2 (0.4%);
Neutral: 82 (15.8 %)
Without response: 11 (2.1%)

On the basis of these results the Statutes were formally accepted. The General Secretary is obligated to register the Statutes at the County Courtin Göttingen.

4. Results of the Questionnaire concerning JVS and other Publications (evaluated in Uppsala).

Responses received as of 7 July 1997 519 (37%; see Point 3)
Yes No Neutral/ No response
Full membership bound to at least one journal subscription 352 131 36
Initiation of the new journal 'Applied Vegetation Science' 312 56 151
Initiation of a new series Symposium Proceedings 210 57 261

Projected subscriptions:
to JVS 339 (JVS + AVS = 114)
to AVS 216 (JVS + AVS + Proceedings = 77)
to Proceedings 106

The question was discussed whether subscription to a journal should beobligatory for all full members. Opinions differed widely. The IAVS would certainly lose some members. The matter was adjourned. The matter of Associatemembership was not completely resolved either.

5. List of Candidates for the next Advisory Council Election

A new Advisory Council for 1998 - 2002 must be elected during the winterhalf-year of 1997 - 1998.

Some suggestions were received from members not present. A list witha total of 130 candidates was decided on.

6. Report of the Nomenclature Commission ( J. Moravec, J.-P. Theurillat)

After extensive discussions in the smaller and larger Commissions, suggestions were made for improving the 'Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature' (CPN).These were discussed and accepted by the expanded Commission at a meetingin Hannover, Germany (26 - 27 February 1997). The last remaining questions should be resolved by October 1997.

The Advisory Council decided that the English version of the 3rd editionof the CPN would be published in the Journal of Vegetation Science. Translations in other languages may also be published in other appropriate journals.

7. Activities in the Coming Years

1998. A First Announcement has been sent for the 41st IAVS Symposium in Uppsala, Sweden (26 July - 1 August 1998). More than 400 preliminaryresponses have already been received. The symposium will be complemented by various pre- and post-symposium excursions (Lapland, Öland, Baltic countries).

J. Falinski suggested a detailed compilation and documentation of the history of the IAVS and all of its activities. The reaction on this suggestionwas quite positive. A 'Retrospective' on vegetation science will also bepresented at the Symposium in Uppsala.

1999. J. Loidi gave initial suggestions for the 42nd IAVS Symposium in July 1999 in Bilbao, Spain. This would be in conjunction with a longer excursion throughout the Iberian Peninsula. The Advisory Council accepted this proposal with the stipulation that it not overlap with the International Botanical Congress (see below). The excursion may be divided into several parts.

The XVI International Botanical Congress (St. Louis, USA 1 - 7 August1999). The IAVS is invited to take part with its own events. The North American Section of IAVS may organize something separately. A session by the full IAVS may also be organized.

2000. The 43rd IAVS Symposium will take place in July 2000 in Nagano (central Honsho, Japan), in connection with a longer excursion through all of the Japanese main islands.

8. Regional Section in Southern Africa

G. Bredenkamp reported on the founding of a regional section of the IAVS in southern Africa with 31 members. He was elected its President. The Advisory Council accepted this new section unanimously. The Southern African Section will hold its first Symposium in Cape Town, 12 - 16 January 1998.

9. Other items

Upon suggestions by various members the following persons were named Honorary Members:

D. Goodall (Australia) W. Matuszkiewicz (Poland) A. Miyawaki (Japan)
D. Mueller-Dombois (USA) S. Pignatti (Italy)

10. The meeting was ended at 19.45.