Vol. 5 No.2 30 June 2011
Download of this e-Bulletin is available at INTECOL Web-site (www.intecol.org) 3
The worldwide growth in the number of ecologists,
the globalization of society, and the increasingly
important interplay between burgeoning human
populations and ecological processes call for new ways
for ecologists to communicate at the global scale.
Understanding and ameliorating the complex problems
we face as a global society stand to benefit from new
and diverse perspectives. A new initiative aims to
facilitate the growth of a global community of early
career ecologists using the great potential of 21st
century technologies.

The International Network of Next Generation
Ecologists (INNGE, [in-jee]) is a newly established
network that seeks to bring early career ecologists
together from around the world, thereby strengthening
international ties within a growing global community of
ecologists. During the past decades, the world has
grown steadily smaller. Amidst this, the numbers of
students and early career researchers in the sciences
have increased dramatically and academic communities
have become increasingly international. The discipline
of ecology is no exception. Ecologists are now
routinely criss-crossing the world for fieldwork,
collaborations, and meetings. As our community has
grown, so has the challenge of keeping up with
developments in the discipline on different continents.
For ecology students and early career researchers, the
growth of the community also makes it more difficult to
navigate the challenge of developing a career and
engaging in professional societies.

The initiative to develop a network like INNGE was
undertaken by early career ecologists who are already
involved in various ecological societies. The main
priority of INNGE is to further strengthen national and
regional societies, and facilitate linkages between them
that otherwise would not be made.

Working topics of INNGE
By coordinating activities of early career ecologists
in one place, INNGE will work to establish better
communication between people involved in their
national or regional ecological societies (Figure 1).
Knowing how other groups of ecologists are growing
the field of ecology will help to expand the goals of
each ecological society and will aid in inspiring new
activities (Figure 2). The ultimate goal of INNGE is to
spur the enactment of these new activities by forming a
worldwide network of young scientists.

INNGE hopes to be a network where early career
ecologists can go to seek advice on international topics
in ecology and particularly in cases where the early
Global Forum
A global network of next generation ecologists
Peter Søgaard Jørgensen1,2, Vincent Bonhomme1,3, Thomas H. G. Ezard1,4, R. Andrew Hayes1,5,
Timothée Poisot1,6, Roberto Salguero-Gomez1,7, Salvatrice Vizzini1,8, Naupaka Zimmerman1,9
1International Network of Next Generation Ecologists, INNGE
2Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
3Ecology Department, French Institute of Pondicherry (CNRS - MAEE), India & Société Française d'Ecologie
4University of Surrey, United Kingdom & British Ecological Society
5Horticulture and Forestry Science, Agri-Science Queensland, DEEDI, Australia & Ecological Society of
Australia
6Université Montpellier 2, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR CNRS 5554, France & Société
Française d'Ecologie
7Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Germany
8University of Palermo, Italy & LaguNet
9Stanford University, USA & Ecological Society of America

Vol. 5 No.2 30 June 2011
Download of this e-Bulletin is available at INTECOL Web-site (www.intecol.org) 4
career section of their own national societies may have
limited knowledge or experience. While there are quite
a few established bodies of communication that provide
an overview of career opportunities at the national and
regional scale, it is hard to find a forum focused on
international opportunities like international education
programs, open job positions, and travel grants. INNGE
wants to build the first such forum directed at and run
by early career ecologists.

INNGE specifically aims to:
1) Enhance
a. International knowledge about ecological topics
b. The ability to build academic networks for early
career scientists locally and regionally
2) Foster
a. Cross-continental initiatives between ecological
societies and their early career ecologists
b. Local stewardship and sustainability efforts via
global coordination
3) Communicate
a. On-going initiatives from ecological societies to
ecologists in other parts of the world so as to
ensure synergy and avoid unnecessary
redundancy
b. International career opportunities for early
career ecologists
c. Across disciplines, by engaging with networks
of early career researchers in other areas of
study

Communication
Electronic communication provides a powerful
means of bringing people on different continents
together with little to no expense and without the
environmental harm inherent in international travel, and
so constitutes a near-perfect tool for the aforementioned
goals. Thus, INNGE will primarily achieve its aims as
a web-based community. List-serve based
announcements and fora will offer fast communication
and a place for discussion. In addition, social media
provide a means to communicate among members and
visualize the people behind the names. We will use
social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to
connect and grow the member base

In addition to web-based communication, ecological
meetings and conferences will serve as opportunities
for people involved in INNGE to meet and organize
future INNGE enterprises in person.

INNGE and INTECOL
The need for an international body for early career
ecologists to interact has been recognized for some
time. At the latest INTECOL congress in 2009 in
Brisbane, Australia (organized in collaboration with the
Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand
Ecological Society) early career ecologists restated this
need. As the natural place for ecological societies to
build initiatives and share experiences at a global scale,
INTECOL will be a key partner in INNGE's effort to
establish a global community of early career ecologists.

Fig. 1 The aim of INNGE is to act as a coordinating hub for
activities of early career ecologists, from individual
students and researchers to groups in national and
regional ecological societies.
Fig. 2 INNGE seeks to facilitate and encourage new
initiatives, such as the ones illustrated here, by acting
as an international network of active and visionary
next generation ecologists.
INNGE
Ecological
Society
Student
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Ecological
Society
Early Career
Researcher
INNGE
Academic
Networks
Sustainability
Stewardship
Global Change
Communication
Recruitment
Support
Networking

Vol. 5 No.2 30 June 2011
Download of this e-Bulletin is available at INTECOL Web-site (www.intecol.org) 5
"This new network will enhance communication
among the increasing number of early career ecologists
in INTECOL. The initial success at our Brisbane
meeting with a workshop dedicated to networking
among early career ecologists indicates this expanded
effort to connect our members globally will be
appreciated by many. I look forward to meeting many of
our new members in London in 2013 and to following
the growth of this network online (INTECOL president,
Alan P. Covich)."

Session at INTECOL 2013
One of the activities already planned by INNGE is to
organize a session in connection with the 11th
INTECOL congress in London, 2013. The session will
further explore the role of next generation ecologists
and ecological societies in driving forward stewardship
efforts and international initiatives in the field of
ecology.

INNGE as a resource for ecological societies
Acting as a global contact point for early career
ecologists, INNGE will be a resource for ecological
societies by being (1) a place to recruit members with
an international focus; (2) a place for seeking advice
and experiences from other networks of early career
ecologists; and, (3) a place to find collaboration
partners in other ecological societies (Figure 3).

Where are we now
At this point INNGE is still in its infancy. During the
past six months, the primary effort has been focused on
engaging national and regional societies in the effort.
The response so far has been overwhelmingly
positive and has strengthened the case for a global
network.
Thus far, INNGE consists of a working group of
early career ecologists representing three continents and
a number of ecological societies (the British Ecological
Society, Ecological Society of America, Ecological
Society of Australia, the French Ecological Society, and
Italian Ecological Society). We are currently working
on developing an INNGE website and increasing the
societal and geographical coverage of participants in
the working group.

We encourage all ecological societies and early
career ecologists interested in the effort to build this
next generation global community to become a part of
the working group.

Contact us at: nextgenecologists@gmail.com.
Fig. 3 INNGE will be a resource for ecological societies by
being (1) a place to recruit members with an
international focus; (2) a place for seeking advice and
experiences from other networks of early career
ecologists; and, (3) a place to find collaboration
partners in other ecological societies.
INNGE
Ecological Scociety B
Project Resource
Ecological Scociety A
Project Query