Biogeography, the study
of the geography of life, has a long and distinguished history, and
one interwoven with that of ecology and evolutionary biology. Traditionally
viewed as the study of geographic distributions, modern biogeography
now explores a great diversity of patterns in the geographic variation
of nature from physiological, morphological and genetic variation
among individuals and populations to differences in the diversity and
composition of biotas along geographic gradients. Given its interdisciplinary
and integrative nature, biogeography is now broadly recognized as a
unifying field that provides a holistic understanding of the relationships
between the earth and its biota. Our abilities to develop more general
theories of the diversity of life, and to conserve biological diversity
may well rest on insights from the field of biogeography. Therefore,
the International Biogeography Society (IBS) was founded as a non-profit
organization in 2000 with the following mission:
Foster
communication and collaboration between biogeographers in disparate
academic fields - scientists who would otherwise have little opportunity
for substantive interaction and collaboration.
Increase
both the awareness and interests of the scientific community and the
lay public in the contributions of biogeographers.
Promote
the training and education of biogeographers so that they may develop
sound strategies for studying and conserving the worlds biota.