The Association for Fire Ecology seeks to embrace diversity in all organizational activities. We are committed to creating a safe and friendly learning environment at all AFE events, with representation from diverse speakers and attendees. This means that we strive to listen and be respectful of others, and to be earnestly inclusive of all people regardless of their culture and experiences (e.g., gender, race, religion, color, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin). We acknowledge that different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences will better inform our complex discussions and result in stronger outcomes that stand the test of time.
Click here to read AFE’s Statement on Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Click here to read more about AFE’s initiatives and find resources on diversity and inclusion.
What We Are Doing
- Providing guidelines to help presenters and session organizers consider diverse and inclusive practices in their presentations
- Seeking to create a set of diverse plenary speakers
- Creating a gender-balanced list of plenary speakers
- Improving representation across different races, ethnicities, nationalities, and geographic variation
- Improving representation from varying affiliations and professional roles (managers, scientists, students, planners, etc.)
- Providing scholarships or discounts for attendees that would not be able to attend without financial assistance
- Recruiting students from diverse colleges and universities
- Reaching out to encourage participation from new groups and disciplines
- Considering needs of attendees with families, financial limitations, or disabilities as we plan activities and meeting logistics
- Collecting demographic information on our registration forms to assess progress over time
What You Can Do
- Encourage diverse participation by inviting colleagues from different disciplines, agencies, and backgrounds
- Be respectful to all presenters and attendees and consider the needs, contributions, and viewpoints of others
- Reach out to new conference attendees, talk with students and young professionals you meet, ask someone new to join your group for lunch, dinner, etc.
- Share your ideas with the Program Committee by emailing [email protected]