International Affairs Committee

The International Affairs Committee (IAC) has been a standing committee with SRM for many years. The IAC promotes the vision and mission of SRM by providing a global perspective beyond the USA concerning research, outreach, education, and training in support of the world’s rangelands. See the concise IAC Handbook posted above for details as to how the IAC operates.

The priority activities of the IAC in any given year reflect the content of an IAC proposal and budget request submitted to the SRM leadership in March; this submission follows the Annual Meeting of SRM held in late January or February. The content of the proposal is agreed upon at the annual gathering of the IAC membership that occurs at the start of the Annual Meeting of SRM. The SRM leadership must approve the proposal and budget request for IAC activities to proceed. The proposal and budget request cover the coming year including the upcoming Annual Meeting of SRM in the next year.

For decades the IAC has provided support for two major activities: (1) Competitive, International Travel Fellowships (ITFs) for 1-2 people from developing nations to attend the Annual Meeting of SRM and present a paper or poster on a cost-sharing basis; and (2) co-sponsoring or otherwise helping support in-person symposia for the Annual Meeting of SRM that have been focused on key issues of interest in the study or management of the world’s rangelands. In some cases, published proceedings of such symposia may occur.

Recently, however, the SRM leadership has encouraged the IAC to broaden activities to affect much larger numbers of SRM stakeholders beyond the few ITFs and the occasional symposia. To this end, starting in 2021, the IAC has embarked on a plan to strongly engage with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) for 2026. The IYRP 2026 is a global initiative that is described elsewhere, and includes actions that begin now. Visit www.iyrp.info.

The IAC resources are thus now targeted towards: (1) Providing complementary online registrations for IYRP stakeholders to virtually attend the Annual Meeting of SRM; (2) opportunities for IYRP stakeholders and SRM members to attend virtual symposia and workshops pertinent to IYRP agendas; and (3) support for language translation of some materials or events to improve global access to SRM and IYRP more broadly. The recent advent of low-cost, virtual means to host conferences is making dramatic improvements in the ability to globalize the reach of SRM and connect with the IYRP. The shift in IAC focus from ITFs to the IYRP has required changes in budgeting and priorities.

In any given year, the major IAC activities can be noted by browsing some of the proposals and budget requests at the links below. Questions can be directed towards the IAC leadership via email.

Thank you for your interest in the IAC!!!