Partnerships For Plants: Proceedings of CBCN's 1996 Workshop
Latest update: 7 December, 1998
2: Function and Style of Membership Organizations
Workshop Leaders: David Galbraith and Sally Leppard
Development of CBCN will depend on designing an organizational structure that achieves several objectives. These include:
-
Providing for responsible governance
- Providing for representation of members or partners
- Giving direction and supervision to the projects of the
organization
- Developing a fund-raising base
At present, CBCN is a project of Royal Botanical Gardens' Botanical Conservation Office. However, CBCN cannot remain an RBG project, and by March, 1998 at the latest, must be able to stand on its own or close. In order to begin the process of developing autonomy, a provisional board has been appointed:
-
Dr Susan Dudley, Department of Biology, McMaster University
- Chris Graham, Royal Botanical Gardens Management Team
- Richard Jones, National Trust (joined Feb 6, 1997)
- Dr Harvey Shear, Environment Canada, Ontario Region
(resigned Feb 6, 1997)
- Dr Alan Watson, Director, The Arboretum, University of
Guelph
- Doug Watson, Royal Botanical Gardens Board
Guidance for the network will come from a wide variety of experienced individuals who can lend assistance as needed. A "Conservation Science Advisory Panel" has been established to review proposals and other documents, consisting to date of:
-
Dr John Ambrose, Curator of Botany, Metro Toronto Zoo
- Denis Barabe, Montreal Botanical Gardens
- Dr Elizabeth Baubien, Plant Phenologist, Devonian Botanical
Garden
- Dr René Belland, Director of Research and Database Manager,
Devonian Botanic Garden
- Dr Campbell Davidson, Head of Landscape Plants, Morden
Arboretum
- Henry Kock, Interpretive Horticulturalist, The Arboretum,
University of Guelph
- Dr Mike Maunder, Conservation Coordinator, Kew Botanical
Gardens, UK
- Dr Don McAllister, Editor, Global Biodiversity, Ottawa
- Dr Nancy Morin, Executive Director, AABGA
- Cathy Neilson, Forest Gene Specialist, OMNR
- Sir Ghillian Prance, Director, Kew Botanical Gardens
- Dr James Pringle, Plant Taxonomist, Royal Botanical Gardens
- Dr Peter Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Gardens
- Dr Mike Richardson, Australian Network for Plant
Conservation
- Dr Charles Stirton, Chairman, IUCN Plant Specialist Group
- Dr Hugh Synge, Botanist, UK
- Dr Roger Vitt, Director, Devonian Botanical Gardens
- Dr Brad White, Professor, Department of Biology, McMaster
University
- Deborah Whitehouse, Director, Niagara Parks Botanical
Gardens and School of Horticulture
- Dr Peter Wyse Jackson, Director General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Organizations can take many forms. There is no set recipe for a national network for botanical conservation, despite the large number of example networks now in existence.
Not-for-profit organizations need to be able to balance the issues of governance and fund-raising with program support and volunteer activities, all of which become necessary activities of their board or governing council. The adage "Give, get or get off!" have become a mantra for board members, and it does encapsulate a necessary consideration. Small, not-for-profits cannot expect to survive and grow if their paid staff is dedicating most of their time to fund-raising.
We will examine several models for the organizational structure of CBCN, and
seek ideas as to how to establish the network based on participatory membership.
The role of computer (Internet-based) resources for communications and
networking will be examined.
