About IOBC-WPRS

Aims and Objectives

IOBC-WPRS is one of six Regional Sections of the International Organisation for Biological Control. IOBC was established in 1955 to promote environmentally safe methods of pest and disease control in plant protection.

Members of WPRS are individual scientists, governmental, scientific or commercial organisations from 24 countries of Europe, Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

Meeting 2008, 09-12 September, Interlaken, Switzerland

IOBC-WPRS encourages collaboration in promoting feasible and environmentally safe methods of pest and pathogen control.

IOBC-WPRS promotes the use of sustainable, environmental safe economically feasible socially acceptable control-methods of pests and diseases of agricultural and forestry crops. Therefore IOBC-WPRS encourage collaboration in the development and promotion of Biological and Integrated Production systems.

IOBC-WPRS fosters research and practical application, training and information, especially of biological methods of control, but also of all methods, including chemicals, within an integrated pest management context. Major activities include development and standardisation of testing methods for effects of pesticides on beneficial species, pest and disease damage assessment, modelling in relation to pest and disease management, and the practical implementation of biological and integrated controls for pests and diseases of particular crops.

IOBC-WPRS elaborates guidelines for integrated production of agricultural crops, develops and standardises methods of testing effects of pesticides on beneficial species.

IOBC-WPRS offers presentation platforms (workshops, symposia, proceedings, publications) to scientists involved in research to ameliorate agricultural crop production using methods and strategies in agreement with overall goal of IOBC.

IOBC-WPRS conference presentation platform

IOBC-WPRS helps implementing scientific knowledge into the advising and executing biological and integrated production.

In the fulfilment of its objectives, WPRS collaborates with other international organisations, notably FAO, WHO, the Commission of the European Union (CEU) and the European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO). Special emphasis is placed on contacts with CEC whose activities since 1979 have included programmes with similar objectives.

Structure & Organisation of IOBC-Global and IOBC-WPRS

Historically IOBC started in 1955 as a global organisation affiliated to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Later it proved practical to form regional sections in addition to the Global IOBC. At present, IOBC-Global includes six regional sections.
For more information see IOBC History Book:
International Organization for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants: History of the First 50 Years (1956-2006). Boller, E.F., J.C. van Lenteren and V. Delucchi (eds.), 2006, ISBN: 92-9067-194-5 [287 pp.].

IOBC-WPRS contributes financially to IOBC-Global as support and to cover its share of the IOBC Newsletter (WPRS has one seat in the Council of IOBC-Global). WPRS transfers to IOBC-Global 100 EURO for each institutional member, 50 EURO for each supporting member and 10 EURO for each individual member.

In contrast to the IOBC-Global and the other regional sections, WPRS has in its official name included both Biological Control and Integrated Control. This indicates the recognition in WPRS of the importance of both the pure biological control and the broader integrated approach, which had already been included in activities of several working groups.

Organisation

IOBC-WPRS is administered by a Council and an Executive Committee. The activities of IOBC-WPRS are carried out by its members organised into Working Groups and Commissions. Their results are made available through the IOBC publications.

IOBC-WPRS Members

IOBC-WPRS is composed of Institutional, Individual, Supporting and Honorary Members.

Institutional Members are public research / teaching institutions. Their contribution provides a significant part of the funds necessary for IOBC-WPRS to sustain its activities (each contribute at least 2,000 € yearly). All scientists of a member institution are included under an Institutional Membership and thus can benefit from:

  • The possibility to consult and download all recent IOBC-WPRS Bulletins online in the Members’ Area of the website.
  • A 90-150 € reduction in the registration fee when participating in meetings organised by IOBC-WPRS
  • They may vote during the election of Convenors. However, they must be individual members in order to vote in the election of the Council or during the General Assembly.
  • Institutional Members receive a maximum of four subscriptions to “BioControl” at a substantially reduced cost.

Supporting Members are small institutions, libraries, departments and companies. Supporting membership covers all employees of the unit holding the membership. Supporting members have one vote in the elections and consultations. The minimum fee for Supporting Members is 350 € per year (including a supporting membership to IOBC-Global of 50 € per year). The benefits of supporting members include:

  • The possibility to consult and download all recent IOBC-WPRS Bulletins online in the Members’ Area of the web site.
  • The possibility to subscribe to the journal “BioControl” at a substantially reduced price.

Individual Membership is open to any person interested in biological and/or integrated control. Individual members participate in the decision process of IOBC-WPRS. They are consulted:

  • To elect the Council and the Executive Committee of IOBC-WPRS
  • To take part in votes on important decisions taken during the General Assembly (every four years)
  • To elect the Convenor of a Working or a Study Group

Each individual may cast her / his vote when physically present at a consultation organized during a meeting, or by written answer on specific forms for ballots organized by mail. Other benefits include:

  • The possibility to consult and download all recent IOBC-WPRS Bulletins online in the Members’ Area of the website.
  • A 90-150 EURO reduction in the registration fee when participating in meetings organised by IOBC-WPRS.

An individual Member has the right of one vote during the General Assembly of IOBC-WPRS, which she/he may express only when physically present or by written answer to a poll organized by order of the Council.
The individual membership fee is currently 90 € per year (including an individual membership to IOBC-Global of 10 € per year).

Individual Membership, reduced fee
Reduced Individual Membership Fees for students and for colleagues from selected countries of the West Palaearctic Regional Section:

  • To facilitate the participation of young scientists and of colleagues from the southern part of WPRS, the individual membership fee will be reduced to 50 € per year for students* and for residents of the following countries**: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.
    *Student membership status will be confirmed, when a copy of a valid student card, together with a letter of a referent professor is received by the Treasurer.
    **These countries are defined according to the list of recipients of the Development Assistance Committee of OECD-ODA (www.oecd.org/dac/stats/daclistofodarecipients.htm) and will be updated every two years by the Treasurer.

Individual Membership with subscription to “BioControl”
This includes, in addition to the benefits of an individual membership, a subscription to the international journal “BioControl” (paper version) for personal use (not for libraries). The individual membership fee with subscription to “BioControl” is currently 190 € per year.

Honorary Membership may be conferred by the Council of IOBC-WPRS on anyone who has made outstanding contributions in the field of biological and integrated control or to the IOBC-WPRS.
Honorary Members may vote in the elections and consultations of IOBC-WPRS.

General Assembly

The General Assembly elects the members of the council, the president, the vice presidents, the treasurer and the secretary general, the auditing committee; its decides on the general work programme and policy of IOBC-WPRS. It considers and approves the activity of council, executive committee and the accounts on the advice of the auditing committee.
More details on the responsibilities of the General Assembly are available in Article VIII of the IOBC-WPRS Statutes (pdf).

Council

According to the statutes the governing body of IOBC-WPRS is the Council, which is elected for a period of 4 years by the General Assembly. Its composition and specific responsibilities are described in Articles XI and XII of the IOBC-WPRS Statutes (pdf).

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of the Council is the body executing the decisions of the Council and taking care of a number of current matters based on delegation. The members of the Executive Committee are elected among the council members by the general assembly.

Statutes and Bye-Laws

 

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