Resources on Diversity and Inclusion

NAISMA supports a culture of inclusion through all of our programs, communications, and work to support invasive species managers.

• Read our Diversity and Inclusion Statement
• Learn about our Diversity and Equity Scholarships for our conference
• See the IDEA Committee calendar and learn how to get involved

Background Articles

Fourteen Recommendations to Create a More Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ+ Individuals in Academic Biology

Read on Life Sciences Education

Actionable recommendations to help biologists, biology educators, and biology education researchers be more inclusive of individuals with LGBTQ+ identities. These recommendations are intended to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ identities and spark conversations about transforming biology learning spaces and the broader academic biology community to become more inclusive of LGBTQ+ individuals.

How to be an active bystander when you see casual racism

Read on the New York Times

To avoid silent complicity, people can learn to become active bystanders: individuals who work to create cultures that actively reject harmful or discriminatory behavior through targeted interventions.

Communicating with the Public about Emerald Ash Borer: Militaristic and Fatalistic Framings in the News Media

Read on Sustainability

We recommend that public communications regarding invasive species be cautious about language evoking militarism and fatalism. Furthermore, invasive species communication requires a broader diversity and representation of voices because invasive species management requires community effort.

The War of the Roses: Demilitarizing Invasion Biology

Read on the Ecological Society of America

Biologists need to continuously reflect upon the ethical and rhetorical dimensions of their language when communicating about invasive species. In particular, is current language likely to promote social cohesion and, consequently, effective and appropriate action towards invasive species?

Anishnaabe Aki: an Indigenous Perspective on the Global Threat of Invasive Species

Read from Sustainability Science

Conservation discourses tend to portray invasive species as biological entities temporally connected to colonial timelines, using terms such as “alien”, “colonizing”, “colonial”, and “native”. This focus on a colonial timeline emerges from scientific publications within conservation biology and invasion ecology and is enacted through invasive species management by state and NGO actors. Colonialism is influential for indigenous nations in myriad ways, but in what ways do indigenous understandings of invasive species engage with colonialism?

Assessments

Use these resources for self-assessment of your own implicit biases.

Project Implicit

Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition – thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet.

Action Continuum

There are many between supporting and confronting oppression. Where are you personally, and where is your organization? From the YWCA Unlearning Racism Tools for Action.

Ladder of Empowerment

Highlighting the impact of internalized racism on people of color while outlining an approach to empowerment.

Other Organizational Resources

Diverse Green 2.0

Green 2.0 is a 501(c)3 independent advocacy campaign to increase racial diversity among environmental organizations.

Unlearning Racism in Geoscience: URGE

URGE’s primary objectives are to (1) deepen the community’s knowledge of the effects of racism on the participation and retention of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in Geoscience, (2) draw on existing literature, expert opinions, and personal experiences to develop anti-racist policies and strategies, and (3) share, discuss, and modify anti-racist policies and strategies within a dynamic community network and on a national stage. Includes multi-session curriculum and other resources.