The International Association for Lichenology (IAL) is an organisation that encourages the understanding of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.lichenology Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanobacterium) with a filamentous fungus. Study of lichens draws knowledge from several ...

, and promotes their study and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

worldwide. It unites lichenologists across the globe, as well as national and regional organisations into one group. It is affiliated to the

International Union of Biological Sciences The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally. As a scientific umbrella organization it was a founding m ...

(IUBS). The IAL organises field courses and excursions, as well as symposia which are the biggest events in lichenology on the international level. The 8th International Symposium will be held in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

, in August 2016. The IAL publishes a biennial journal, the International Lichenological Newsletter which was the raison d'etre for the IAL being formed in 1967 in order to provide a forum for lichenologists worldwide to communicate with one other. Nowadays the IAL also operates an online discussion forum for lichenologists known as 'lichens-L'.

History

The International Lichenological Association arose out of the 10th

International Botanical Congress International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotati ...

, held in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1964, when a small group of lichenologists approved a motion to form an international association. The intention was to produce a newsletter to disseminate information quickly amongst lichenologists around the world, and a small committee comprising

Rolf Santesson Rolf Santesson (1916–2013) was a Swedish lichenologist and university lecturer. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 1992 for his lifetime contributions to lichenology. Early life and education Santesson was born in 1916 in Trollhättan, Sw ...

, Peter James and Vernon Ahmadjian was appointed to get it established. The association's official inauguration took place at the 11th International Botanical Congress in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

in 1969 when the General Assembly of the

IUBS The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally. As a scientific umbrella organization it was a founding m ...

officially recognised the new organisation.

Awards

The IAL currently hands out four awards to recognise significant contributions made to lichenology. The Acharius Medal is awarded to distinguished lichenologists in recognition of their lifetime achievements. Recipients have included David Hawksworth (2002), Nina Golubkova (2000), Vernon Ahmadjian (1996), Irwin Brodo (1994),

William Culberson William Louis "Bill" Culberson (April 5, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana – February 8, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina) was an American lichenologist. Professional history Culberson earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati, w ...

(1992),

Aino Henssen Aino Marjatta Henssen (12 April 1925, Elberfeld – 29 August 2011, Marburg), was a German lichenologist and systematist. Her father, Gottfried Henssen, was a folklorist and her mother was Finnish. Education and career Henssen began her studie ...

(1992),

Hildur Krog Hildur Krog (22 March 1922 – 25 August 2014) was a Norwegian botanist. She was born in Modum. She took the dr.philos. degree in 1968 with a thesis on Alaskan lichens, was hired as a curator at the Botanical Museum of Oslo in 1971 and served as ...

(1992) and

Hans Trass Hans-Voldemar Trass (2 May 1928 – 14 February 2017) was an Estonian ecologist and botanist. He was a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences since 1975 and president of the Estonian Naturalists' Society from 1964 to 1973 and 1985 to 199 ...

(1992). The

Mason Hale Mason Ellsworth Hale, Jr. (September 23, 1929 – April 23, 1990) was one of the most prolific lichenologists of the 20th century. Many of his scholarly articles focused on the taxonomy of the family Parmeliaceae. Hale was one of the first lic ...

Award is granted in recognition of excellence in research by young lichenologists, such as doctoral dissertations. The Margalith Galun Award is presented for outstanding student contributions to an IAL meeting. The Sylvia Sharnoff Education Award is given to an outstanding web page devoted to lichens.

Symposia

The IAL organises major symposia every four years. *The First International Lichenological Symposium, IAL1, was held at the

University of Münster The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...

, Germany, 16–21 March 1986. Title: ''Progress and problems in lichenology in the eighties''. *The Second International Lichenological Symposium, IAL2, was held in

Båstad Båstad () is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably more than twice as large b ...

, Sweden, 30 August – 4 September 1992. Title: ''Progress and problems in Lichenology in the nineties''. *The Third International Lichenological Symposium, IAL3, was held at the

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (german: Universität Salzburg), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (state ...

, Austria, 1–7 September 1996. Title: ''Progress and Problems in Lichenology in the Nineties'' *The Fourth International Lichenological Symposium, IAL4, was held in Barcelona,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, 3–8 September 2000. It was organised with the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities i ...

. Title: ''Progress and Problems in Lichenology at the Turn of the Millennium'' *The Fifth International Lichenological Symposium, IAL5, was held in Tartu,

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

16–21 August 2004 and was organised by the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. Title: ''Lichens in focus''. *The Sixth International Lichenological Symposium, IAL6, was held in

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under b ...

, July 13–19 July 2008 as a joint meeting with the

American Bryological and Lichenological Society The American Bryological and Lichenological Society is an organization devoted to the scientific study of all aspects of the biology of bryophytes and lichen-forming fungi and is one of the nation's oldest botanical organizations. It was origina ...

Title: ''Lichens In The New World'' *The Seventh International Lichenological Symposium, IAL7, was held in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, Thailand, 9–13 January 2012, jointly organised with

Ramkhamhaeng University Ramkhamhaeng University (RU) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง) is Thailand's largest public university. It was named in honour of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Sukhothai. The university provides an effective and ...

. Symposium Title: ''Lichens: from genome to ecosystems in a changing world''. *The Eighth International Lichenological Symposium, IAL8, was held in

, Finland in August 2016, jointly organised with the

Finnish Museum of Natural History The Finnish Museum of Natural History ( fi, Luonnontieteellinen keskusmuseo, sv, Naturhistoriska centralmuseet), established in 1988, is a research institution under the University of Helsinki in Finland, based in Helsinki, Finland. It is a natur ...

. Title: ''Lichens in deep time''. *The Ninth International Lichenological Symposium, IAL9, was held online, in August 2021. Title: ''Unlocking the inner lichen''.

References

External links

Website of the International Association for Lichenology
{{Authority control International scientific organizations Biology organizations