Committee Charge:

• To hear and assess issues of alleged misconduct or interpretation of the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice and attached Commentaries.

• To serve the public and members of AIC in clarifying proper adherence to the principles stated within the Code of Ethics, the Guidelines for Practice, and the Commentaries

• To serve in an advisory capacity to the AIC Board, who retains the power of a final decision

The Ethics and Standards Committee (ESC) is a standing committee of the AIC consisting of five members, including at least three Fellows and no more than two Professional Associates. The members represent a variety of conservation specialties and geographic regions, with a balance between private practitioners and institutional employees. The ESC can help to arbitrate in cases of complaints by members of the public about an individual conservator's work. The Committee also reviews allegations of unethical conduct with regard to the AIC Code of Ethics, Guidelines for Practice, and Commentaries. In this capacity, the Committee’s authority is restricted to investigation of formal allegations concerning the conduct of Professional Associates or Fellows of AIC.

The AIC Bylaws state that "Only Professional Associates or Fellows are entitled to use the name of AIC or their membership status within AIC in advertising or in representing themselves to the public as professional conservation practitioners." In cases where there is some question about this issue, the ESC also evaluates what constitutes misuse of the AIC name.


Committee Members:

Lyn Koehnline                
Patsy Orlofsky                    
Jan Paris, Chair
Helen Mar Parkin
Bettina Raphael





























Committee Member Contact Information