The World Congress of Herpetology
A history of the WCH
While at the 25th meeting
of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR),
international representatives from herpetology societies around the
world founded the World Congress of Herpetology (WCH) on August 2,
1982. Kraig Adler and Marinus Hoogmoed were elected founding Secretary
General and Treasurer. Initial funding was contributed by herpetology
societies around the world, and was put toward the first WCH meeting in
at Kent University in Canterbury, UK in 1989. This first meeting, in
conjunction with the 32nd annual meeting of SSAR, was the largest
meeting of international herpetologists to date.
Purpose
The
objectives of the Congress are to promote international interest,
collaboration and co-operation in herpetology. These are to be achieved
by holding periodic international congresses of herpetology, by
establishing specialist committees, by serving as the Section of
Herpetology of the International Union of Biological Sciences and by
undertaking or encouraging such other activities as will promote these
objectives.
The WCH has continued to meet every 3-5 years, as proposed by the constitution.
Details of the meetings are as follows:
WCH7: Vancouver, Canada, 8-14 August 2012 (more information coming soon)
WCH6: Manaus, Brazil, 17-22 August 2008
WCH5: Stellenbosch, South Africa, 19-24 June 2005
WCH4: Bentota, Sri Lanka, 3-9 December 2001
WCH3: Prague, Czech Republic, 2-10 August 1997
WCH2: Adelaide, Australia, 29 Dec 1993 to 6 Jan 1994
WCH1: Canterbury, UK, 11-19 September 1989
