What is the Canadian Herpetological Society?

The Canadian Herpetological Society is a registered Canadian charity that advances reptile and amphibian research and conservation in Canada by:

promoting scientific research on reptiles and amphibians and disseminating the results;
facilitating collaboration among amateur and professional herpetologists;
advancing public understanding of our native reptile and amphibian species, the threats they face and the conservation solutions that exist; and
promoting, supporting and leading conservation and stewardship projects.

CHS is made up of researchers, conservation practitioners, naturalists, educators, and other individuals with an interest in Canada's reptiles and amphibians.

The Society holds an annual general meeting and conference where members can present their work, learn what others are doing, and identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations.

The Canadian Herpetologist is a bi-annual publication of the CHS that is available to all members. Back issues are posted on the web-site and are available to non-members.

Mission

The Canadian Herpetological Society is devoted to fostering scientific research on amphibians and reptiles and, in recognition of the inherent value of all native amphibians and reptiles, conserving Canada’s native species of amphibians and reptiles and their ecological and evolutionary functions in perpetuity.

Governing Documents

Our History

The Canadian Herpetological Society was formed when the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network (CARCNET) and the Canadian Association of Herpetologists (CAH) decided to come together to form one society in the fall of 2013.

The Canadian Association of Herpetologists was formed in 1986 as a venue to disseminate news and information of relevance to Canadian Herpetologists. Membership of this organization was primarily professional academic herpetologists with interests such as morphology, systematic, ecology and behavior. The Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network grew from the Declining Amphibians Populations Task Force in Canada (DAPCAN) which began in 1991. After some time, those involved in DAPCAN decided that they wanted to focus on amphibians and reptiles, as well as active conservation of these species rather than simply documenting declines. The Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network was born as a more proactive group, and became a registered charity (Charitable Reg. No. 88078-1562-RR0001) in 1997.

Recently, CAH and CARCNET began co-hosting annual meetings and also merged their two bulletins into a joint bi-annual publication, The Canadian Herpetologist. Following from this close collaboration and a significant overlap in general membership and the Boards of Directors, the time came to formally merge into one organization. Although CAH was focused more on academic research and CARCNET on conservation, there is inherent overlap between these mandates and it is difficult to have one without the other. For example, although CARCNET's primary mandate was conservation, there has always been a significant focus on applied research that can inform conservation work, as well as disseminating research findings amongst the membership. In recognition of this, the new Canadian Herpetological Society includes both research and conservation in its mandate.