Communities

Our communities are groups of people who come together around a shared goal, shared interest or shared set of values. Communities are our key tool for engaging with our members, enabling them to generate ideas for events, publications, guidance, and policy work. Instead of work being coordinated by a centralised bureaucracy, work is coordinated by groups of members using agile management techniques. Communities allow us to adapt to the needs of the environment sector and deliver bespoke benefits for members.

Air Quality

IAQM logo on a background of moody clouds

The IAQM is the professional body for air quality professionals in the UK, acting as the voice for air quality by producing useful and timely guidance on matters affecting air quality professionals and by responding to Government consultations. The IAQM is committed to maintaining, enhancing and promoting the highest standards of working practices in the field and supports the development of professionals working in the sector.

We provide support to the work of the IAQM committee and the IAQM acts as the air quality community within the IES, providing support for professionals specialising in ambient and indoor air quality through events, tailored CPD opportunities and guidance. The IAQM also has a dedicated Early Career Network for those in the early stages of their career.

Events | Guidance | Membership

Climate Action

Climatology logo on a background of windmills

The Climate Action Community is an IES Challenge-Led Community focussed on championing the work of professionals in the environmental sciences in climate action, promoting the work of experts and evidence around climate change and driving change to ensure adaptation and mitigation measures are accurate, ambitious and achievable. The Community champions interdisciplinary working and a systems approach to the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

This Community was established as the time-limited COP26 Community and transitioned into the permanent Climate Action Community after COP26. 

Education & Training

CEDHE logo on background of students in a classroom

CEDHE provides representation and leadership to the environmental education communities. CEDHE and the IES work to ensure young people from all backgrounds are inspired to begin and sustain an environmental education – from primary to postgraduate.

CEDHE are an active networking organisation enhancing the quality of outcomes for education institutions teaching environmental disciplines. They facilitate connections between members and develop new avenues of international co-operation within the environmental science community.

Membership is for Further or Higher Education institutions delivering environmental programmes. All academic staff within the environmental unit can become part of the CEDHE network, whether they are involved in teaching, learning or research.

Visit the CEDHE website

Environmental Impact Assessment

EIA logo on a background of grass and sky

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Community provides a forum for thought-provoking, critical conversations around EIA from a science-based perspective. The Community aims to connect and support environmental scientists and practitioners working across a range of specialisms involved in the EIA process and to facilitate meaningful discussion between disciplines on the key issues facing the sector.

The Community champions the ethos of utilising EIA as a tool to support decision-making which leads to better environmental impacts from developments and is focussed on providing environmental professionals involved in EIAs with the knowledge and skills to support this. 

Land Condition

Land condition logo on background of rocky hill

The Land Condition Community is a member-led special interest group of land condition professionals spanning sectors and job types, dedicated to promoting best practice in the specialism. The Community steers the IES activities related to land condition and supports the development of tailored membership services, exploring synergistic collaborations with key stakeholders in the sector where relevant. The Community also has a dedicated network for Early Career Professionals, providing valuable opportunities for professional development and peer-to-peer learning.

The Community is led by a six-person Steering Group. 

Marine & Coastal

Marine logo on background of light shining off the sea

The Marine & Coastal Science Community is a community of like-minded professionals looking to promote an interdisciplinary approach to marine and coastal issues to support the sustainable management of our coasts and oceans. They aim to develop tailored professional development opportunities to support researchers and professionals in the marine and coastal sector and to further advance the specialism through the promotion of their work and engagement with key stakeholders.

Policy Implementation

Countryside town with overlaid text "epic" and logo of government buildings

The Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) is a challenge-led community presented by the IES and Environmental Protection UK, that supports the urgent implementation of policies that lead to the protection and regeneration of our natural world. It brings together voices to call for ambitious and deliverable policy, and provides local authorities and other decision makers with the knowledge, insights and tools to help them deliver on the ground.

The community works alongside the other IES communities to engage with related areas of interest such as land, air, noise, nature recovery, local climate action plans and the environmental dimensions of broader health and welfare initiatives. EPIC’s work addresses policy implementation from as broad a perspective as necessary to achieve its aims and mission, including consideration of the connected processes of policy design and evaluation.

Water

FWR logo on a picture of a river

The FWR Community was launched following the IES inheriting the mission of the Foundation for Water Research (FWR) in 2022. The Community is a cohesive, innovative, and independent-thinking community of water professionals offering guidance and strategic thought leadership for the IES’s water activities. The FWR Community uses an integrated, systems-thinking approach to water issues and their interactions with land and air. The FWR Community is led by the FWR Committee and is informed by three technical panels. 

Relevant contact

Ethny Childs

Communities & Partnerships Lead

 Email LinkedIn

Partner organisations

Who are they: The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) is a not-for-profit organisation incorporated by Royal Charter to license and award the titles of Chartered Environmentalist, Registered Environmental Practitioner and Registered Environmental Technician to professional individuals through its licensed members.

Relationship to the IES: The IES is a founder body and licensed to award Chartered Environmentalist, Registered Environmental Practitioner and Registered Environmental Technician.

Who are they: The Science Council is an umbrella organisation that brings together learned societies and professional bodies across science and its applications.

Relationship to the IES: The IES is a member body and is licensed by the Science Council to award Chartered Scientist.

Who are they: The SiLC Register is aimed at practitioners from a diverse range of professional bodies working in the assessment and management of land condition and brownfield regeneration who demonstrate a high degree of experience, competence and skill during their career. Registration is gained through examination.

Relationship to the IES: The IES joined SiLC as a supporting partner in 2019.

Who are they: Teach the Future is an inclusive, well organised and persistent campaign by secondary and tertiary education students to repurpose the education systems of the world, around the climate emergency and ecological crisis.

Relationship to the IES: We are a supporting partner in the campaign.

Who are they: Environment Analyst’s Brownfield & Regeneration Network brings together the entire brownfield community, including brownfield consultants and contractors, developers, landowners, planners, investors and regulators, to share insights, build connections and help define the future of the brownfield industry.

Relationship to the IES: We are a supporting partner of the Brownfield & Regeneration Network and has contributed to past events.

Who are they: The Association of Environmental Clerks of Works (AECoW) is the qualifying body for Environmental Clerks of Works (ECoW). They aim to raise professional standards among those providing ECoW services whilst promoting ECoWs as valuable members of site development teams.

Relationship to the IES: The IES is a supporting partner of AECoW.