Mission statement:

-           To develop and expand detailed knowledge of avian ecology in urban habitats
-           Establishing research needs and priorities
-           To promote the creation of more “bird-friendly” cities worldwide

Guidelines:

New members will need to complete an online form (see below) implying the reading and acceptance of the mission statements and guidelines. This form will include data on their affiliations, expertise, areas of research interest, study species and other basic information that will be made public to all members as part of the URBICON membership database. Membership is granted by and at the discretion of the Steering Committee given that they ensure that the new member will be one of good standing and compliance (e.g. have included valid information in the online form and adheres to URBICON guidelines). The Steering Committee reserves the right to remove or refuse membership to anyone not adhering to the URBICON guidelines.

The group will communicate through Zulip, but will also implement a webpage for further interaction.
URBICON welcomes members from different disciplines including scientists, city planners, NGO representatives among others. We acknowledge the important of learning from the different perspectives provided by people with different approaches to the study and protection of urban birds and, thus, encourage enriching interactions among members. However, courtesy and respect towards all participants in these interactions is required. Use of explicit language, posts and comments seeking to insult, elicit harm, spread unsupported or unproven claims against another party (including a member of the page, another organization or the PRG itself) or that are considered defamatory or derogatory against any other party will be removed. Failure to follow the URBICON guidelines may result in being blocked from the Slack group. The views expressed in user comments do not reflect the views of URBICON, unless otherwise stated. The guidelines here provided apply to all communication means, present and future, used by URBICON. Members should not use their membership status to represent or give the impression that they represent URBICON.

URBICON is not a legally registered entity within any jurisdiction. Therefore has no rights to enter into, or sign, any legally binding agreement or document or manage finances.

The Steering Committee will use the consensus process as the primary mode of coming to decisions, and after considerable discussion, a recorded vote shall take place based on a simple majority. For any major decisions, such as changing the Guidelines, the Steering Committee will consult all members to promote participation and transparency . At any time, the Steering Committee may also consult with the general membership to insure transparency and adequate representation of the member’s needs.

The Steering Committee is composed by a Chair and 4 additional members that will serve as the principal governing body of URBICON, making routine decisions and when needed reaching decisions after consultation with the rest of URBICON members. Its main aim is to work for the achievement of the aims of URBICON, perform administrative tasks, solve potential problems/conflicts and accepts new members. This Committee will be renewed every 4 years (if possible matching the time between IOC Conferences) by means of elections. Any URBICON member could be candidate to be part of the Steering Committee. The most voted candidates will be selected for the positions.