AG and Committee Annual Report

AG/Committee Name: Ecotoxicology of Amphibians and Reptiles Global Advisory Group (EARAG)

Submitted by: Catherine Aubee Date: October 3, 2016

Council/Board Liaison: Roel Evans

Executive Summary This advisory group exists to serve as a scientific resource to all stakeholders interested in the ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment of amphibians and reptiles. It serves as a focal point within SETAC as a means of involving the membership in research and discussions. At present, there is a global steering committee comprised of twelve people from academia, industry, and government.

Organization The advisory group is a scientific resource to all stakeholders interested in the ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment of amphibians and reptiles. The steering committee is comprised of 8 to no more than 15 individuals representing government, academia, and industry, as well as the different geographic regions. At present, the global steering committee is comprised of twelve people, one of whom serves as the chair person. Other offices may be filled by the steering committee as needed.

Activities Summary The advisory group continues to build its global membership and to facilitate discussions that address key uncertainties in the risk assessment of herpetofauna. A SETAC-affiiliated workshop in Vancouver (November 2014) served as a springboard for discussions which have spawned collaborations among members. In 2015/16, advisory group members collaborated on data analyses and prepared publication-quality manuscripts related to conceptual models of exposure, comparative sensitivity of terrestrial and aquatic surrogate species, and risk assessment of amphibians. Other members are working within their organizations on native species protocols for amphibian testing and on formal guidelines for risk assessment. While these activities are not official advisory group activities, the advisory group has worked to identify and prioritize scientific topics of interest and has strengthened tripartite communication among collaborating scientists.

Members have independently led platform and poster sessions in 2015/16, and advisory-group affiliated sessions are planned for upcoming meetings:  SETAC North America 2015: Molecular, individual and population-level effects of contaminants in herpetofauna and incorporation into risk assessment [Chairs: Scott Weir and Stacey Lance]  SETAC Europe 2016: Pollutant risks to amphibians and reptiles: how much we know and what we need [Chair: Manuel Ortiz Santaliestra; co-chairs: Isabel Lopes and John Brausch]  SETAC North America/World Congress 2016 (planned): Everglades and wetlands science part 1: Ecology and contaminants in ever-changing ecosystems [Chairs: Frances Nilsen, Arnold Brunell, Ted Lange]  SETAC North America/World Congress 2016 (planned): Everglades and wetlands science part 2: Cellular, genetic, and toxcological outcomes of a changing habitat [Chairs: Frances Nilsen, Stacey Lance, Scott Weir]  SETAC Europe 2017 (proposed): Advances on the assessment of direct and indirect effects of environmental pollutants to amphibians and reptiles [Chairs: Isabel Lopes and Peter Dohmen]

Coordination with Other Advisory Groups and Committees The advisory group has participated in Advisory Group Summits at SETAC North America 2015 and SETAC Europe 2016 and will also participate at the SETAC North America/World Congress 2016. These meetings provide opportunities to identify and strategize with other groups that have similar activities or objectives. Advisory group members are in many cases active in multiple SETAC groups, such as Widllfe Toxicology, Ecological Risk Assessment, and Endocrine Disruptor Testing and Assessment.

Future Plans The advisory group will continue to support initiatives throughout the discipline that seek to advance ecological risk assessment of reptiles and amphibians. The group primarily serves as a mechanism to bring together interested, tripartite parties and ensure that information is adequately disseminated. Additionally, the group has identified two objectives that support this mission: 1) to faciliate the development of products (tangible resources such as courses, publications, test guidelines, etc.) that promote knowledge transfer and that examine and address gaps in scientific knowledge, and 2) to continue to grow globally both in membership and service, with an emphasis on currently underrepresented geographic units.

Business and Planning Meetings Open business meetings were held at SETAC North America 2015 and SETAC Europe 2016. For SETAC North America/World Congress 2016, the business meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 7, at 2:30PM Eastern in St. John’s 30. The advisory group also maintains a presence by participating in SETAC Central/SETAC Square activities, where all meeting attendess can visit during a designated timeslot to meet with a group representative and learn more about the group’s activities. The advisory group poster has been translated into Spanish (c/o steering committee member, Julie Brodeur) and will be displayed at the upcoming SETAC Argentina Congress 2016.

Membership Communications Communication with the advisory group occurs periodically via email and in face-to-face business meetings, which are open to all (members and nonmembers). All members can email the advisory group using the email function on the SETAC advisory group website for Ecotox Amphibs and Reptiles. Messages intended for distribution may also be sent to the chair with a request to forward to the group. Scientific and governance documents relevant to the group are posted on the advisory group web page.

Issues/Problems The SETAC website previously showed two different webpages for the advisory group, with different membership directories for each page. Thus, some members may not have received email communications intended for the full group. The pages have been consolidated and this issue has been resolved.

Some members have limited their participation or recused themselves from leadership roles in the group to avoid any appearance of conflict-of-interest, while they contribute to government-coordinated efforts to address scientific topics which relate to the mission of the group. SETAC governance has proposed a name change, across the organization, from “advisory group” to a different name; nonetheless, the ultimate impact of such a change is unclear. Similarly, group members and leaders have expressed interest in providing formal comments to documents (e.g., an anticipated European Food Safety Authority opinion on reptiles and amphibians in risk assessment). At the SETAC North America/World Congress business meeting for the advisory group, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss whether the best role is for the advisory group to make members aware of documents and facilitate by sharing links for commenting, or whether there may be opportunities to submit feedback formally on behalf of the group.

The advisory group membership is expanding geographically and the steering committee includes membership from four geographic units. We are actively seeking opportunities to develop a presence in geographic units other than Europe and North America, while maintaining strong service in those historic core membership regions. In addition, we have no steering committee representation for Africa and we welcome participation from that unit. Current Steering Committee

Term Geographical Unit / Name Sector Affiliation Ends North America Catherine Aubee, Chair Government US Environmental Protection Agency 2018

Christopher Salice, Past chair Academia Towson University, US 2016 Christine Bishop Government Environment Canada, Canada 2016 Stacey Lance Academia University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Lab 2017 Paula Henry Government USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center 2018 Scott Glaberman Academia University of South Alabama 2018 Scott Weir Academia Queens University of Charlotte 2018 Latin America Julie Brodeur Government Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria 2018 Asia/Pacific Noppadon Kitana Academia Chulalongkorn University , Bangkok, Thailand 2016 Europe Tina Grimm Industry RIFCON GmbH, Hirschberg, Germany 2016 Peter Sowig Industry Bayer Cropscience, Frankfurt, Germany 2016 John Brausch Industry BASF 2017

No. active members: Total membership: 91 active

Several opportunities are available on the steering committee and for members to serve as liaisons to other advisory groups.