The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has unveiled its updated resource for policymakers and members of the media. The Rapid Response Team (RRT) database, an ESA resource for several years, has now been made fully searchable. Users can find ecological scientists who specialise in a variety of fields, including climate change, invasive species, urban ecology, conservation and biofuels, or can locate an RRT member by name, affiliation or keyword.

Members of the RRT seek to provide on-call ecological expertise in a variety of ways, such as serving as panelists in briefings for congressional staff; providing expert testimony to Congress; analysing the likely ecological consequences of proposed changes to environmental regulations; and providing scientific feedback for news stories.

ESA claims to be the world’s largest professional organisation of ecologists, representing 10,000 scientists in the US and around the globe. Since its founding in 1915, ESA has sought to promote the responsible application of ecological principles to the solution of environmental problems through its reports, journals, research and expert testimony to Congress. The Society publishes four journals and convenes an annual scientific conference."