ASE is a scientific society for biologists, chemists, engineers and other environmental scientists concerned with environmental protection and management.
The Society was established at an inaugural conference in Sydney, Australia in June 1994 to provide a forum for discussion and a network of communication and information exchange in the field of ecotoxicology in the Australasian and Asia-Pacific region.
Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field of study that was developed to deal with the interactions, transformation, fate and effects of natural and synthetic chemicals in the biosphere.
The field involves the interaction of concepts arising from disciplines such as toxicology, biology, physiology, ecology, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, immunobiology, molecular biology, analytical, organic and environmental chemistry, soil, water and air sciences, engineering and economics.
The scope of ecotoxicology has in recent years been broadened to include organisms, populations and whole ecosystems. The primary focus of the Society is to strengthen the discipline of ecotoxicology within the Asia-Pacific region,with special emphasis on the unique and wide variety of climates and ecosystems that the region encompasses. There is an ongoing committment to constructive dialogue with other regions and Societies throughout the world. The membership at present is predominently from Australia and New Zealand with a smaller but increasing membership in Asia (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia) and others from further afield in North America, Europe and South Africa.
