Chartered Environmentalist qualification sought by new group

The Society for the Environment (SocEnv), which was launched yesterday, will bring professional environmental institutions and learned societies together to raise the profile of the environmental profession and coordinate regulation of environmental practice standards.

The ten founding bodies of SocEnv are:

• Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
• Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
• Institution of Agricultural Engineers
• Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
• Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
• Institution of Environmental Sciences
• Institute of Fisheries Management
• Institute of Professional Soil Scientists
• Institute of Water Officers
• Royal Meteorological Society

The first aim of the Society – which had been provisionally titled the Chartered Umbrella Body for the Environment (CUBE) – is to petition for a Royal Charter and establish the C.Env qualification – something which the body has already begun discussing with the Privy Council.

Of the qualification, the Society said in a statement: “Such a status would be achieved by a process comparable with those of other organisations that award Chartered Status to individual members. The criteria for &#39C;hartered Environmentalist' will be based on: education, training, experience and professional and ethical conduct.”

“Coming of age”

Baroness Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, who attended the launch at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, said: “We now have the foundations for a single and strong professional voice for the many cross-cutting environmental issues that challenge us. The relatively young profession of environmentalist is coming of age.”

Will Pope, chairman of SocEnv's Steering Group, said: “We believe that this initiative will go a long way to raise the profile of environmental professionals, raise standards of professional practice and achieve the goal of a more sustainable environment for the common good. This is a huge leap forward for the profession.”

SocEnv will be a company limited by guarantee and qualifying environmental organisations will be encouraged to become members.