International Association for Lichenology

The International Association for Lichenology (IAL) is an organisation that encourages the understanding of lichens and lichenology, and promotes their study and conservation worldwide. It unites lichenologists across the globe, as well as national and regional organisations into one group. The IAL is affiliated to the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS).

The association grew out of discussions at International Botanical Congresses in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, Vernon Ahmadjian and Irwin Brodo launched the International Lichenological Newsletter, which became the practical centre of the nascent organisation, and in 1969 IAL was formally recognised at the 11th International Botanical Congress in Seattle. For its first decade the association relied on voluntary effort and an informal structure; a constitution was not circulated until 1980.

The IAL organises international symposia, the largest regular meetings in the field, alongside field excursions in regions ranging from the Austrian Alps to Costa Rica and southern Africa. It administers several awards, including the Acharius Medal for lifetime achievement in lichenology. Through committees on lichen terminology and conservation, the association has also served as a forum for professional consensus on foundational questions, including the formal definition of a lichen. Although its membership was long centred in western Europe and North America, the IAL has gradually broadened its geographical reach, with increasing attention to tropical and Southern Hemisphere research.