This report summarizes the second year of operation of the task force. The task force membership now stands at 31 members from 18 countries. A list of the membership is attached. The task force is a working committee, and as a result the membership is kept to a small number for the purpose of operational efficiency. Membership represents a range of institutions, countries and geographical locations.
Electronic mail does most of the daily communication among the members.
Those without email capability receive fax or mail communication whenever possible. In 1997 many individuals and organizations contacted the task force for advice, for information, for participation in ongoing activities, and for liaison purposes. A few examples may suffice to reveal the spread of activities. Dr. Philip Dearden of the University of Victoria in Canada spent his university sabbatical leave in Thailand. During that time he provided advice on nature tourism to the IUCN Vietnam office, and kept the Task Force well informed.