Wildlife Biology is now in its 17th year. At the time when the first issue was printed, in 1995, internet had just started to spread widely, conference presenters used slides and overhead transparencies, and citation reports were not much of an issue. This illustrates impressively how much the scientific environment has changed since the foundation of Wildlife Biology. The journal's goals, however, have remained the same. In the very first issue, founding Editor-in-Chief Harto Lindén stated: “We aim to produce a journal in the forefront of wildlife science, research, administration, management and conservation. […] maintaining high scientific standards is unquestionably the most important task of Wildlife Biology.” This is still true today.
Harto got Wildlife Biology started. In his very first Editorial in 1995, he predicted: “Wildlife Biology will surely find its niche in the jungle of scientific publications”. And it did. In 2001, when Jon Swenson took over as the Editor-in-Chief, Wildlife Biology was well established. Backed by its publisher, the Nordic Board for Wildlife Research (NKV), the journal had become listed in Current Contents, and expected its first Impact Factor. Jon introduced book reviews and papers about Current Management and during his time as the Editor-in-Chief, Wildlife Biology increased the number of pages per issue three times, from 64 to 80 pages in 2002, to 96 pages in 2005, and to 112 pages in 2006. In 2006, after five years as the Editor-in-Chief, Jon handed over to Anne Loison. Anne has taken Wildlife Biology online, introduced online peer reviewing in 2007, and has stabilised Wildlife Biology's high quality of publications. With this issue, Ilse Storch has become the new Editor-in-Chief of Wildlife Biology. Jon Swenson will serve as Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Thanks to Anne and the unbeatable commitment of Jan Bertelsen and Helle Klareskov of the Editorial Office, Ilse will take over Wildlife Biology in good shape.
Together with the dedicated team of Associate Editors and the Editorial Office, Ilse will work to keep Wildlife Biology moving and improving as one of the major scientific wildlife journals. Most of the editorial procedures will be maintained, but some will be adjusted in order to speed up the review process. There is no revolution expected related to the change in Editors; however, as our environment is changing, we have to make an effort not to fall behind. Most importantly, Wildlife Biology plans to offer Open Access publication as an option (Open Choice), and to introduce Online First publication of all papers shortly after acceptance and usually well in advance of the printed issue. Both measures will require a substantial revision of Wildlife Biology's website, which is high up on our to-do list as well.
A few Associate Editors have chosen to step down. We thank Marco Festa-Bianchet, Anthony D. Fox, Iain J. Gordon, Daniel Harrison, Glenn Iason, Jesper Madsen, Shyamala Ratnayeke, Sigurður Snorrason, Lisette Waits and Paul Wilson for the work they have done for Wildlife Biology. The team will again be completed and sofar we welcome Olafur K. Nielsen, Sara Oyler-McCance and Gernot Segelbacher as new Associate Editors of Wildlife Biology.
Let's continue to work together to ensure that Wildlife Biology remains the excellent journal the wildlife profession deserves.
Ilse Storch, Editor-in-Chief
Anne Loison, Retiring Editor-in-Chief
