IALE (International Association of Landscape Ecology) är en viktig kontaktorganisation för NaturGIS verksamhet. 

Sommaren 2001 höll IALE en konferens i Estland-Sverige (http://www.geo.ut.ee/IALE2001/). 
Det var en mycket givande konferens med stort internationellt deltagande av personer som gjort viktiga arbeten inom det landskapsekologiska området.

Landscape Ecology: what is it?
Landscape ecology is the study of spatial variation in landscapes at a variety of scales. It includes the biophysical and societal causes and consequences of landscape heterogeneity. Above all, it is broadly interand transdisciplinary. 
The conceptual and theoretical core of landscape ecology links natural sciences with related human
disciplines. 
Landscape ecology can be portrayed by several of its core themes:
- the spatial pattern or structure of landscapes, ranging from wilderness to cities
- the relationship between pattern and process in landscapes,
- the relationship of human activity to landscape pattern, process and change,
- the effect of scale and disturbance
on the 
landscape.

 IALE internationella hemsida är
http://www.landscape-ecology.org/
och nationellt även i Sverige (Svenska föreningen för landskapsekologi http://www.ink.su.se/iale). 
Svenska IALE kan nås via Margareta Ihse 08- 16 47 89 eller iale.sweden@natgeo.su.I