Article 1. The Latin American Mycological Association, identified as ALM, assembles all the specialists in the different branches of the study of fungi in Latin America and other countries interested in the study of such organisms in this geographical area. No political or lucrative aim is searched by either its members or the institutions hereby represented.

Article 2. The ALM will be ruled by its statutes approved in the resolutions of the General Assembly.

Article 3. The ALM will be constituted of a Board appointed by the General Assembly, and of enrolled active members and honorary members appointed by the General Assembly.

Article 4. The objectives of the ALM are : a) To promote the study of fungi in all related aspects in Latin American countries, b) To encourage and increase relationships among its members, particularly of those who live in the area, c) To promote relationships for the exchange and/or collaboration with other mycological associations or institutions, d) To collaborate in the diffusion of academic activities and scientific results developed or obtained by its members and, e) To organize a Latin American Congress of Mycology at least once every three years, independently from the courses, workshops, conferences, expeditions, exhibitions or symposia, either real or virtual, among other activities.

Article 5. The official address for the ALM will be that of the institution where the current President works.

Article 6. The ALM includes active and honorary members.

Article 7. The following will be considered active members of the ALM : professionals, technicians, students and amateurs in the study of fungi, resident in any region, who express their wish to do so and declare their unrestricted conformity with the objectives and statutes of the ALM.

Article 8. The members will comply with the payment of the annual fee which will be fixed by the General Assembly. Honorary members and any member who holds a position in the Board or who is part of a committee, commission or representation conferred by the Board will be excepted from the annual fee.

Article 9. Honorary members will be the specialists with acknowledged international prestige who have led outstanding activities in favor of mycology in Latin America . This distinction will be granted by the General Assembly by written proposals and/or justified by three or more members. The condition of honorary member will be permanent.

Article 10. The right to a membership will be lost by the following causes: a) decease, b) resignation, c) suspension and d) failure to comply with the payment of fees. In order to be valid, the resignation must be notified to the Board in writing. A member may be suspended if his activities are considered damaging to the ALM, with the approval of a majority of two thirds of the members present in the General Assembly. The involved member will be informed of the intentions of suspension two months in advance to allow him to produce his defense to the Board. Not paying the fees for two years will be cause to cancel a member's affiliation.

Article 11. The General Assembly has full powers to decide and implement the goals of the Association.

Article 12. The General Assembly will meet at least once every three years , summoned by the Board; or by written request of not less than 20% of the members of the Association. The quorum will be declared with the presence of 15% of the members. Those who are unable to attend the Assembly may be represented by a participating member, by means of a written authorization.

Article 13. Not less than four months in advance, the Board will send to the members a notice of request for the items on the agenda. The members will send their applications within a period not longer than three months prior to the date of the event. The Board will send the final agenda to all the members two months before the Assembly. The Assembly may discuss and make recommendations on any topic not included in the agenda with the approval of the majority of the members present.

Article 14. The General Assembly will meet under the direction of the President of the Association or, in the case of his absence, of the Vice-president.

Article 15. The decisions will be made by simple majority of the members present, except for the cases stated in Articles 10 and 32.

Article 16. Attributes of the General Assembly will be : a) To elect a new Board of the Association, b) To propose, discuss and approve statutory modifications, c) To propose, discuss and approve internal resolutions of the Assembly, d) To approve or discuss the report of activities and finances, e) To fix an annual fee for membership, f) To elect honorary members and g) Any further which should be considered pertinent to the aims of Article 11 from the current statutes.

Article 17. The Association will be governed by a Board constituted of five members: a President, a Vice-Presi-dent, a Secretary, a Co-Secretary and a Treasurer.

Article 18. The period of performance of the Board will be of three years from the culmination of the General Assembly in which they were elected to the following General Assembly of the Association . The conclusion of this period may be shortened upon the request of 70% of the members. The directors may be re-elected for the immediate following period, if the Assembly considers it convenient. In the case of decease or resignation from any of the posts, the vacancy will be occupied by one of the members of the Board, or the Board itself will appoint a substitute until the end of the period. This will be an internal decision of the Board, except for the appointment of the President, in which case the Board will decide by immediate auscultation of all the members of the Association.

Article 19. The Board will meet before each General Assembly as well as any time considered necessary. The valid quorum will be of not less than three members, one of which shall be the President or, in his absence, the Vice-President. The decisions will be made by simple majority voting. In the case of a tie, the President will have the casting vote.

Article 20. The decisions of the Board and of the Assemblies shall be registered and preserved by the Secretary , who will have the proceedings available for all the members of the ALM.

Article 21. Attributes of the Board will be : a) To watch for the successful development of the tasks of the Association and the fulfillment of its objectives and statutes, b) To convoke General Assemblies, c) To propose statutory modifications to the General Assembly, d) To propose to the General Assembly internal regulations of the Association, e) To submit to the General Assembly a detailed report of the activities of the Board during its term, f) To comply with and make the agreements of the General Assembly and the Board to be complied with and g) Any other attributes assigned by the Assembly and the current statutes, or any that is not expressly assigned to the Assembly.

Article 22. Attributes of the President are: a) To be the immediate executor of the statutes of the ALM, and of the decisions of the Assembly and the Board, b) To represent the Association and exercise its social, political or juridical representation in any function regarded as necessary. In certain cases, he/she can delegate his/her activities to the Vice-President, c) To promote the relationships of the ALM with other mycological associations and similar organizations in and out of the area, and to establish agreements or links which will facilitate the accomplishment of the objectives and statutes of the ALM, d) To further the organization of a Latin American Congress during his/her term, e) To preside the meetings of the Board and sign, with the Secretary, the corresponding proceedings, f) To sign the documents and any other acts agreed by the Board or the Assembly, g) To sign the correspondence submitted by the Association, h) To sign, together with the Treasurer the checks and other effects related to earnings or expenditures of the ALM, i) To authorize with his/her signature the notices for the Assemblies or other agreements and to publicize them adequately and in time and j) To watch that the current statutes are strictly followed. k) Any others assigned by the Assembly or the Board.

Article 23. Attributions of the Vice-president are : a) To collaborate with the President in all the tasks assigned by him/her, b) To represent the President in any function or event which he/she can not attend and c) To oversee, in collaboration with the other members of the Board, that the statutes and objectives of the ALM, as well as the agreements of the General Assembly are complied with.

Article 24. Attributions of the Secretary are: a) To attend all the meetings of the Assembly and the Board, to write the corresponding minutes and to record them in the respective books, and to subscribe them with the President, b) To implement the organization of the files, c) To have strict control of the registration of all the members and d) Any further attributions determined by the President.

Article 25. Attributions of the Co-Secretary are: a) To collaborate closely in all the duties assigned to the Secretary and b) Any others assigned to him by the President.

Article 26. Attributions of to Treasurer are: a) To inspect and supervise all the financial operations performed or to be performed by the Association, b) To collect the annual fees of the members punctually, c) To render to the President and Secretary a report of the members in default, in order to act in consequence, d) To sign, together with the President, the checks and other financial documents of the Association and e) To order the auditing of the financial situation and to prepare a general balance and financial state for the Board to submit to the General Assembly.

Article 27. The Board will be help by active and honorary members organized in special commissions.

Article 28. The representatives appointed to special commissions, organized by specialties, countries or regions depending on circumstances, will publicize and/or execute the activities of the ALM in their regions strictly following the statutes of the Association. Inasmuch as possible, the country and region representatives will be appointed by the local mycological associations.

Article 29. The Commissions, Committees or Representatives appointed for special tasks or researches will perform their duties during the established term, which will not be longer than the acting term of the Board. At the end of the term, the new Committee may reinstate the latter with the previous approval of the General Assembly. It is mandatory for the Board to appoint an Organizing Committee for the following Latin American Mycological Congress.

Article 30. The official languages of the ALM will be English, Spanish and Portuguese. Except for the statutes, which must have written versions in the official languages, any written or spoken notices from the ALM may be submitted in any of the official languages without requiring simultaneous translation.

Article 31. The Board is empowered to solve any situations not considered in the current statutes.

Article 32. A motion for the dissolution of the Association may be submitted to the General Assembly through the procedures described in Article 12. To be approved, it must be forwarded by at least 70% of the members present. The General Assembly will determine the procedures for the dissolution of the Association and the liquidation of its assets.

Artículo 32. Una moción para la disolución de la Asociación podrá ser sometida a la Asamblea General por mecanismo descrito en el artículo 12. Para ser aprobado, deberá tener el apoyo de por lo menos 70% de los miembros presentes. La Asamblea General decidirá la forma de disolución y la liquidación de su capital.