Oct 2019: How bioacoustics can transform conservation (Palo Alto)

A conversation with University of Wisconsin soundscape ecologist Zuzana Burivalova, Conservation Metrics CEO Matthew McKown, and Mongabay Founder Rhett A. Butler on the potential for bioacoustics to improve conservation outcomes. This Mongabay WildTech / Bay Area Tropical Forest Network event is generously being hosted by the Palo Alto Patagonia store.

Satellites have revolutionized forest monitoring, but there remains a major gap in biodiversity monitoring since we can’t directly measure factors like hunting, sub-canopy fires, and degradation very well from space. Bioacoustics — the use of sound recorders in nature — can help fill the gap. By capturing an entire soundscape, they can document a wide range of animals and detect very minor changes in ecological communities. They can also be useful for real-time interdiction by detecting gunshots, chainsaws, and the sound of motorbikes and truck engines and relaying alerts to local communities or authorities.

But the really exciting aspect comes from making audio data available to scientists. The beauty of bioacoustic data is researchers can run algorithms to map soundscapes, allowing us to better understand ecological communities, what works and what doesn’t work in conservation, and track biodiversity trends.

The combination of networked bioacoustic devices and camera traps could eventually transform the field of conservation.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Zuzana Burivalova, field ecologist at University of Wisconsin and lead author of a 2019 Science paper on bioacoustics
  • Dr. Matthew McKown, CEO of Conservation Metrics, a company that provides automated alternatives to historically labor-intensive wildlife survey efforts, combining cutting-edge remote sensing technology, statistical rigor, and extensive scientific expertise to drive down costs and increase the scale and effectiveness of wildlife metrics.

Moderator:

  • Rhett A. Butler, founder of Mongabay, a conservation news platform

Doors open at 7pm for snacks, beverages, and networking. The discussion panel starts at 7:30pm.

Space is limited so please RSVP to reserve your spot.

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Event photos and video.

February 2019: Environmental NGOs in the Crosshairs in Brazil (Berkeley)

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Join us on Feb 6 from 6:30-9 pm for a Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley.

The topic is “Threats and risks for socioenvironmental agendas, indigenous peoples, and the conservation of the Brazilian Amazon under the Bolsonaro government.” Doors open at 6:30 with drinks, snacks, and networking, while the talk will begin around 7:15 pm, followed by discussion.

    Environmental and indigenous issues NGOs in Brazil have always been on the front lines of the struggle for the recognition of indigenous territorial rights and the protection of indigenous and other traditional people’s livelihoods, working in close partnership with the country’s indigenous movements. Many have also been instrumental in forest and biodiversity conservation efforts. Their history of struggle and success in achieving indigenous rights and environmental conservation have made these NGOs a target for the populist, extreme-right government recently elected in Brazil. In less than one month in power, a government responsive to the interests of the rural landowning interest group, historic enemies of indigenous peoples and forests, has already led to setbacks in indigenous rights, environmental protection and the defamation of NGOs. Although still unmeasured, consequences such as the invasion of tens of indigenous territories by loggers and miners in the Amazon are already taking place, resulting in human conflict and the elimination of core mechanisms for forest protection—environmental licensing and the demarcation of indigenous lands. The work done by NGOs and the fight carried out by indigenous movements are under attack by the principal decision-makers in the country. I will describe and discuss some of the policy changes wrought by the new government, and the consequences for territorial integrity, environmental protection and human rights, and the options open to NGOs and their indigenous partners to respond to this change in context.

    Andreia Bavaresco, Technical Coordinator, Brazil International Institute for Education (Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil). Andreia has an undergraduate degree in Forest Management and a Master’s in Sustainable Development form the University of Brasilia. Prior to and since joining IEB in 2010, she has supported or led environmental and governance projects with more than twenty indigenous peoples in Brazil. She specializes in the design and implementation of interdisciplinary, village-based training programs that enhance indigenous and traditional people’s capacity to manage their lands, resources, and livelihoods in the context of Brazilian public policy.

    ONGs ambientalistas na mira do Governo Bolsonaro: ameaças e riscos as agendas socioambientais, povos indígenas e preservação da Amazonia.

    A atuação das ONGs ambientalistas e indigenistas no Brasil em estreita parceria e dialogo com os movimentos indígenas sempre estiveram na linha de frente das lutas pela conquista pelo reconhecimento dos direitos territoriais e pela manutenção dos modos de vida dos povos indígenas e comunidades tradicionais brasileiras. Esse histórico de conquistas colocaram as ONGs como alvo do governo populista e de extrema direita que recentemente assumiu o poder no Brasil. Retrocessos nos direitos conquistados e difamação do trabalho das ONGs ja se fazem sentir em menos de um mês de atuação de um governo militarizado e que atende aos interesses dos inimigos históricos dos índios e das florestas, os ruralistas. Consequências, ainda não mensuradas, como a invasão de dezenas de terras indígenas por madeireiros e garimpeiros para exploração dos cobiçados recursos naturais da Amazonia ja são uma realidade com tendencias de surgimento de conflitos e a pulverização dos principais mecanismos de proteção da floresta, como o licenciamento ambiental e a demarcação de Terras Indígenas. O trabalho das ONGs e a luta dos movimentos indígenas estão sob ataque dos principais tomadores de decisão no pais.

    Andreia Bavaresco – Coordenadora Tecnica do Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil e Mestre em Desenvolvimento Sustentável pela Universidade de Brasilia

Admission is free and open to all, with refreshments (including wine and beer) courtesy of the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

WHEN:
February 6 from 6:30-9 pm

WHERE:
Goldman School of Public Policy: Living room
University of California
2607 Hearst Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94720-7320

Please RSVP so we know how much food and drink to buy

May 2018: X-raying coral reefs and rainforests from the sky (Palo Alto)

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Join us on May 24 from 6:30-8:30 pm for a Mongabay / Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Patagonia store in Palo Alto.

The event will feature a conversation with Robin Martin and Greg Asner about cutting-edge conservation technology.

Robin Martin and Greg Asner have pioneered the use of advanced LiDAR and spectrometer sensors to study tropical forest ecosystems, revealing information about biodiversity, habitat function and health, and ecosystem services. Their work has been widely profiled by the likes of Science Magazine, National Geographic, and hundreds of other outlets. They’ve now turned their system to coral reefs, which may support the development of the first comprehensive global reef monitoring system in an era when the world’s corals are deeply threatened by rising temperatures, growing carbon emissions, and unsustainable fishing and extraction. Rhett Butler, founder of conservation news web site Mongabay.com, will talk with Robin and Greg about how technology can help protect an conserve these critical ecosystems.

Admission is free and open to all, with refreshments (including wine and beer) courtesy of Mongabay and the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN).
 

RSVP here (Space is limited)

 
WHEN:
May 24 from 6:30-8:30 pm

WHERE:
Patagonia Palo Alto store
525 Alma St
Palo Alto, CA 94301
 

Video footage of the event

 

April 2018: Jaguar conservation in the Grand Chaco (Stanford)

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Join us on April 5 from 6-8:30 pm for a Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University.

The event will focus on jaguar conservation in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina, a dry tropical forest ecosystem that is fast being destroyed for industrial ranches and farms. Anthony Giordano of S.P.E.C.I.E.S and the Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project will discuss efforts to protect jaguars and their habitat.

The Gran Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina is disappearing faster than any other habitat on earth, including the Amazon Rainforest. Rapid deforestation due to unsustainable cattle-ranching is fragmenting the last frontier of jaguars, causing conflict between the predators and people as their natural prey vanishes. By building trust and solving the growing conflict problems between people and jaguars brought on by severe habitat loss, the Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project is leading efforts to protect jaguars at the far southern end of their range. Our grand vision? Integrate our knowledge of the jaguar’s ecology into a working strategic framework to connect and restore the forests and savannas across the region with the most unique mammal species in the western hemisphere.

Admission is free and open to all, with refreshments (including wine and beer) courtesy of Mongabay and the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN).
 

Please RSVP so we know how much food and drink to buy

 

WHEN:
Thursday, April 5 from 6-8:30 pm

WHERE:
Department of Global Ecology Conference Room
Carnegie Institution
Stanford University
260 Panama St
Stanford, CA 94305

Jan 2018: A journey to understand and save “the person of the forest” (Palo Alto)

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On January 10th, 2018 BATFN is co-hosting an event with The Orangutan Project at The Foster art gallery in Palo Alto.

The event will feature The Orangutan Project’s Founder and President Leif Cocks, who has worked with orangutans for over 30 years and has dedicated his life to re-introducing captive and orphaned orangutans into the wild. Cocks, who also recently authored Orangutans My Cousins, My Friends, will speak about the plight of orangutans and his plan for saving great red apes from extinction.

Cocks will be joined by Gary L. Shapiro, Co-Founder of The Orangutan Project and the head of The Orangutan Project-US and Orang Utan Republik. Shapiro has spent more than 40 years working with orangutans.

The Foster gallery features the works of Tony Foster, a watercolor artist who has traveled the world to capture the beauty and wonder of nature through watercolor paintings.

Tickets are $15 and 100% of the proceeds will go to The Orangutan Project, which is working to protect, rescue, rehabilitate, and re-release wild orangutans. Wine, beer, and snacks will be served.

TICKETS: A journey to understand and save “the person of the forest”

Ticket price: $15.00
Location: The Foster, 940 Commercial St, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Date: Jan. 10, 2018, 6:30 p.m.

Nov 2017: What works – and doesn’t work – in conservation? (Palo Alto)

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Join us November 13 from 6:30-8:30 pm for a special event co-hosted by the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN), Mongabay and The Foster, watercolor artist Tony Foster’s beautiful art gallery in Palo Alto.

Our guest speaker is Zuzana Burivalova, a Princeton ecologist who specializes in tropical forest conservation and bioacoustic monitoring of forest ecosystems. For the past nine months, Burivalova has served as the research lead for a Mongabay project that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of several popular conservation interventions. Burivalova is now producing a series of featured articles in collaboration with Mongabay journalists. In her presentation, she will speak about her conservation effectiveness findings and methodology. Her remarks will be followed by discussion. Guests will also be able to view Tony Foster’s landscape watercolors, which are wonderfully presented at The Foster gallery.

Snacks and refreshments will be served.

Admission is free and open to all but please RVSP so we know how much food and drink to purchase.

 

Video from the event

 

Sep 2017: Can technology drive conservation? (San Francisco)

There is an accelerating effort among scientists, forest and wildlife managers as well as technologists and interest groups from NASA, Google and the Jane Goodall Institute to harness new technologies. These technologies, which include satellite sensors, drones, camera traps and DNA detectors, can be used to improve and maintain forest and wildlife conservation; fight and expose illegal, unsustainable practices; and prevent the use of dangerous fuels and chemicals. Our panel will discuss what is new and what is working in this area. They will also discuss what 21st century technology might soon be available to protect and create healthy and safe environments in the Bay Area and throughout the world.

SPEAKERS

Rhett Butler
Founder and CEO, Mongabay

Topher White
Founder and CEO, Rainforest Connection

Crystal Davis
Director, Global Forest Watch

Virgil Zetterlind
Director, Protected Seas; Chief Technology Office, Conserve.IO

5:30 p.m. check-in
6 p.m. program

Tickets:
$20 general admission
$8 for Commonwealth Club members
FREE for students

https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2017-09-27/can-technology-drive-conservation

May 2017: Amazon indigenous leaders discuss culture & the environment (Stanford)

Join us on May 24 from 6-8:30 pm for a Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University.

    Six indigenous leaders from the Tiriyo, Xavante, Makushi, Shuar and Kaxinawa Peoples of the Amazon region of Brazil, Guyana and Ecuador will discuss how environmental concerns, biodiversity conservation, climate change concerns and natural resource use intersect with indigenous culture, spirituality, development, politics and land rights. Also participating in the discussion will be Dr. Robert Miller, a Brazilian representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP-GEF) and a consultant and the technical Coordinator of the GATI (Indigenous Environmental and Territorial Management) Project in Brazil. This presentation for BATFN forms part of a larger Amazonian Indigenous People and Native American Summit being held at Stanford University from April 24-26. Presentations at the summit are open to all. Meetings are fostered between Native Americans and the Amazonian indigenous leaders as a means of seeking solutions to common issues. Locations and schedule for the summit will soon be posted.

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Admission is free and open to all, with refreshments (including wine and beer) courtesy of the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network.

WHEN:
May 24 from 6-8:30 pm

WHERE:
Department of Global Ecology Conference Room
Carnegie Institution
Stanford University
260 Panama St
Stanford, CA 94305

Please RSVP so we know how much food and drink to buy

June 2017: Saving Brazil’s cerrado (Berkeley)

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Join us on June 6 from 6-8:30 pm for a Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley.

The event will focus on Brazil’s cerrado, a tropical woodland ecosystem that is fast being destroyed for industrial ranches and farms. Dr. Arnaldo Carneiro, a researcher at National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), will present his findings on how companies can expand responsibly, while the Union of Concerned Scientists will provide an overview of the current political battle going over the future of the Brazilian Cerrado, which is home to 5 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity.

    Over the past decade, vast areas of Brazil’s Cerrado have been converted from diverse native ecosystems into soy monocultures to feed the world’s growing demand. Today, deforestation rates are still higher in the Cerrado, particularly in Matopiba, where most recent agricultural expansion has occurred at the expense of native vegetation. It doesn’t have to be this way. Researchers and experts have mapped opportunities for agricultural expansion on degraded lands and existing pasture. Advocacy groups press for soy traders to adopt a monitoring system for deforestation and smart infrastructure design to focus new expansion on existing pasture fields avoiding new deforestation.

Admission is free and open to all, with refreshments (including wine and beer) courtesy of the Bay Area Tropical Forest Network and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

WHEN:
June 6 from 6-8:30 pm

WHERE:
Goldman School of Public Policy: Living room
University of California
2607 Hearst Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94720-7320

Please RSVP so we know how much food and drink to buy