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

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

Mar 2017: Why Forests? Why Now? (San Francisco) – REDUX

The Center for Global Development, together with The Nature Conservancy California Chapter and the University of California Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), is hosting two upcoming events in the Bay Area to launch the book Why Forests? Why Now? The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change. The events feature Dr. Jonah Busch, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, who co-authored the book with Frances Seymour.

Monday, March 6th
5:30 – 7:30 pm
The Nature Conservancy California Chapter
201 Mission Street, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA
Please RSVP to [email protected]

Thursday, March 9th
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)
Giannini Hall 248
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

From the authors:

    Tropical forests are an undervalued asset in meeting the greatest global challenges of our time—averting climate change and promoting sustainable development. Despite their importance, tropical forests and their ecosystems are being destroyed at a high and even increasing rate in most forest-rich countries. The good news is that the science, economics, and politics are aligned to support a major international effort to reverse tropical deforestation.
    Why Forests? Why Now? synthesizes the latest research on the importance of tropical forests in a way that is accessible to anyone interested in climate change and development and to readers already familiar with the problem of deforestation. It makes the case to decision-makers in rich countries that rewarding developing countries for protecting their forests is urgent, affordable, and achievable.

“Why Forests? Why Now? should be mandatory reading for people who already care deeply about tropical forests, as well as for those who remain not yet convinced.”
—Alec Baldwin, Actor and international advocate for forests and indigenous peoples

“Seymour and Busch highlight an important achievement of global climate negotiations—agreement on cooperation to reduce tropical deforestation—and suggest an effective path for the realization of this goal.”
—Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Light refreshments will be served

Feb 2017: Why Forests? Why Now? (Los Altos) – special event

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On February 15th 2017 from 4-6 pm, the Packard Foundation is hosting a book launch event celebrating the publication of:

Why Forests? Why Now? The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change by Frances Seymour and Jonah Busch

This comprehensive synthesis of the latest research makes the case that tropical forests are essential for both climate stability and sustainable development. Why Forests? Why Now? covers every aspect of forest conservation and finance to underscore the urgency, affordability, and feasibility of scaling up funding for reducing deforestation, particularly through performance-based approaches.

Opening Remarks:
Walt Reid, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Panelists:
– Chris Elliott, Climate and Land Use Alliance (moderator)
– Frances Seymour, Center for Global Development
– Dan Nepstad, Earth Innovation Institute
– Donna Lee, Climate Change and Land Use Policy Consultant

Location:
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
343 Second St. Los Altos, CA 94022

Despite their importance, tropical forests and their ecosystems are being destroyed at a high, increasing rate in most forest-rich countries. The good news is that the science, economics, and politics are aligned to support a framework for international cooperation to reverse tropical deforestation. Now is the time for countries to increase investment in protecting tropical forests.

Light refreshments will be served.

To attend please RSVP here

Oct 2016 BATFN – The struggle for indigenous rights within Brazil’s political turmoil (Stanford)

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Join us on Thursday, October 6 from 6-9 pm for a Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) event held at the Carnegie Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University.

As Brazil weathers severe political and economic unrest in the wake of President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, the country’s indigenous peoples are at the forefront of social movements demanding social and environmental justice.

Citing today’s alarming assault on native rights enshrined in Brazil’s 1988 Constitution by a powerful political bloc known as the ruralistas, national indigenous leader Sônia Guajarara will discuss the struggle to defend these rights and the country’s rich ecological heritage through the lens of Brazil’s indigenous mobilization.

    Sônia hails from the Amazonian forests of the Araribóia indigenous territory in Brazil’s Maranhão State. Her life reflects the struggle of Brazil’s native peoples for recognition of their rights and ancestral lands. Prior to becoming the national coordinator of Brazil’s Association of Indigenous Peoples (APIB), Sônia served as vice-coordinator of the Brazilian Amazon’s indigenous network COIAB for four years, gleaning a broad understanding of movement building as well as the diverse threats confronting the country’s native population. She is today one the most expressive leaders of Brazil’s indigenous movement, transmitting the cry of recognition of Brazil’s first nations everywhere she goes

Exploring the ramifications of Dilma’s removal and the installation of President Michel Temer, Maria Luiza Mendonça of Brazil’s Network for Social Justice and Human Rights will contextualize this polemic rightward shift in socio-environmental terms.

    Maria Luisa Mendonça is a professor at the International Relations Department of University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and director of Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos (Network for Social Justice and Human Rights – www.social.org.br) in Brazil. She has a PhD in Philosophy and Social Sciences with a focus on Human Geography from the University of Sao Paulo (USP). In 2013 she was a visiting scholar in the Development Sociology Department at Cornell University. Her work focuses on agricultural systems, political economy, international studies, and geopolitical land and natural resource conflicts. She is the editor of the book “Human Rights in Brazil,” which has been published annually by Rede Social since 2000, and she was one of the founders of the World Social Forum.

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

    Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology conference room
    Stanford University
    260 Panama St,
    Stanford, CA 94305

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Sep 2016 event – Development Without Destruction: Community-Managed Conservation in Malaysian Borneo (Berkeley)

Google Earth image showing deforestation, dams, and logging on lands traditionally managed by indigenous peoples in Sarawak.
Google Earth image showing deforestation, dams, and logging on lands traditionally managed by indigenous peoples in Sarawak.

Join BATFN and The Borneo Project for a panel discussion with indigenous activists from Borneo and the academics from UC Berkeley who support their efforts.

Peter Kallang and Komeok Joe are on the front lines of human rights and environmental justice campaigns in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Komeok, founder of the Penan organization Keruan, has been actively fighting logging since the mid 90s. He has been involved in dozens of blockades and non-violent direct actions against logging companies.

As Chairman of the grassroots network SAVE Rivers, Peter Kallang is a leader in the campaign against a series of mega-dams planned for Sarawak. In March 2016 the campaign had a major success when the state government cancelled the Baram Dam, the next dam in line to be built.

Dr. Rebekah Shirley from the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) at UC Berkeley produced three studies on the proposed Sarawak dams that have discredited the initiative, proposing instead a energy development plan based on decentralized renewable systems.

Save Rivers and Keruan are now teaming up to ensure long-term indigenous and environmental rights in Sarawak by creating a community-managed protected area in the Baram River Basin.

Join us to learn how a coalition of NGOs, community organizations, and academics are resisting destructive development practices in Borneo, and how a multi-ethnic coalition envisions their sustainable future.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 7, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (PDT)

WHERE: Goldman School of Public Policy – Living Room – 2607 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720

RSVP here

Special tech event in Palo Alto

### This is a BATFN-partner event ###

Driven by Silicon Valley, innovation and technology have disrupted the way we experience everyday life. But what about using innovative technology around drones, data, & mobile to solve meaningful, critical problems?

Come join RippleWorks and a host of exciting social ventures to get an inside look from technologists who are disrupting and driving impact as they work to actually create change and “make the world a better place.”

Hosted at the BNY Mellon Innovation Center in Palo Alto, the event will discuss how technology is being used to empower meaningful solutions.

Featured panelists:

Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO @ Matternet
Matternet uses drone technology for medical delivery solutions in hard to reach area in emerging markets, crossing impassable roads and impossible terrains.

David Needham, VP Technology @ Oportun
Oportun uses advanced data analytics and technology to provide credit-building, affordable loans that help the underserved communities to build a better future.

Ryan Whitney, Head of Product @ Good World Solutions
Good World Solutions uses mobile technology to translate worker voices into actionable analytics that enable socially responsible supply chains.

The panel is moderated by
Doug Galen, CEO of RippleWorks
RippleWorks is a private foundation that pairs startup and technology experts with promising social ventures globally to conquer scaling challenges.

Agenda
6:00 – 6:30 Free food truck & networking!
6:30 – 6:45 RippleWorks introduction
6:45 – 7:45 Panel discussion
7:45 – 8:30 Continued networking

The event is free with advanced registration.

RSVP here