ELTI in Forest Day 6

Forest Day is a global forest event held annually on the sidelines of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties meetings and hosted by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests under the leadership of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). It brings together forestry experts and

ELTI Supports the National Greening Program

The Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI), together with the Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management of the Visayas State University (ITEEM-VSU) and the rest of the Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI), have developed a series of trainings on

The National Greening Program Just Got Greener

On February 24, 2011, the president of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino, issued Executive Order No. 26, launching the National Greening Program (NGP). The program involves the planting of 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of public domain lands from 2011 to 2016. It is the latest

Phenology to Promote Environmental Values among Youth

A phenological study requires patience and observation skills, scientific rigor to record accurate data, and lots of perseverance. Not exactly the task for a child, one would think; but ELTI leaders Adriana and Julián Giraldo think different, and for a reason. A few years ago, when they were still

APASPE Learns About Organic Fertilizers

As part of the continuing capacity building efforts contemplated in their Small Grants Programme project, APASPE members recently attended a workshop on organic fertilizers and pesticides. During the past year and with support from ELTI's Leadership Program, APASPE members have

Resource Extraction and Infrastructure Development in Tropical Forests

Despite covering only 7% of the Earth’s emergent land surface, tropical forests are believed to house up to half of the Earth’s biodiversity and to support the livelihoods of 1.4 billion people. These ecosystems, however, continue to be lost at an alarming rate driven by conventional land

Symposium on Restoring Coal Mines in Indonesia

The province of East Kalimantan, Indonesia is one of the country’s largest producers and suppliers of coal. Vast tracts of lands have been degraded due to this economically important, yet environmentally and socially–damaging activity. Regulations that govern the rehabilitation of

ELTI Gathers Information for New Online Training Program

The Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI) is developing a Web-Based Training and Certificate Program that aims to strengthen the capacity of students and field practitioners to design and implement forest conservation/restoration strategies.

Rain Forest Restoration Initiative Seminar Series: Green Mondays

The Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI) is a network of non-government organizations, governmental institutions, and universities working together to promote the use of native tree species for forest restoration and other land-use management objectives in the Philippines. The

Forest Governance & Policy Workshop in Singapore

Ongoing deforestation and forest degradation within Southeast Asia has placed its ecosystems, and the people whose livelihoods depend on them, under acute stress. Despite this historical record, increased optimism and concerted global efforts to address global forest challenges are

Workshop on Reforestation with Native Trees Species in Singapore

After clearing most of its native vegetation in 19th century, Singapore is now taking progressive steps toward conserving its remaining forests and expanding tree cover across the island. In its effort to become “a city in a garden”, in contrast with the more common approach of having

ELTI supports conference on Landscape-Scale Restoration

On January 26-28, the Yale Student Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters held their 18th annual conference at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference, titled Strategies for Landscape-Scale Restoration in the

Sustainability Strategies for Connectivity Corridors

Cattle-ranching is not only an economic activity, but a way of life. Most traditional cattle-ranchers will balk at the idea of growing trees or shrubs on their pastures and taking space away from planting improved varieties of grass. This tends to be a “cultural norm” of the industry, and the

ELTI takes part in the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference – Panama

On October 1-7, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held its inter-sessional meeting in Panama as a precursor to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17), scheduled to take place in December in Durban, South Africa. More than 3000 country delegates

Forest Restoration Conference in Indonesia

Indonesia has tens of millions of hectares of degraded land resulting from unsustainable land-use practices including logging, agricultural conversion, mining, infrastructure development, and fires. As a consequence, vast areas have experienced the loss of biological diversity and

First Meeting of the Conflict Resolution and REDD+ Council – June 22

The mechanism known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) has generated optimism among those dedicated to climate change mitigation, forest conservation and rural poverty alleviation. However, REDD+ has also ignited heated debates and outright

REDD+ Workshop in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca, Panama - August 2011

More than half of Panama’s remaining mature forests are located within indigenous territories, both formally recognized and under claim. These forests, along with secondary-growth forests, contribute to mitigating climate change by sequestering heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2). As

First Workshop on Connectivity Corridors in Cattle Ranching Landscapes in Colombia – May 2011

Traditional cattle ranching is one of the primary drivers of forest and biodiversity loss in the tropics. In Latin America alone, there are more than 500 million hectares of degraded lands as a result of poor agricultural and cattle-ranching practices, which are also major sources of

‘Rainforestation’ Training for Watershed Managers – May 2011

Deforestation and forest degradation can lead to the loss of key watershed functions such as water supply and quality for human consumption, agricultural production and hydropower generation, as well as slope stabilization and drainage. The Philippines has suffered from massive

‘Rainforestation’ Research & Monitoring Training – April 2011

Rainforestation, a form of native species reforestation, is now part of the Philippines’ National Greening Program, an ambitious reforestation campaign signed into effect on February 24, 2011 by executive order of President Benigno S. Aquino III. This effort aims to counter the widespread