Below are descriptions of key partners in the following countries: Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Philippines and Indonesia.
Panama
Association of Livestock and Agrosilvopastoral Producers of Pedasí (APASPE)
The Association of Livestock and Agrosilvopastoral Producers of Pedasí (Asociación de Productores Pecuarios y Agrosilvopastoriles de Pedasí, known by the Spanish acronym APASPE) is a farmer's organization consisting of 38 men and women from the District of Pedasí in the Los Santos Province of the Azuero Peninsula, Panama. Their goal is to transform conventional farming practices into more environmentally sustainable systems with multiple functions in order to increase farm productivity and restore watersheds and water resources.
Panama’s Native Species Reforestation Project (PRORENA)
The Native Species Reforestation Project (Proyecto de Reforestacion con Especies Nativas, known by the Spanish acronym PRORENA) was established in Panama by scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in collaboration with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. PRORENA is a research initiative that examines the development of ecologically, socially, and economically viable strategies to restore diverse, native tree and forest cover in degraded tropical landscapes.
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
ELTI is being hosted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) through the Achotines Laboratory in Panama. They are responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and other marine resources in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Achotines Laboratory is part of the IATTC’s Tuna-Billfish Program, which is one of the few research facilities in the world that is designed specifically to study the early life history of tropical tuna.
Colombia
Center for Research on Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems (CIPAV)
The Center for Research on Sustainable Agriculture (Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción, known by the Spanish acronym CIPAV) is a non-governmental organization in Colombia that was established in 1985. CIPAV’s mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of the rural sector by promoting the research, development and outreach of environmentally friendly farming alternatives. The organization’s activities are supported by philosophical and ethical principles that are deeply rooted within the cultural and social values of the generations of people who have struggled to maintain rural livelihoods, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. CIPAV implements their initiatives - including research, consulting projects, technical assistance, outreach and capacity building - in partnership with other research groups, farmers, public institutions, organizations and companies.
Alexander von Humboldt Research Institute of Biological Resources (IAVH)
The Alexander von Humboldt Research Institute of Biological Resources (Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, known by the Spanish acronym IAVH) is a non-profit civil society organization linked to the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The IAVH generates the knowledge required to evaluate the state of biodiversity in Colombia and provides the necessary information to make sustainable decisions. One of its roles is to carry out scientific research related to biodiversity, including hydrobiological and genetic resources. It also coordinates the National Biodiversity Information System (known by the Spanish acronym SIB Colombia) and the construction of the national biodiversity inventory.
Colombian Cattle Ranching Federation (FEDEGAN)
The Colombian Cattle Ranching Federation (Federación Colombiana de Ganaderos, known by the Spanish acronym FEDEGAN) is a nonprofit organization created in 1963 that organizes regional and local livestock trade organizations, as well as other entities, related to domestic livestock. FEDEGAN currently works in five regions of Colombia via the Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Sustainable Cattle Ranching Project (Ganadería Colombiana Sostenible). One of the prrimary objectives of this project is to increase connectivity between natural ecosystems in cattle ranching landscapes by developing riparian and other corridors. All regions were selected for their high levels of biodiversity and proximity to strategic ecosystems or protected areas.
Brazil
IPÊ - Institute for Ecological Research
IPÊ - Institute for Ecological Research is a Brazilian socio-environmental organization established in 1992 that works on biodiversity conservation and sustainability in Brazil. Its projects aim to address innovative solutions for many socio-environmental challenges in the Atlantic Forest, the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Cerrado. IPÊ’s actions are integrated and include: Scientific Research, Environmental Education, Community Involvement, Sustainable Business and Income Generation for local communities, Landscape Restoration and Influencing Public Policies. Main results to date include: (i) Conserving six endangered and vulnerable fauna species, such as the Black Lion Tamarin; (ii) Planting 3 million trees in the Atlantic Forest and forming the largest reforested corridor in Brazil; (iii) Supporting over 10,000 people per year with environmental education, community involvement, income generation and information for sustainable production; (iv) Training over 6,400 students by ESCAS - School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, which provides quality education via short courses and graduate degrees, such as an MBA and a Professional Master's Program; and (v) Helping over 200 families to benefit from sustainable activities.
Northeast Center for Environmental Research (CEPAN)
The Northeast Center for Environmental Research (Centro de Pesquisas Ambientais do Nordeste, referred to by the Portuguese acronym CEPAN) is a non-profit institution founded in 2000 by research professors and graduate students of the Federal University of Pernambuco. CEPAN's mission is to generate and disseminate strategic solutions for biodiversity conservation through science, human resource training and dialogue with society. CEPAN operates in the planning, coordination and implementation of biodiversity conservation projects in the area of the Northeast Biodiversity Corridor (known by the Portuguese acronym CBNE) in partnership with national and international institutions, public and private. The CBNE is a region of the Atlantic forest located in the states of Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte.
Living Forest Institute (IFV)
The Living Forest Institute (Instituto Floresta Viva, known by the Portuguese acronym IFV) is a Brazilian institution that focuses on promoting sustainability, especially in Southern Bahia. Their mission is to ally nature conservation with human development. They have contributed to the design of a long-term agenda for sustainable development, taking into account the region's high level of biodiversity and protected areas and the potenital for ecotourism, tropical silviculture, and an agroforestry-based economy. They focus specifically on the Serra Grande region, which is a district of Uruçuca with four million inhabitants, located between Ilhéus and Itacaré. The goal of IFV is to generate a culture of landscape planning, sustainable economics, multiculturalism, education, and the production of regional nature knowledge through the Escola da Floresta (Forest School), a capacity building program for "mateiros" (parataxonomists or woodsmen). The program focuses on the research of native tree species and forest restoration strategies, including tropical silviculture.
State University of Santa Cruz (UESC)
The State University of Santa Cruz (Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz), referred to by the Portuguese acronym UESC, is located in state of Bahia, Brazil. Situated within an agricultural region, UESC has evolved to become a regional leader in higher education. They implement various research activities related to agriculture, and they also focus on the impacts of farming on the environment and on projects to preserve the Atlantic Forest. The University has three farms within its domains that function as experimental laboratories. Also, the institution tries to create interactive programs with entrepreneurs, civil associations and agricultural producers, which aim to find alternatives to regional development and to solve issues that are important to local communities.
Laboratory of Ecology and Forestry Restoration (LERF) at the University of Sao Paulo (USP)
The Laboratory of Ecology and Forestry Restoration (known by the Portuguese acronym LERF) aims to gather, develop and disseminate knowledge about the composition, structure and function of the Brazilian forests, especially in São Paulo. Based on this knowledge, they seek to define indicators of diversity and study the processes of forest dynamics that sustain new forest restoration methods of monitoring the remaining and restored forests. Through research projects and extension and teaching activities, as well as the work of its researchers, staff and students, LERF seeks to expand and disseminate knowledge about the ecology of remaining, restored and managed forests.
Philippines
Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management (ITEEM) at Visayas State University (VSU)
The Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management (ITEEM) at Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay, Leyte, the Philippines, was established in 1998 to sustain the ecological research and development activities of the University. In partnership with the Deutsche Gesselschaft fuer Technische Zuzammenarbeit (GTZ), it conceptualized and established “Rainforestation Farming” in the early 1990s as a way to integrate sustainable food production with biodiversity protection and balanced ecosystem functions. The Institute continues to play a major role in developing and further refining Rainforestation (RF) through ongoing research and extension activities. It also promotes the dissemination and implementation of RF throughout the Philippines through trainings, cross visits, and by providing technical assistance to RF implementers.
Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI)
The Rain Forest Restoration Initiative (RFRI) is a network of organizations and individuals from the academia, peoples' organizations, non-government organizations, and business sector engaged in environmental conservation, research and development. Together, RFRI works to advance and promote Rainforestation as a strategy to rehabilitate degraded landscapes and restore key ecosystem services and functions while providing forest-dependent communities with an alternative source of livelihood.
Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity whose mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL's mission is accomplished through groundbreaking science, active conservation projects in more than 50 countries and two Zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF)
The Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF) was established under two bilateral agreements between the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of the Philippines under the US Tropical Forest Conservation Act. The principal objective of the PTFCF is to provide grants to projects that aim to conserve, maintain, or restore tropical forests in the Philippines.
Indonesia
Tropenbos Indonesia
The Tropenbos Indonesia (TI) is an international NGO that has been working in Indonesia since 1987. The objective of TI is to provide the Government of Indonesia with sound and adequate information for formulating and implementing appropriate knowledge-based policies and improving the management of protected areas for the benefit of people, conservation and sustainable development. The programme is carried out through partnerships and generates knowledge and information on integrated land use and collaborative management that respects traditional rights, promoting and financing conservation and developing alternative livelihoods.
Forestry Faculty of Bogor Agriculture University
Bogor Agricultural University’s Faculty of Forestry is one of the two leading Forestry programs in Indonesia. The Faculty contains four departments: forest management, forest product technology, forest resources and conservation, and silviculture. The Faculty offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees.
Ministry of Forestry's Nature Conservation Technology Research Agency (Balitek-KSDA)
The Nature Conservation Technology Research Center (Balitek-KSDA), which is based in Samboja, East Kalimantan, is a research unit under the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry’s Forest Research and Development Agency (FORDA). Balitek-KSDA’s function is to conduct research on issues related to tropical forest ecology and conservation in all regions of Indonesia. Balitek-KSDA provides its research results to relevant stakeholders to support the development of the Indonesian forestry sector.
Blue Forests
Blue Forests is a non-governmental organization founded in 2012 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Blue Forests carries on the work of Mangrove Action Project – Indonesia, which was formed in 2000 to facilitate community-based ecological mangrove restoration. Blue Forests uses an action-research/problem-solving process, following a “local to global to local paradigm,” to increase the socio-economic and ecological resilience of critical watershed systems from mountains to sea.