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We are honored when ELTI's work is shared in local and international channels. We also enjoy sharing exciting news about ELTI's programs.

August 29, 2024 | Yale Today

In 2024, Yale Planetary Solutions awarded more than $2 million to fund 22 projects Yale-wide. ELTI was awarded a grant for two projects: "Developing Rwandan Capacity in On-Farm Native Species Restoration Processes" and "Integrating Forest and Carbon Monitoring and Training in Tropical Landscapes Conservation and Restoration Projects". Read more.

April 26, 2024 | CIFOR-ICRAF

Puspitasari was invited to present at Blue Carbon Dialogue by CIFOR on February 20 to discuss the ecological mangrove rehabilitation approach implemented by Blue Forests in its project areas and by Blue Forests-ELTI program through its courses. After the presentation, CIFOR interviewed Puspitasari to share her experience with Blue Forests and ELTI on mangrove rehabilitation activities. The interview was published later by CIFOR on April 26, 2024. Read more here.

March 1, 2024 | IPÊ

From November 2023 to January 2024, IPÊ – Ecological Research Institute and the Yale University Environmental Training and Leadership Initiative (ELTI) held the online course Restoration Monitoring. IPÊ shared a summary of the event on their website. Read more.

January 20, 2024 | CNN en Español

Dr. Florencia Montagnini, instructor for the strategies course of the Yale Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program, was recently interviewed by José Antonio Montenegro on CNN's podcast Globoeconomía. The conversation touched on sustainable agroforestry systems and promoting biodiversity. Dr. Montagnini discussed maintaining harmony between development, technology, and nature conservation.

Listen to the full interview in Spanish or download an English translation here.

December 15, 2023 | FAO

In 2023, ELTI hosted two online training programs in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United nations (FAO): Forest and Landscape Restoration for Young People in Asia and Forest and Landscape Restoration for Young People in Africa. In the article published by FAO, course participants Ahmed Abi Abdi Warsame and Yukie Yokoyama gave insight to their experiences. Read more.

December 15, 2023 | The Overstory - The Forest School

The Forest School at Yale highlighted ELTI's online certificate program in an article of their publication, The Overstory. The article, “ELTI Trains Fifth Cohort of the Tropical Forest Landscapes Certificate Program” discussed the program, including the fifth cohort currently enrolled in the program, the team behind the program, and the upcoming application cycle. Read more.

December 7, 2023 | IPÊ

On November 7 and 8, the Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ)-ELTI, and the Socio-environmental Development for Family Farming Project (DSAF) at the Agroecology and Organic Production Studies Center (NEA) of the Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB) hosted an Agroforestry Planning field course. This course, which includes a total of 12 hours of training, was exclusively available to 20 farmers affiliated with the Nova Vitória Association, Maravilha Association, Produzir Association, and Irmã Dorothy Stein Association, all beneficiaries of the DSAF project. IPÊ shared a summary of the course on their website.

October 13, 2023 | Yale School of the Environment

YSE-ELTI's Tropical Forest Landscapes certificate program admitted 28 participants as Three Cairns Fellows in its 2023-2024 cohort. The Three Cairns Fellows program has enabled the certificate program to expand their reach globally and have brought a new dimension to the online courses. The Three Cairns Fellows program is an enhanced scholarship initiative supporting qualified participants from the Global South who are committed to advancing climate solutions in their home countries. Read more.

September 23, 2023 | https://yff.yale.edu/overstory

ELTI hosted a 2-day workshop to discuss research, teaching, and applied initiatives conducted by students, faculty, and staff members associated with The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment focused on forest landscapes restoration in Southern Bahia, Brazil. Representatives of ELTI’s primary partner in Brazil, the Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ), attended the event to share their work, including their capacity development activities as part of the ELTI project. The workshop produced recommendations for future collaborations that the ELTI and IPÊ teams will integrate into their strategy for expanding the IPÊ-ELTI training landscape (see the Overstory article about the workshop for details).

June 23, 2023 | IPÊ

ELTI's Brazil team published an article on the IPÊ website (in Portuguese) about their 2021–2022 blended course “Introduction to Carbon Markets." The goal of the training event was to expand theoretical and practical knowledge about the carbon market. The article highlights aspects of the course that was offered to technicians from institutions participating in the Bahia Forest Dialogue and IPÊ institutional partners.

June 20, 2023 | De Carne

CIPAV-ELTI's Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle, ELTI alum Mauricio Carvajal, and CIPAV Executive Director Enrique Murgueitio published an article in De Carne magazine. The article summarizes soil loss prevention techniques and agroecological practices for soil restoration in the context of sustainable livestock production.

June 13, 2023 | ELTI

ELTI created a new video highlighting the yearlong Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program. The video provides information about the program and featurest participants talking about their learning experience.

March 14, 2023 | Yale School of the Environment

A new $3 million grant from Arcadia will support the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative to continue to train and empower people from all backgrounds to restore and conserve tropical forest landscapes. This generous support will enable the team to expand the program’s reach by developing new online courses, increasing scholarship support for participants, and advancing the open access Tropical Restoration Library. Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge.

February 17, 2023 | Agroecossistemas

ELTI's Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle co-authored the open-access article “Silvopastoral Systems and Ecological Connectivity in a Grazing Landscape of the Magdalena Medio Region, Colombia,” published in the Brazilian open-access journal Agroecossistemas. This article is a result of a long-term mentorship to ELTI alumnus Mauricio Carvajal, which involved designing and implementing a restoration project with cattle ranchers and developing a case study.

November 9, 2022 | The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) Colombia

ELTI's Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle was a contributing author to the open-access document “Guidelines for the transition towards regenerative food systems in Antioquia (English translation),” which provides technical inputs for designing public and corporate policies, is part of the Food and Land Use Coalition’s (FOLU) initiative to achieve sustainable food and land use systems that meet local and global goals in countries around the world. The document was introduced at an event titled “Regeneration: The Path to Climate Resilience,” which took place in Medellín as part of the Antioquia 2022 Climate Emergency International Convention.

November 7, 2022 | ELTI

ELTI's Panama Coordinator Jacob Slusser was interviewed by Roosevelt Ycaza from a weekly radio program “Panamá Productiva (La Exitosa radio station),” to talk about ELTI’s efforts in Panama, and the recent publication of their field guide, Practical Guide to Establish Silvopastoral Systems in the Azuero Peninsula of Panama (English translation).

Jacob described ELTI’s forest restoration successes including ELTI’s capacity development model and long-term support for alumni—to empower them to make positive land use decisions. The conversation went into detail on the development of model silvopastoral farm networks in the Azuero peninsula.

Lastly, Jacob talked about the recently published field guide published by IATTC-ELTI and how it illustrates practical ways that cattle farmers throughout the country can implement more ecological practices. The guide is based on ELTI’s historical success in helping farmers transform conventional farms into sustainable silvopastoral farms by integrating restoration strategies into cattle farms, which enhance—not replace—traditional livelihoods.

October 18, 2022 | Yale School of the Environment

The Yale School of the Environment features ELTI’s Tropical Forest Landscapes program as one of two online certificates leading to immediate impacts for the environment and environmental careers.

October 5, 2022 | CIFOR-ICRAF

Dr. David Neidel, ELTI Asia Advisor, and Dr. Marlito Bande, ELTI alumnus and partner at Visayas State University, were two of 18 authors of a book titled, "Agroforestry: A Primer. Design and Management Principles for People and the Environment," which was recently published by CIFOR-ICRAF. In recent years, agroforestry has been widely promoted as a land use practice that can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, forest & landscape restoration, sustainable agriculture, and other pressing global issues. Agroforestry, however, is more than just adding trees to existing land use practices. Moreover, agroforestry has such a wide variety of forms that it can not be promoted through simple cook book-style recipes. To address the needs of those who are new to the field, this book was designed to provide an easy-to-understand introduction to the basic principles underlying agroforestry and  to provide practical guidance on the development of an array of different agroforestry systems.

October 3, 2022 | https://www.ipe.org.br/

ELTI's Brazil team published two articles on the IPÊ website about their 2021–2022 blended course “Environmental and Productive Adaptation in Rural Properties.”

August 1, 2022 | ELTI

In May 2022, Mr. Gutang was awarded a Rainforest Hero Award for his advocacy of Rainforestation—a form of reforestation using native tree species—at the Visayas State University Anniversary Celebration. Mr Gutang established three Rainforestation sites on unproductive private lands in Pilar, Camotes, through Memoranda of Agreement between himself and the landowners. By integrating native trees with fruit trees and coconut palms, Mr. Gutang turned these barren lands into lush, productive farms that prevent soil erosion and landslides during the frequent heavy rains. As a teacher, Mr. Gutang also works tirelessly to promote Rainforestation among local elementary and high school students.

See interview with GMA regional TV network in the Philippines.

July 31, 2022 | ELTI

ELTI's Panama Coordinator Jacob Slusser was interviewed by Panama's TVN television network about the publication of ELTI's silvopastoral system (SPS) establishment guide. Jacob explained that the guide is based on 10+ years of ELTI’s experience in implementing silvopastoral systems with producers and community associations of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, one of the most deforested and degraded regions of Panama. With more than 20% of Panama's land use being permanent pastures, the guide will be useful for many organizations and producers not only in Azuero but throughout Panama. The guide, published in collaboration with two ELTI affiliates, Jorge Gutierrez and Saskia Santamaria, is an open access guide available on the ELTI website.

Read more about the interview (Spanish): https://www.tvn-2.com/contenido-exclusivo/innovadora-tecnica-aplicando-potreros-azuero_1_1996132.html

July 27, 2022 | https://environment.yale.edu

The new initiative called the Three Cairns Climate Program for the Global South at Yale School of the Environment supports mid-career professionals working on climate solutions. ELTI welcomed 16 environmental leaders as Three Cairns Fellows in its 2022–2023 cohort of the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program.

June 17, 2022 | https://www.facebook.com/Qawarisun

ELTI's Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle gave a short interview for an episode of the Qawarisun podcast focusing on agroecology and soil regeneration. The Qawarisun podcast is an initiative of the “Qawarisun Observatory of Water, Agroecology and Food Sovereignty”, an international consortium of Latin-American NGOs focused on agroecology, based in Peru.

The episode is available at: https://www.facebook.com/Qawarisun/videos/438594104383683.

June 10, 2022 | ELTI

ELTI alumni and cattle farmers from Panama’s La Villa River Watershed—the most deforested watershed of the Azuero Peninsula—completed a two-year project titled “Empowering farmers to support livelihoods by restoring ecosystem services in Panama’s La Villa River Watershed,” funded by the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation. ELTI’s Panama team implemented a field training that introduced participants to the range of forest restoration strategies that can be integrated into a farm. As part of the training, ELTI helped participants create a farm plan to prioritize restoration activities. After the training, ELTI’s Panama team visited participants at their farms and provided technical assistance on how to establish model silvopastoral farms—by providing advice on how to divide pastures, develop water systems, and select appropriate tree and shrub species. Finally, ELTI also provided leadership training to help empower farmers to become effective community trainers to promote a sustainable ranching multiplier effect in the region. To celebrate the completion of the project and provide an opportunity for participants to share their experiences, ELTI facilitated a closing ceremony at ELTI alumnus José Samaniego’s model farm. ELTI will continue to provide support to project participants, as well as incorporate the model farms into ELTI’s Panama training landscape to be utilized in training courses and research.

7 CFH graduates and 2 ELTI Panama team members

 

June 2, 2022 | ELTI

ELTI alumni from the Save a Tree Live Better Ecological Producer’s Association (SAVIM) of the Azuero Peninsula—the most dry and degraded region of Panama—completed a two-year rainwater harvesting project funded by the Global Environmental Facility’s Small Grants Programme. During the project, SAVIM collaborated with cattle ranchers and a parent-teacher association of a local primary school (Calabazo Primary School) to establish rainwater harvesting systems for a silvopastoral system, an agroecological garden for the primary school, and a tree nursery for the community. ELTI strives to assist local communities to adapt to climate change challenges such as drought by supporting forest restoration and sustainable water use projects, essential for creating more resilient landscapes. A video illustrating the project can be viewed on ELTI’s YouTube Channel.

ELTI’s Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle was featured in a two-minute Earth Day video at Mi farm for Colanta (Colombia’s largest milk cooperative) inviting other producers to consider themselves as “custodians of biodiversity.” The video can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

ELTI recently completed a French-language online course for 25 young African professionals in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The seven-week course focused on building capacity, knowledge, and networks for forest and landscape restoration in Western and Central Africa. Read more at https://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/res...

ELTI Colombia Coordinator Zoraida Calle was invited to give an online workshop on “Agroecological Restoration of Cattle Farms” during one of AgroCultura Caribe’s talk shows. AgroCultura Caribe is a weekly talk series on sustainable agriculture with listeners from all over Latin America and is broadcast live through Facebook and YouTube to a Spanish-speaking audience.

Tropical forests in the Philippines have been deforested and degraded over the past century.

ELTI Philippines Coordinator, Joy Compendio, was interviewed to discuss her work in promoting Rainforestation through VSU-ELTI training events. Rainforestation uses native tree species that enhance biodiversity and local livelihoods. Highlights from the interview were published on the Adversity Archive website.

ELTI created a new program video showcasing our four principles of capacity development and how our approach empowers our participants through training courses, leadership support, and access to knowledge and resources.

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