Hairy Grayfish. Photo credit: Richard Brooks

Conservation Strategy Fund is thrilled to announce the appointment of Scott Edwards as Executive Director. Scott starts March 1, 2016 and will open a new headquarters for CSF in Washington, DC. CSF Founder John Reid will remain in California in the role of President, focused on strategy, program development and CSF research projects

Documentos de investigación del Programa de Becas de ICAA

CSF is now taking applications for our 18th annual International Economic Tools for Conservation course to be held July 25th - August 5th, 2016. The course will be located at the University of California Berkeley as part of our new partnership with the College of Natural Resources' International and Executive programs (IEP).

For this month's Donor Spotlight series, I sat down with Jon Mellberg, a Bay Area-based contributor who has supported CSF's videos on economic valuation, part of our popular animated video series. He recently spent some time with me to discuss his background, why he supports CSF and even the best way to calculate the economic value of an elephant! Aja: Can you tell me a little about your career to date?

Conseravation Strategy Fund is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Mubariq Ahmad as the first Director of CSF-Indonesia. Mubariq has enjoyed a 30-year career working as economic policy researcher and professional activist in a variety of organizations including The World Bank (2009-2015), WWF (2003-2009), and LEI/Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute (1997-2000). He will take the helm of CSF's program on February 1.

The region of the Tapajós basin is considered the new frontier of energy expansion in Brazil. Specifically the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric project, the largest planned for the basin. If it is built, many ecosystem services will be impacted, influencing the well being of hundreds of local people who depend on them. In this perspective, CSF conducted a study that sought to understand the economic impacts on the services provided to local populations.

Native Kudu. In September, CSF led several modules in a four-day workshop in Okahandja, Namibia sponsored by the GIZ ValuES program. ValuES is a global project that helps decision-makers integrate ecosystem services into policy making, planning and implementation of specific projects. A key element of the program is training on the selection and application of methods and tools for the assessment and valuation of ecosystem services. The Namibia course is one of several regional training courses taking place around the world in 2015 and 2016.

Course coordinators Margaret Duncan, Niki Gribi, Craig Martz, and Kim Bonine.CSF traveled to Sacramento, CA in October to lead a three-day training for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Participants included 28 members of the CDFW staff, and 6 members of the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). We were able to reach 16 staff in field offices across California using remote access technology and our online workspace.

A newly released CSF infographic takes a look at the backbones of economic development: energy and transportation infrastructure, and how such large-scale development projects can be balanced with ecosystem conservation to improve social, economic and environmental well-being. Click image below to view the complete infographic: