CSF conducted a study on the economic impact that São Luiz do Tapajós could have had on local populations if its construction in the Brazilian Amazon had been approved. We analyzed the loss of subsistence income and the impact on two ecosystem services: water quality reduction and the increase of CO2 equivalent emissions. Traditional houses in the Tapajós riverside.

In early August, CSF and the Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS), held a four day training on Economic and Financial Feasibility of Supporting Services for Visitation of Conservation Units (Unidades de Conservação - UCs) at the Biodiversity National Academy (ACADEBio), in Iperó, Brazil. Course participants and instructors.

Karimon Nesha at the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

Participants and instructors in the course.

Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) in a mangrove treeIn May 2016, staff from the CSF Brazil team travelled to the Salgado Paraense region, located on the northern coast of the state of Pará.  Their goal was to collect important information as part of our project on the sustainability of mangrove ecosystems. This project seeks to sensitize the government and society to the benefits these ecosystems provide, and make recommendations about economic instruments that could be used to promote financial sustainability of protected areas.

A little over one month ago, CSF completed its second Indonesian Economic Tools for Marine Conservation course hosted in Bali. Twenty-four Indonesian conservation professionals from nineteen institutions participated in the two-week course. Some of the institutions represented were the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Dept. of Environment and Forestry, University of Indonesia, TNC, WWF, as well as other national universities and NGOs and private consultants.

Course participants and instructors. In April, CSF lead a three-day training for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in Sacramento, CA. Participants included 22 members of the CDFW staff, and 5 members of the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). We were able to reach 8 staff in field offices across California using remote access technology and our online workspace.

Photo credit: Daniel Kieling.

Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India March 14-17, 2016 CSF Training Director Kim Bonine with course participants.

Foto: Ana Gómez