Tropical Resources Institute
 

Research Partnerships

TRI Partners & Research Opportunities

Below are partner institutions that seek research collaborations with F&ES master's or doctoral students through the Tropical Resources Institute. For related information about TRI research funding, see TRI Fellowships. Viewers may also wish to learn about current TRI and Compton Fellows and their work. Contact TRI for more information on these opportunities.

PRORENA

PRORENA, the Native Species Reforestation Project (Proyecto de Reforestacion con Especies Nativas) is a collaborative research program led by the Tropical Resources Institute at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Center for Tropical Forest Science at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, with the active participation of more than a dozen other entities, including the Panama Canal Authority, Panama's National Environmental Authority, the University of Panama, and Panamanian NGO's, private companies, and private landowners. PRORENA's mission is the development of ecologically and socio-economically viable strategies for the restoration of native forest cover to degraded Neotropical lands. The project aims to establish diverse native forest cover across extensive areas of deforested Panamanian lands and to demonstrate that large-scale ecological restoration in the tropics is technically feasible, socially attractive, and financially viable. To do so, the project has established extensive field trials with more than 40 different species in more than 12 research sites throughout Panama. Measurements have been carried out on more than 600 hectares of trials and plantations, and more than 50,000 individual trees. Multiple oppsertunites exist for students to conduct research related to their interests within the framework of PRORENA – ideally the research will also contribute to PRORENA’s goals. Fifteen F&ES master students have conducted research with PRORENA, which has resulted in 5 publications. Multiple doctoral students have also conducted their dissertation research with PRORENA.

CIFOR: Center for International Forestry Research

CIFOR is an international research and global knowledge institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics. CIFOR's high impact research helps local communities and small farmers gain their rightful share of forest resources, while increasing the production and value of forest products. CIFOR's mission is to contribute to the sustained well-being of people in developing countries, particularly in the tropics. It achieves this through collaborative, strategic and applied research and by promoting the transfer and adoption of appropriate new technologies and social systems for national development. CIFOR goals include: improving the scientific basis that underpins balanced management of forests and forest lands, developing policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forest goods and services, and assisting partner governments improve their capacity to research and support the optimal use of forests and forestlands. CIFOR conducts research in Africa, Central and South America, and South-East Asia. CIFOR currently has six priority research domains: climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, forest-related trade and investment, small-scale and community-based forestry, biodiversity conservation and development, and sustainable management of production forests. Research programs are designed to address the needs of the rural poor as well as environmental concerns. The research programs are: 1) Environmental services and sustainable use of forests focuses on enhancing sustainable use and conservation of forests and forested landscapes through the generation and dissemination of best practices for the management of forest ecosystems for the benefit of rural poor. It oversees research on biodiversity, carbon, fires, watershed functions, and the sustainable management and harvesting of forest products. 2) Forest governance examines the process of making and implementing decisions about the management of forests by people and organizations beyond the scale of the individual household or small enterprise. 3) Forests and livelihoods focuses on how human well-being can be enhanced through improving local forest-based practices, promoting smallholder and community involvement in industrial forestry, increasing the forestry content of poverty alleviation policies, strategies and programs, and by improving the outcomes of conservation and development outcomes

Agua Salud

The Agua Salud Project, an integrated ecosystem services project, is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Panama Canal Authority, Panama’s National Environmental Authority, and the HSBC Climate Partnership. The project seeks to understand and quantify the diverse set of ecological, social, and economic services provided by tropical forests in the Panama Canal Watershed. The Agua Salud Project research design is driven by the need to understand hydrological services. The Agua Salud Project has three key research questions: 1) How does land management affect carbon storage, water quality and quantity, dry-season water supply, and biodiversity? 2) Do different land-management approaches, including plantation forestry, influence groundwater storage, which is thought to be critical to maintaining dry-season flow in the Panama Canal region? 3) Can management techniques be designed to optimize forest production along with ecosystem services during reforestation? These questions will be examined within the focal research catchments in the Agua Salud and adjacent watersheds. The project seeks to understand how land use affects the distribution and dynamics of local flora and fauna. Toward that end, the project compares water-related soil and plant phenomena to carbon processing and storage in (1) a stable forest, (2) a stable deforested landscape, and (3) landscapes under various types of regrowth, including native-species and exotic plantations. In addition, the project is intended to expand to address the social and economic values of these forests. Plantations of native tree species were established in 2008. The project has established transects in the mature forest. Master students are welcome to design their own projects that contribute to the Agua Salud Project as a whole. Research applications will also have to be submitted to Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Proficiency in Spanish is strongly encouraged.

Center for Biodiversity Studies, Michelin Ecological Reserve

The Center for Biodiversity studies is located in, Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brazil. The center contains over 1,500 ha of the Atlantic forests. In order to preserve and enrich the biodiversity of this zone, the center is working on establishing one of the largest ecological corridors in Brazil. The 3,000 ha ecological corridor will link up existing blocks of forestland on the estate. Currently the center is working on reforestation through native tree species seedling plantings under rubber trees. The seedlings are grown by the center in its nursery. The Center is willing to host doctoral and master students that will be conducting research on the biodiversity of the Alantic rainforests. Contact Dr. Kevin Flesher, Director.

World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

ICRAF AFRICA: The World Agroforestry Centre has established a relationship with TRI to involve TRI fellows on projects in East, West and Central Africa. ICRAF-TRI research priorities for 2004 include: 1. Developing a market information system for AF products and services in Africa (regional) 2. Assessing the contribution of AF to conservation in buffer zones. 3. Evaluating and supporting nurseries and seed businesses 4. Landcare Africa. Studying and supporting collective action in East Africa (compare to SE Asia and South Africa). 5. Evaluating and comparing extension methods 6. Evaluating AF species from multiple perspectives 7. Ecological survey work, hydrological survey in Lake Victoria region For more information contact Diane Russell at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org.

African People & Wildlife Fund

The African People & Wildlife Fund (APW) works to conserve Africa's wildlife, protect their natural habitats, and to promote village development through innovative, multidisciplinary strategies that emphasize coexistence with the natural world.  The African People & Wildlife Fund was developed in response to increasing concerns over the threatened global status of large carnivore populations in Africa. The Fund helps provide new conservation solutions for Africa’s large carnivores. APW grew out of the realization that most protected areas are not large enough to protect genetically viable large carnivore populations, and therefore, the survival of Africa’s large carnivores depends upon the people utilizing land outside protected areas.  The Fund is currently active in the Tarangire ecosystem and the Selous-Niassa Corridor, both in Tanzania. APW is working towards a vision where healthy human communities live among and alongside healthy carnivore populations. The Fund has identified six key strategies for achieving its goal: Human-carnivore conflict resolution, building community capacity, training environmental leaders, collaborative carnivore conservation, non-protected area conservation, and African Lasting Landscapes. APW has an internship program through which Tanzanian and international master and doctoral students are welcome to collaborate and conduct research. Students that are fluent in Kiswahili are preferred.

ASANA: Friends of Nature of the Pacific Lowlands of Costa Rica

ASANA has been working on conservation and rural development issues in Costa Rica since 1987. Their main office is located within the Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge, which is a part of the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor. The Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor is an ambitious project that stretches 100 km along the Pacific coast from Corcovado National Park up to Manuel Antonio National Park and Los Santos Forest Reserve. Just as the fence line of trees joined isolated patches of forest together, The Path of the Tapir hopes to create a corridor of forest joining these National Parks and Reserves. Jaguar and Tapir no longer reside on Hacienda Barú but can still be found in Corcovado and Los Santos. The hope is that one day these animals pass through this land once again. The Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor initiative is run by local conservation organization ASANA. The NGO has been working in the following topics: ecotourism, environmental education, watershed management and sustainable water management, payment for environmental services, biodiversity monitoring, rural development, and non-timber forest products.

UGA Costa Rica - San Luis Research Station

The UGA San Luis Research Station is on a 170-acre working farm adjacent to the Monteverde Cloud forest Preserve in Costa Rica. The Station is situated in the upper catchment of the Guacimal River watershed that extends from the cloud forest to the Gulf of Nicoya, crossing multiple life zones and land-uses. Campus facilities include a climate-controled wet-lab, computer center, dining hall and residential center, and "casita village" for our graduate researchers and Resident Naturalists. The farm also has organic vegetable gardens and cattle, which supply produce, milk, and meat for the Station. UGA offers graduate students the opportunity to conduct research on the farm. The San Luis Research Station offers an excellent opportunity for F&ES students to carry out summer field research in areas such as ecology, hydrology, anthropology and social ecology. Students interested in carrying out research projects at the SLRS should contact Quint Newcomer, Station Director and Resident Scientist, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 706-583-0303.

Additional Partners

Conservation Strategy Fund has supported TRI students working on projects in Central and South America. More information may be found at http://www.conservation-strategy.org  Mindo Biosphere Station is looking for researchers interested in cloud forest ecosystems in Ecuador. Interested students should contact Tom Quesenberry at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For more information visit http://www.ecuadorcloudforest.com/html/station.html. Iwokrama Research Centre. The Iwokrama is an autonomous not-for-profit research and development institution established in Guyana. Iwokrama manages and conserves 3,700 square kilometers of pristine Guiana Shield Forest, dedicated as a protected area by the people of Guyana. They would welcome F&ES student researchers. For more information visit http://www.iwokrama.org Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and Conservation Center. Iracambi is a privately run field station bordering forest reserve in Brazil. TRI fellows are invited to join the Iracambi team in addressing their research needs: forestry restoration, community engagement, land management, and alternative income sources. For more information contact Robin Le Breton at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit http://www.iracambi.com Forest Concession Monitoring in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. A WCS-sponsored project to develop sustainable forestry management and conservation, including an ecological monitoring plan aims to measure conservation successes. For more information visit http://www.wcs.org/globalconservation/latinamerica/mesoamerica/guatemala New Haven/León Sister City Project, Nicaragua is a progressive, binational, grassroots organization that fosters a partnership between the communities of Greater New Haven, Connecticut and León, Nicaragua. Their mission is to promote social justice. In León, they engage in sustainable economic, human, and community development projects. For more information visit http://www.newhavenleon.org Nature and Culture International (NCI), Ecuador is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving biological and cultural diversity. For more information visit http://www.natureandculture.org/index1.php Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment (TIDE), Belize. TIDE’s mission is to research and monitor Toledo’s natural resources, to assist in protected areas planning and management and to lead the development of responsible tourism and other environmentally sustainable economic alternatives by providing training and support to local residents. For more information visit http://www.tidebelize.org Futuro Forestal, Panama. A public-private partnership, Futuro Forestal seeks to balance nature and business, through sustainable forestry project. For more information visit http://www.futuroforestal.com/home.php

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