saving the amazon from deforestation: conservation guru shares experiences at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 speaker series

(february 26, 2008 --thunder bay, on) this evening, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , faculty, staff, and community members gather in 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's agora to hear barbara zimmerman, director of conservation international's (ci) kayapó initiative, speak at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's 2008 speaker series.

dr. zimmerman presents her research experience in the amazon and discusses how the area's indigenous people have protected one of the world's most threatened forests from invasion and deforestation against great odds. the speaker series is hosted in conjunction with the university's 2008 research and innovation week.

barbara is an expert on the importance of indigenous peoples in conservation and the role conservation can play in helping indigenous groups maintain their traditional way of life. the amazon's amerindian tribes have been forced to actively pursue conservation by contesting the incursion of loggers onto their lands -- lands which form what is essentially the only barrier to the deforestation, fires, and frontier expansion that span the region. officially ratified kayapó territories span approximately 11 million hectares of forest and savanna in the southeastern amazon, forming the largest single-tract of protected forest in the tropics.

in the early days of ci's kayapó initiative, the goal of establishing a research station and small mahogany reserve in a single community seemed ambitious. today, the kayapó territory is the largest protected area of tropical forest in the world. its pristine lands stand in stark contrast to the deforestation of adjacent areas. all 14 communities of the kayapó nation are working in partnership with ci to ensure their land and people continue to flourish, and they demonstrate environmental leadership outside of their traditional boundaries. barbara has been part of this exceptional journey from its inception, ensuring the relationship between ci and the kayapó has remained one of respect and trust.

"kayapós of the 21st century must now defend almost 2,000 kms of border against invasion by ranchers, loggers, gold-miners, and developers in the lawless frontier," dr. zimmerman explains. although the kayapó have been able to halt expansion of ranching along the bulk of their eastern border for the last 20 years, the inexorable increase of deforestation pressure -- now aggressively impinging from all directions -- threatens to overpower their capacity to maintain control. "kayapó territory is basically being transformed into a large forest island within a sea of colonization and agriculture," says zimmerman. the last great timber stocks of the region survive only on kayapó territory, so logging has become extremely threatening to kayapó lands and culture. only a collective organization and common-property resource management regime of kayapó society -- in addition to adequate incentives and long-term partnerships with outside agencies -- will make it possible to achieve successful forest conservation tactics and results here.

"阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , through its faculty and 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , has always maintained a genuine connection with the natural world," says 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 president dr. fred gilbert. "the biodiversity of northwestern ontario and efforts to ensure its sustainability should allow us to relate to barbara's first-hand experience and expertise in environmental conservation."
the speaker series is a free public lecture offered by 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 as an information-sharing event and dialogue, in partnership with the chronicle journal and travelodge hotel airlane. barbara zimmerman's talk begins at 6:00 p.m. sharp, and everyone is welcome, but seating is limited so early arrival is recommended. parking is free after 5:30 p.m. for more information, be sure to visit the university's online calendar of events at http://events.lakeheadu.ca

growing up in toronto, ontario, barbara zimmerman never dreamed she would spend much of her adult life deep in the amazon. her interest in the rainforests of the amazon originally drew her to brazil, and she earned both her masters and phd as a result of her research on the region's tropical ecology. when she first encountered the kayapó tribe on a research expedition in the southeastern amazon forest, she immediately recognized a tremendous conservation opportunity to work with the region's people while working to keep a massive swath of its tropical forest intact. during her time in the field, barbara meets with the kayapo in their communities and coordinates sustainable development projects and surveillance with the local partner organizations responsible for implementing the projects. in the summer months, she and her colleague from the university of maryland give a university field-course; barbara presents information on tropical biology and her colleague presents anthropology-related information. all of this takes place at a camp they have in one of the kayapo villages. additionally, barbara and others involved in these projects undertake fundraising tasks including proposal and report development, biological surveys, and the organization and execution of donor trips to the kayapo.

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media: for additional information regarding this media release, please contact:
heather scott, communications officer, 807-343-8177, commun@lakeheadu.ca, or
eleanor abaya, director of communications, 807-343-8372, eabaya@lakeheadu.ca.

about lakehead
lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. with a main campus located in thunder bay, ontario and a campus in orillia, ontario, lakehead has over 7,700 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the northernontarioschool of medicine. in 2006, research infosource inc. named lakehead universitycanada's researchuniversity of the year in the undergraduate category. for more information on lakeheaduniversity, visit www.hsbcwebinars.com

about conservation international (ci)
ci applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. ci has been in the lead in establishing several large scale marine management regimes, known as seascapes, to help conserve coral reefs and other rich biological diversity. with headquarters in the washington, d.c. metropolitan area, ci works in more than 40 countries on four continents. for more information about ci, visit www.conservation.org