Volunteers preparing for virtual lobby meetings on the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) will gain expert insights from James Campbell, J.D., Director of Federal Affairs & Strategic Counsel at Megafire Action. He will address common Democratic concerns regarding FOFA.

This in-depth session, moderated by Dana Nuccitelli, CCL's Research Manager, will provide clear, informed talking points. These will help build understanding, find common ground, and strengthen your impact on Capitol Hill.

Learn more: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/healthy-forests/fix-our-forests/

Ben Blom, MF '10, Director of Stewardship and Restoration at Save the Redwoods League, will deliver a presentation.

His talk is titled "Restoring Redwoods: The Roles Humans Can Play in Repairing Iconic Forests."

The Brazilian Amazon faces widespread illegal encroachment, devastating ancient trees for export and exploiting rare resources. This critical issue impacts us all.

Indigenous forest guardians Marçal Guajajara and Puyr Tembé tirelessly defend their home from deforestation. Their struggle contrasts with an illegal logger, desperate for survival, and a landowner striving to preserve his property's ecosystem, yet ignored by authorities.

These diverse perspectives highlight the global economic links connecting Amazonian goods to consumers worldwide.

The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, a 2024 Earthshot Prize Finalist, protects 35 million hectares of forest across 30 Indigenous nations in Peru and Ecuador. Led by Uyunkar Domingo Peas, it champions planetary rights and highlights Indigenous peoples' vital conservation role.

Inspired by "moonshots," Prince William launched The Earthshot Prize to inspire a decade of planetary repair. It celebrates human ingenuity, proving environmental challenges can be overcome.

Watch The Earthshot Report on BBC iPlayer or PBS. More at earthshotprize.org; follow on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Dr. Akira Miyawaki proposes a disaster prevention plan to create authentic, self-sustaining tide embankment forests using native trees. These forests are designed to survive strong tsunamis and protect lives, contrasting with less effective man-made forests. A video explains this concept through interviews and animations, demonstrating the superior protection offered by native species. The initiative has inspired many volunteers, including Venerable Hioki from Rinnoji Temple, who believes these principles align with Buddhist teachings.

Venerable Hioki, the 44th Abbot of Rinnoji Soto Zen Temple and Association Chairman, was deeply moved by Dr. Miyawaki's proposal. He has since led local residents in planting over 33,000 native trees of more than 50 species around Rinnoji Temple. Committed to global education, he teaches children and adults worldwide about the vital importance of forests through media and public appearances.

The Miyawaki method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, is an accelerated afforestation technique. It creates dense urban forests in 20-30 years, significantly faster than conventional methods. By planting diverse native species closely, plants grow upwards, resulting in a forest that is 30 times denser, grows 10 times faster, and becomes maintenance-free within three years.

To implement this method, select a site at least 4 by 3 meters that receives a minimum of eight hours of daily sunlight. The process involves soil preparation, purchasing native plant species, forest design, plantation, tying plants to support sticks, and initial watering and monitoring.

Forests are vital, but current satellite data isn't granular enough for dispersed systems like agroforestry and dryland forests, which comprise over a third of global forests.

WRI, Land & Carbon Lab, and Meta partnered to develop an AI foundation model, creating the world’s first global 1-meter resolution map of tree canopy height, enabling individual tree detection worldwide.

This map provides a crucial baseline for monitoring individual trees, essential for measuring land use emissions and tracking conservation for climate and nature goals. Learn more: landcarbonlab.org/news-updates/mapping-trees-unprecedented-detail-ai

WRI's Global Restoration Initiative and Land & Carbon Lab, in partnership with Meta, have developed an AI foundation model. This model produced the world's first global 1-meter resolution map of tree canopy height, allowing single tree detection worldwide.

This data sets a baseline for monitoring individual trees, crucial for measuring land use emissions and tracking conservation efforts. It's a vital advancement for achieving global climate, nature, and people goals, showcasing the power of AI for earth monitoring.

Learn more: https://www.landcarbonlab.org/news-updates/mapping-trees-unprecedented-detail-ai

In honor of International Women's Day, join Indigenous leaders Alessandra Korap Munduruku (2023 Goldman Environmental Prize winner) and Puyr Tembé (co-founder, National Association of Indigenous Women Ancestral Warriors, Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of Pará), alongside Amazon Watch's Leila Salazar-López. They will discuss how Indigenous women are leading the movement to protect the Amazon and shift away from extractive systems.

Learn about critical issues facing the Brazilian Amazon, how the Munduruku and Tembé peoples defend their territories and secure land rights, and how you can participate in this vital collective effort.

Dr. Cathy Fitzgerald's talk, "Stories for a Wiser Forestry," at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens on March 27, 2023, addressed "The Right Tree in the Right Place." Responding to urgent IPCC warnings, she advocates for wiser ecological permanent forestry as an alternative to ecocidal clear-fell monoculture, fostering enduring well-being.

Fitzgerald's work, including her Hollywood Forest Story blog at HollywoodForest.com, details transforming a 2-acre conifer plantation into a resilient mixed-species forest. This innovative case study, recognized by Creative Carbon Scotland (link), promotes a shift to a life-promoting Symbiocene era. Her ecoliteracy courses at HaumeaEcoversity.ie further advance this global cultural shift towards sustainability.

Global wildfires are intensifying due to climate and land-use changes, with a projected 30% increase by 2050. Mitigating this growing risk is crucial for protecting human health and ecosystems.

Robots are increasingly vital for first responders, detecting, monitoring, and extinguishing blazes in hazardous environments too dangerous for human entry. An AI for Good webinar, streamed on January 18, 2023, showcased the next generation of autonomous firefighting robots, designed to work alongside emergency workers, enhancing safety and effectiveness on the front line.

This video features two excerpts from Mark Plotkin's speeches. His October 2014 TED Global talk in Rio de Janeiro addresses the critical endangerment of Amazonian indigenous cultures and uncontacted tribes, arguing they are the rainforest's most vulnerable species, not jaguars or eagles. Mark's Speech.

A second excerpt, from his August 2006 Authors@Google speech, emphasizes his view that protecting the earth is spiritually beneficial. Mark's August 2006 talk.

Published on December 1, 2014.

This film documents the Harakbut people's discovery of an enormous, ancient carved stone face in the Peruvian Amazon. This significant find could help prevent gold mining and petroleum companies from encroaching on their territories. Explore similar short films at If Not Us Then Who.

Produced by Handcrafted Films, this is one of many stories from over two years of participatory filming, articulating individual narratives from Indonesia to Peru.

These powerful visuals will be featured in a global roadshow leading up to COP21 in Paris. The initiative aims to draw attention to deforestation, promote community-based solutions, and pressure governments to commit to slowing climate change.

In an interview with Jungle Bird, Rebecca Moore, a computer scientist and software professional at Google, discussed her impactful work. She famously used Google Earth to halt the logging of over a thousand acres of redwoods in her Santa Cruz Mountain community.

Moore also initiated and leads the development of Google Earth Engine, a new technology platform supporting global-scale data-mining of satellite imagery for societal benefit. She holds a bachelor's degree in AI from Brown University, a master's from Stanford, and is on leave from a Stanford Ph.D. program. This interview was published on Sep 16, 2014.

Leaders in business, government, and conservation express support for Global Forest Watch (GFW), a dynamic online system empowering people to better manage forests.

Key supporters include Paul Polman (CEO, Unilever), Heru Prasetyo (Head of REDD+ Agency, Indonesia), and Dr. Jane Goodall (Founder, Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace).

This statement was published on Feb 20, 2014.

Global Forest Watch (GFW) is a dynamic online system for monitoring forests and providing alerts, empowering people worldwide to manage forests more effectively.

It integrates satellite technology, open data, and crowdsourcing to deliver timely, reliable information. This enables governments, businesses, and communities to take action and halt forest loss.

Created by the World Resources Institute with over 40 partners, including Google and the University of Maryland, GFW receives major funding from organizations like USAID and the Norwegian Climate and Forests Initiative. (Published Feb 20, 2014)

Hilario Saant, a community leader in Ecuador's Kapawi Achuar Territory, shares his firsthand account of oil extraction's devastating impact on his community and the forest.

This interview was conducted in February 2013 by Barry Heidt of Sustainability Action Media, with support from EarthSayers.tv and the Pachamama Alliance. An English translation is currently underway.

The World Resources Institute and partners recently previewed Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10 (UNFF) in Istanbul. This powerful new initiative aims to improve forest monitoring and management globally.

Speakers at the event included Zulkifli Hasan (Minister of Forestry, Indonesia), Kerri-Ann Jones (Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State), Wu Hongbo (Under-Secretary-General, United Nations), Naoko Ishii (CEO, Global Environment Facility), Tim Christophersen (Senior Program Officer, UNEP), and Nigel Sizer (Director, WRI).

Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack lent their voices to a cause against the sale of Irish public forests. This video captures Jeremy Irons reading at the Avondale Forest Walk on April 28, 2013.

Cathy Fitzgerald, Green Party Forest policy spokesperson, filmed this event. The Green Party's comprehensive 2012 Forest Policy advocates for continuous cover, permanent, non-clearfell forestry.

In Irish mythology, trees symbolize wealth. The Irish Government plans to sell over 1 million acres of public forests, managed by Coillte, to private investors. This vast area, equivalent to two counties, includes valuable native woodlands and vital refuges for Ireland's flora and fauna, which will be lost forever. Sign the petition here.

Swiss finance company Helvetia Wealth, owners of the International Forestry Fund (IFF) chaired by former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, has expressed interest, as has The China Investment Corporation.