Tropilunch 11/19/2024 – Big cats and the deadly impacts on human-wildlife conflict in Nepal

Tropilunch presentations are recorded weekly when possible and posted to TCD’s YouTube Channel. Tropilunch is a weekly seminar run by graduate students from the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program. It provides a forum for a range of discussions and presentations related to student and faculty work and research. Students are provided with an opportunity
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Recent published paper by TCD’s Marianne Schmink; alum Danny Pinedo and collaborators on Transformative change for Amazonian socio-bioeconomies.

Access the article “Transformative changes are needed to support socio-bioeconomy’s for people and ecosystems in the Amazon” here. Current social-technical and political conditions threaten the integrity of the Amazon biome. Overcoming these lock-ins requires structural transformations away from conventional economies towards ‘socio-bioeconomies’ (SBEs). SBEs are economies based on the sustainable use and restoration of Amazonian
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Transdisciplinary Research in the Amazon Program Fieldwork

Updates from Bolivia by Program Coordinator Marliz Arteaga. The time has come for our five research teams to head into the field. They consist of 5 UAP students, 3 UF researchers, 5 academic mentors, 2 field mentors, and 1 program coordinator. They are set to spend the next two weeks in the Alto Madeira watershed.
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Check out the new interactive map of the TCD community

We are working on building an interactive map of the worldwide TCD community. We have started to populate it with info about our current TCD students and hope by the beginning of the new year to have both Faculty and Alumni information updated as well. This map will illustrate the geographic and thematic diversity of
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TCD present at COP16

TCD is excited to be present at COP16 – 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – as we share experiences and learn how we can better adapt academic research and education to advance biocultural conservation and move towards more just and equitable approaches to conservation.  Our
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Remembering a beloved member of our TCD community

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Meshach Pierre, a recent UF/TCD/Sociology alum who received a Master’s degree and a TCD graduate certificate.  For his Master’s degree Meshach examined the human dimensions of human-jaguar conflict in the Rupununi region of Guyana, his home country.  He applied the interdisciplinary conservation criminology framework in
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Thank you from the TCD Student Group

We would like to thank the TCD community very much for attending our Taste of the Tropics on Sunday, April 28th!  As expected, it was a great gathering. We shared good food and had lots of fun while collaborating as a community with the TCD program.  We want to thank our TCD program coordinators, faculty
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Fall 2024 TCD Orientation & Gathering

Join us to learn about the TCD Program and TCD Student Group and hear about events , opportunities and reconnect / meet current and new students and faculty! Friday, August 30, 2024@ 12-4 pm in Smather’s Library, Room 100Join us for lunch *RSVP HERE* TCD FALL ORIENTATION/GATHERING August 30, 2024 (12:00-4:00 w/ lunch) Library East
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TCD Student Group Officer Nominations for 2024-2025

The academic year is about to end, and we are looking for new officers for 2024 – 2025! If you are interested in taking an active role to lead and serve the TCD student community, this is your chance! We are looking to fill positions for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Regional Representatives
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Upcoming Conservation and Development Forum: Language, Knowledge and the Environment: Implications for Biocultural Conservation

APRIL 19, 2024 Language, Knowledge, and the Environment: Implications for Biocultural Conservation Virtual panel (3:00-5:00 pm EST) Dr. Luisa Maffi — Co-founder and Director, Terralingua Dr. David Stringer — Associate Professor of Second Language Studies, Indiana University Dr. Marianne Ignace — Professor of Linguistics and Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University For more information, please contact
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Mini workshop “Sorting cards in social-environmental research: Sharing experiences about Q methodology”

Q Methodology combines qualitative and quantitative techniques to study ‘subjectivity’. Using Q techniques researchers are able to uncover and interpret shared views, perspectives, opinions, values and beliefs. Those shared viewpoints can then be described in rich detail. Let’s learn about experiences from UF graduate research. Opening by Dr. Catherine Tucker and discussion by Dr. Vanessa
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Biocultural Conservation Working Group planning meeting

We are a group of faculty and students affiliated to the TCD Program at UF who are interested in integrating a Biocultural approach to conservation in Tropical regions through collaborations among academia, practitioners, community leaders, and funders. We are going to have special guests for this upcoming meeting for in depth discussions about the theme:
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TCDsg Taste of the Tropics is on April 28, 2024

Taste of the Tropics 2024 TCD Student Group Annual Fundraiser When: Sunday, April 28thTime: 3:00-6:00 pm Where: 3440 NW 27th Place, Gainesville FL Home of Bette Loiselle and John Blake Bring a dish and get free entry!!  Please sign up for the competition:  We need lots of cooks to compete for great prizes. Cooks get free entry and
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Special event on Socio-environmental Governance & Justice in Latin America.

Please join us for a special TCD event! A debate on Current challenges and achievements for threatened socio-environmental landscapes in Latin America. Participants:Dr. Catherine Tucker, UF LAS & Anthropology; Dr. Stephen Perz, UF Sociology; and invited guest Dr. Joel Correia, Colorado State University. MONDAY, MARCH 18TH 2024 @ 4-6 pmUF BIODIVERSITYINSTITUTE AUDITORIUM432 NEWELL DRIVE, CISEBLDG
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Field Work Poster Festival and Workshop on navigating Intersectionality and Identity in Fieldwork

Join us this Friday for the workshop navigating Intersectionality and Identity in Fieldwork, planned and led by graduate students. It invites students to engage in a meaningful dialogue about fostering equity and inclusivity within research partnerships. We will delve into the importance of intersectionality and personal identities and examine their impact on our fieldwork practices.
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Help support UF Giving Day coming up on February 15, 2024 Help Support your TCD Program!

On February 15th, TCD is calling on its diverse community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, students, partners and friends to consider making a gift to “add value” to the lives of TCD’s amazing graduate students! Every 2-bits help TCD provide opportunities for graduate students to get to the field, work with partners and alums, embed themselves
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Support TCD graduate students!

For nearly 40 years TCD has been convening UF students, faculty, alumni and partners in the theoretical and practical advancement of tropical conservation and development through interdisciplinary research approaches and collaborative learning. TCD is recognized internationally as a key university program preparing the next generation to be agents of change to advance conservation, sustainable resource
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Paper result of Moore grant and collaborative learning process of the GIA project

The paper Gobernanza de proyectos de infraestructura: pueblos tradicionales y estrategias de conservación y sostenibilidad en la Amazonía recently published on the Canadia Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies is a product of the Moore grant and highlights the collaborative learning process of the GIA project. Several UF TCD students and faculty were authors
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Conservation and Development Forum: The role of museums in Biocultural Conservation – The Field Museum

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 20243:00-5:00 PM EST (VIRTUAL PANEL) Register HERE Dr. Paula Ungar, Senior Environmental Social Scientist Keller Science Action Center, The Field Museum As a biologist, Paula has explored the intersection of different forms of knowledge and biodiversity conservation. With experience in National Natural Parks of Colombia and NGOs, she focused on the Colombian
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Emily Pappo is the 2023 Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award recipient!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Emily Pappo is the 2023 winner of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program. Dr. Pappo received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology in Spring 2023 from School of Natural Resources and Environment under the supervision of Dr. S. Luke Flory (Chair) and
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TCD offered a new skills course this Fall on “Conservation Media”

How do you tell the story using multiple media.  The course was offered by Dr. Gabrielle Salazar, an environmental social scientist and conservation photographer. We are thrilled to share one of the final products of the course that highlights the conservation and restoration of UF’s McCarty Woods.  The story map was produced by Mariela Pajuelo,
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Conservation and Development Forum “The role of biocultural education in indigenous led conservation”

Dr. Faisal MoolaUniversity of Guelph and The Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 20233:00-4:40 PM UF Biodiversity Institute Auditorium,432 Newell Drive, CISE Bldg E251 Register here to have access to zoom meeting!

TCD student group BINGO fundraiser event on December 2, 2023!

It’s almost that Bingo time of year! Save the date, and get ready to support the student group, and win some early Christmas presents at Bingo 2023! Where:  3751 NW 23rd Place (Profs. Lucas Majure and Mariela Pajuelo’s home)When:  Saturday, December 2ndTime:  7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  

TCD Student Group Photo Treasure Hunt

Join the TCD sg in its first social event of the semester. Bring your cameras and let’s take pictures of ‘nature treasures’ along the trail! Capture the best nature photo and wind a prize! Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 9 am at Sweetwater Preserve East Trail. We would love to see you there!

Workshop Reimagining Fieldwork: Sharing Experiences & Transforming Approaches

This workshop aims to facilitate a discussion about the expectations, challenges, and realities of fieldwork while examining approaches that are more inclusive of local communities and collaborators.Topics to be discussed: WED. NOV. 1, 3:00 – 4:30 pmReitz Union – G330 Happy hour social to follow.@ First Magnitude Brewery!1220 SE Veitch St., Gainesville

“Biocultural Conservation in Higher Education” Report just released!

We are thrilled to make public a report on “Biocultural Conservation in Higher Education: Organizational Review and Consultation” that was done by TCD consultant Dr. Francisca Saavedra.  Over the years TCD has taken community-based conservation approaches that are characterized by partnerships with professionals, practitioners, and forest communities throughout the tropics.  Emerging from these experiences have
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Tropilunch 10/24/23: Let’s talk story. Biocultural Conservation in Higher education

You can find the presentations lined up for this semester and check past semesters’ lists, on the Tropilunch page. Tropilunch presentations are recorded weekly when possible and posted to TCD’s YouTube Channel. Tropilunch is a weekly seminar run by graduate students from the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program. It provides a forum for a
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Center for LAS Colloquium with TCD Faculty and Academic Advisor Dr. Karen Kainer

Join the Center for Latin American Studies Center for its Colloquia series featuring our own TCD Academic Advisor and faculty, Dr. Karen Kainer. Karen is presenting the seminar “Research agendas and collaborative management of tropical forests in Latin America“. This will take place on Friday, 9/13/23 at 4 pm in Grinter Hall, Room 376.

Small TCD world …

You don’t really expect to meet UF students, let alone TCD alumni in the Rupununi region of Guyana, one of the most sparsely populated areas on earth, but this is just what happened today! Sarina Kawall (MDP/TCD) was in the Rupununi, returning research results to communities’ courtesy of a TCD Practitioner Grant, when she ran
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UFIC highlights TCD new transdisciplinary participatory research exchange in partnership with Universidad Amazónica de Pando in Bolivia

Thanks to UF’s International Center for their highlight of our new transdisciplinary participatory research exchange in partnership with Universidad Amazónica de Pando in Bolivia. The project builds on a transdisciplinary research and mentor program that began with the Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon project ( see https://giamazon.org ). Working with professors from UF, UAP,
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Thanks to faculty that served on TCD selection committees!

As we begin the Fall 2023 semester, we want to shout out and give thanks to all of the incredible people that served on TCD Selection Committees in 2022-2023. Our TCD community cannot function without you and the reviews and guidance you provide to TCD students from across campus are invaluable. THANK YOU!! TCD Reviewers
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Helicopter Science Workshop Series: Power Dynamics in International Research

What can we learn from researching the researchers? Anthropologist Johanna Crane spent over a year studying a US-Uganda HIV research partnership as an ethnographer. In this talk, she’ll describe how international power dynamics can be embedded in mundane, taken-for-granted aspects of research like data management, grants administration, and indirect cost reimbursement. Using ethnographic examples from
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TCD Students among winners of Fieldwork Festival

Congratulations to the TCD students that have received an award at the Center for LAS Fieldwork Festival on March 10th. It was great to see all the posters from the LAS and TCD FRG awardees from the previous years. We can’t wait to see what you will have to share next spring from your 2023
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GIA 2 Working Group Intercultural Education: Lessons from La Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo

Biocultural Conservation is premised on collaborative exchange of knowledgeamong plural worldviews and perspectives. The Universidad Intercultural Maya deQuintana Roo (UIMQRoo), Mexico has been a leader in Intercultural Educationthat combines Indigenous language, culture, ways of thinking and cosmovisionwith the western scientific method. This webinar will present both the conceptual underpinning and practicalexperience of UIMQRoo in carrying
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Congratulations to our amazing graduate student facilitators for hosting UFIC/LAS/TCD Event

Congratulations to our amazing graduate student facilitators for hosting a student hands-on workshop to share experiences related to conducting field research internationally as part of UFIC’s Helicopter Science series (to promote meaningful and mutually beneficial international collaborations in research) and the Center for Latin America’s Fieldwork Festival.  Shout out in particular to Ana Meiga, Ana
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Special Lecture “Odors, ontologies, and the age of Covid: Ethnobotany for the 21st Century”

Please join us for a Special co-sponsored event by TCD and UF Ethnogarden “Odors, Ontologies, and the Age of COVID: Ethnobotany for the 21st Century” By Dr. Glenn H. Shepard Jr., Goeldi Museum, Brazil Thursday, March 9th, 4:00 – 5:15 PM McCARTY HALL B, Room 2102 Odors represent an important but little studied aspect of indigenous
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TCD alumna and TCD Faculty publish article on gender and forest resources management

Dr. Ana Luiza Violato Espada (SFGSS and TCD alumna) and Dr. Karen A. Kainer recently published a study of women’s participation in seven community-based timber projects within three Brazilian Amazonian extractive reserves. The article Women and timber management: From assigned cook to strategic decision-maker of community land use is free for download until April 8,
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HELICOPTER SCIENCE WORKSHOP SERIES: Engaging respectfully in international development research collaborations.

IF WE’RE NOT GOING TO DO “HELICOPTER SCIENCE,” THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO INSTEAD? In this talk, Elizabeth Hoffecker, will share a set of practices that she and her colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) D-Lab have developed for engaging in respectful, mutually-enriching, long-term collaborations with scholars and practitioner-researchers from around the
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Fieldwork Festival and Helicopter Science Workshop series

Join us for the annual LAS, TCD and MDP Field Research and Practicum poster session in the Fieldwork Festival, at Smathers Library Room 100, Friday, March 10th, from 2-4 pm.

Don’t miss TCD’s event of the year: Taste of the Tropics on April 15, 2023

The TCD Student Group is organizing the 2023 Taste of the Tropics, our annual fundraiser cooking competition with great prizes that brings together family and friends. The funds go directly to scholarships and other funding sources for TCD students. This year the Taste of the Tropics will be on: Saturday, Apri I 15th5:00-8:00 pm3440 NW
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Mahi Puri (WEC/TCD) has been awarded the 2022 M. Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award!

The Tropical Conservation and Development program congratulates Dr. Mahi Puri for being the 2022 recipient of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award.  Dr. Puri received her PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in 2021 under the supervision of Drs. Bette Loiselle (Advisor) and Elizabeth Pienaar (Co-Advisor).  The outstanding dissertation award was established in 2010 in
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Congratulations to new AAAS Fellow Dr. Emilio Bruna, TCD Core Faculty

Emilio Bruna, Professor in Center for Latin American Studies and Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, was elected as a Fellow into the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in recognition of his exceptional impact and achievements in research and teaching.  Dr. Bruna joined the University of Florida and the TCD program as a
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HELICOPTER SCIENCE WORKSHOP SERIES – The Fieldwork That We Envision: A Future of Equitable Field Biology and Reciprocity with Local Communities

Next Wednesday (Feb 1) from 1–3 PM in Reitz G-330, Dr. David Blackburn is hosting Dr. Rebecca Tarvin (Integrative Biology; UC-Berkeley) and doctoral student Valeria Ramírez Castañeda (in Becca’s lab a Berkeley) for an event titled “The Fieldwork That We Envision: A Future of Equitable Field Biology and Reciprocity with Local Communities”. There will be
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TCD student group Birdwatching activity In Sweetwater Park 

Everyone is invited to join the TCD student group for a welcome back to UF event. Watch some birds, spot some gators, make some friends!  TCD Gators go Birdwatching!  Where:  Sweetwater Wetlands ParkWhen:  Saturday, January 21stTime:  7:45 a.m.  We will have a limited number of binoculars available. Please bring your own if possible.To enhance your experience, download
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Generous Gift from Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation to Support Graduate Research in Field Biology

TCD is proud to announce a gift of $10,000 from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation to support graduate student research with a focus on field biology within TCD’s Field Research Grant competition.  TCD Field Research Grants support graduate students conducting research on issues of biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource use, and human well-being. Student research projects should make
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2023 Field Research Grant PRE-Award Info session

This session is for any student in the master or PhD program who may be interested in conducting field research during summer 2023. We’ll be going over some tips to get you prepared and to stay ahead of the game by discussing some important points, including: • IRB process to get approval to conduct research•
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Happy Holidays from TCD!

Wishing the TCD community, family and friends a joyful holiday season and a New Year of peace, health and prosperity. See you in 2023!

GIA2 Working Group on Biocultural Conservation: Envisioning academia’s role with NGO and community partners

The UF/TCD GIA project — a learning network of UF students and faculty with conservation practitioners from NGOs, community organizations and regional universities – concluded with a call for a biocultural approach that integrates conservation of tropical forests and rivers with the well-being of Indigenous and traditional communities.    We invite interested students and faculty
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TCD alumna Marcela Marquez wins the Women in Science 2022 award from L’Oreal-UNESCO

TCD has so MANY AMAZING alumni – we are so lucky to have such a distinguished community making impacts around the globe.  Today we celebrate Marcela Marquez who won the Women in Science 2022 award from L’Oreal-UNESCO !!! Just a few weeks ago, Marcela joined us at UF as the awardee for the Center for
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TCD Halloween Party on November 5, 2022

Costume contest, pumpkin carving & More! More info coming soon, including Potluck and carpool sign up links.

TCD Conservation & Development Forum: “Practical Guidance for working with Indigenous communities”

Join us on Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 4:30-6:30 pm in Newins-Ziegler Hall Room 376. Snacks provided, followed by an informal social at Cypress and Grove Brewery. Bio: Fernando Li Mr. Fernando Li hails from Yupukari Village, Region 9, Guyana. He has been working with research, conservation, tourism, and documentary film crews for much of
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Helicopter Science Event: Concepts, Practices and International Collaborations

We hope that you might attend this event which will be the first of several to focus on how one can engage in long-lasting, mutually beneficial, international collaborative research or partnerships that are inclusive and equitable. Complete info on flyer. If you have any questions, please contact TCD!  It’s an opportunity to practice your TCD
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2022 TCD Innovation Award Deadline is November 14, 2023

The Schmink Innovation Award seeks to ensure the long-term impact of the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program around the world by catalyzing new ideas and innovative approaches and by enabling shared learning throughout the tropics. This new TCD award is funded by an endowment that honors Dr. Marianne Schmink for her extraordinary contributions to
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TCD potluck at Jon’s and Karen’s house

Co-organized by TCD and the TCD Student Group TCD potluck at Jon’s and Karen’s house Co-organized by TCD and the TCD Student Group Where:  2260 NW 11th Avenue in GainesvilleWhen:  Friday, October 7Time:  ~1:00-6:00 pm or so Please feel free to bring: Your family! A friend!  Outdoor chairs if you have them. A mug or
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2022 TCD Working Group Grant deadline is October 10, 22

TCD Working Group Grants are designed to catalyze an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty to meet over the course of a semester or two semesters to address themes that involve the interface between conservation and development, or new connections between disciplines or approaches that have not been or have only been minimally explored. Competitive
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2022 TCD Conference and Practitioner Grants’ deadline is September 19, 22

The TCD Program announces a competition for conference funding for TCD students presenting a paper or poster at an academic conference or meeting. The semi-annual competition is held each Fall and Spring semester. Awards of $350 or less will be given each semester. The number of awards to be released depends on availability of funds.
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TCD Fall 2022 Annual Orientation & Gathering on September 9, 2022

Would you like to meet other graduate students and faculty working on issues related to Conservation and Sustainable Development?  From all over the world and from diverse disciplines? To kick off the new academic year, the Tropical Conservation and Development Program (TCD) will hold its Annual Fall Orientation/Gathering for students and faculty.  The purpose of
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Saddened by the loss of global conservation leader and UF/TCD alumnus Dr. Gustavo Fonseca

We are deeply saddened by the loss of global conservation leader Dr. Gustavo Fonseca, who passed away on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. At the time of his death, Gustavo was Director of Programs for The Global Environmental Facility.  Gustavo was a dear friend, alumnus, colleague, and mentor to the TCD program and countless others. His
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Schmink Innovation Awardee develops flipbook tool on gender equity in agroforesty activities in Uganda

“We Grow Together”  is a product developed by UF MDP and TCD alumna Katie Fiorillo Dowhaniuk in collaboration with PANGEA and Kijani Forestry in Uganda.  Katie previously worked on women’s empowerment in agroforestry activities with Kijani Forestry as part of her MDP practicum.  With funds from the TCD’s Marianne Schmink Innovation Fund, Katie returned to
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TCD Innovation Awardees organize virtual panels on Environmental governance

These panels are being organized by TCD students and alumni as part of their Schmink Innovation Award in collaboration with the IPDRS- Interaprendizaje. These will happen in Spanish and Portuguese and will take place via the IPDRS facebook page. Paneles Virtuales * Gobernanza ambiental en la Amazonia desde la perspectiva de los pueblos indigenas * Pedagogias
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Congratulations to the 2022 Fieldwork Festival Poster Exhibit winners!

Last Friday’s Fieldwork Festival was a success! Students from LAS, TCD, and MDP presented their research projects to judges, shared project advice with the 1st year cohort, and answered questions from the public during the poster exhibit. Congratulations to all! We are really proud that many of the awarded are TCD students that received support
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TCDsg fundraising event Taste of the Tropics is back!!!

The TCD Student Group is organizing the 2022 Taste of the Tropics, a fundraiser cooking competition with great prizes that brings together family and friends to have a good time and share delicious food. The funds go directly to scholarships and other funding sources for TCD students. This year the Taste of the Tropics will
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Congratulations to UF TCD and SNRE alumna Cristina Nuñez Godoy for her new publication “Willingness of private landowners to participate in forest conservation in the Chaco region of Argentina”

Congratulations to UF TCD and SNRE alumna Cristina Nuñez Godoy for her new publication “Willingness of private landowners to participate in forest conservation in the Chaco region of Argentina” in Forest Policy and Economics. This research was part of her PhD dissertation work and is co-authored by Elizabeth Pienaar and Lyn Branch. Great example of
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TCD Students get together for a student only retreat to talk about the Program

On the 24th of February, the TCD Student Group organized its first retreat bringing together students and alumni to discuss the TCD Program and the role of students in shaping it. It was a rich dialogue that recognize the value of the TCD community in the experience of being a graduate student working in the
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UF WEC/TCD faculty and TCD alum work with the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program of Guyana on finding solutions to human-wildlife conflict in the Rupununi region o was featured by the IUCN and FAO for World Wildlife Day.

UF WEC/TCD faculty and TCD alum Matt Hallett’s work with the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program of Guyana on finding solutions to human-wildlife conflict in the Rupununi region of Guyana was featured by the IUCN and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for World Wildlife Day. Part of this solution was engaging local
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TCD student group officers participated in a panel on “Women and Girls In Science”

Our TCD sg President and VP, Susana Ruiz Diaz and Vanessa Luna were invited as panelists in an event celebrating the Month of Women and Girls in Science. The discussion panel was hosted by UF SACNAS Chapter and was held virtually and in-person on February 28th, 2022. During the event, panelists and participants from different
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Center for Latin American Studies 2022 Conference: Community-driven strategies & action for biocultural conservation

The event will be online and consist of panels and discussions in Spanish and Portuguese and will be live-streamed on YouTube with simultaneous translation to English on Zoom. February 22 and February 241:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EST/Bogota/Quito)2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (La Paz/Manaus)3:00 – 6:00 pm (Asuncion/Brasilia) Event Agenda available HERE February 22, 2022https://ufl.zoom.us/j/91080801075?pwd=U0txRTh4bDJsWkduMzZyY2xuOWRWZz09
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Big THANK YOU from TCD!

From all of us at TCD THANK YOU so very much for your contributions and support on 2022 UF Giving Day!  We cannot do this without you!! A very special thanks to Jennifer Johnson, Omar Hernandez, Vanessa Luna and the TCD Student Group for their amazing behind the scenes support. https://bit.ly/TCDGivingDayhttps://bit.ly/TCDInnovationGivingDay

TCD Alumna Victoria Reyes Garcia interviewed by Marianne Schmink in Latinamericanist Newsletter

“In 1997, Victoria Reyes Garcia was living in Ecuador, working on her master’s thesis, and doing fieldwork in partnership with a newly founded U.S.-based research initiative called MERGE —Managing Ecosystems and Resources with Gender Emphasis. This connection would lead her to MERGE’s founder, Marianne Schmink, and eventually to the University of Florida, where she studied
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TCD Faculty published article “The number of tree species on Earth” in PNAS

TCD faculty Eben Broadbent (SFRC) and Angelica Almeyda Zambrano (LAS /TCD) are among the authors of the recenter paper The number of tree species on Earth published in PNAS. “One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties
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The TCD program certainly is looking forward to 2022!! Are you?

The TCD program certainly is looking forward to 2022, despite the challenges that are still in front of us.  Reflecting on 2021, there was much to be excited about including: A full, invigorating, and diverse Tropilunch series organized by TCD Student Group (see most of 2021 Tropilunch presentations on our you-tube channel – check out
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Sad new about the loss of one of the Amazon’s most promising scientist and conservationist – Dennis Lizarro

The Tropical Conservation Development (TCD) Program and the Governance Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) Project informs with great sadness the passing of Dennis Lizarro. Dennis died unexpectedly on December 11th, 2021 in Trinidad, Bolivia. He has been a valuable member of GIA’s Community of Practice and Learning in the Upper Madera since 2019. He was
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TCD wishes you and your family the best in this Holiday Season. We will see you in 2022!

Maira Irigaray is the 2021 M. Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award Recipient!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Maíra Irigaray is the 2021 winner of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program. Dr. Irigaray received her PhD in Geography in Fall 2020 under the supervision of Dr. Cynthia Simmons. The outstanding dissertation award was established in 2010 in recognition of
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Congratulations to Marliz Arteaga and Meshach Pierre for receiving UF International Student Achievement Awards

Congratulations to Marliz Arteaga and Meshach Pierre for receiving International Student Achievement Awards at 27thAnnual ISA Awards Ceremony in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom on November 16th. Marliz, a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Ecology in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, was awarded the Alec Courtelis Award.  Marliz will complete her PhD degree in
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TCD Faculty and alumni contributed to COP26 first-ever comprehensive report on the Amazon

Released this week at #COP26, the first-ever comprehensive report on the Amazon provides an overview of the state of the Amazon, current risks as well as recommendations for public policies and solutions to protect the Amazon and its peoples. Read more here: https://bit.ly/31OANlQ #amazonreport Congratulations to all of the TCD Faculty and alumni who contributed to
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TCD Student Group Halloween Party for the entire TCD community!

People who need a ride and who can give a ride can sign-in and coordinate.  Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WLS6fNF9acIlDZW9qzSZxk7Sy1VjE-05V3Xj_uF0MdY/edit?usp=sharing.

TCD Alumna Mahi Puri wins Best Talk award at Student Conference on Conservation Science in NY

Congratulations to Mahi Puri for winning the prestigious Best Talk award at the Student Conference on Conservation Science – New York hosted by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History. The meeting was held virtually from 5-8 October, 2021. Her talk was entitled “An integrated approach to prioritize carnivore conservation in
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TCD alumna interviewed by Forbes about her work in Andean Forests and to support Ecuador’s Women In STEM

TCD and UF Biology aluman María Claudia Segovia Salcedo is “not only helping to create a seed bank of Andean mountain plants, she is also planting the seeds for a more inclusive environment for women in STEM in Ecuador”. Read Claudia’s entire forbes interview on the link below. This Scientist Helps Andean Forests And Ecuador’s
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TCD 2021 Fall Orientation & Gathering

The Tropical Conservation and Development Program (TCD) will hold its Annual Fall Orientation/Gathering virtually again this year. We welcome all our UF faculty, continuing and new UF students, and alumni to join us!  Friday, September 10, 2021 @ 1 to 4 pm    RSVP here by Sept. 5th*so we can pre-organize break out groups for animated discussions
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TCD Student Meshach Pierre talks about his work and how he became a mental health advocate in recent interview

Meshach Pierre, MS Student in Criminology & Law and TCD, gave an interview to Unstoppable Yes You an outlet that highlights stories of Caribbean excellence. The article starts by saying that Meshach “found his passion for nature in the savannah of Pakuri, Guyana but it was in therapy he found his life’s purpose – mental
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Meet the new TCD Student Group officers for 21/22

We are so excited to announce the new TCD student group officers for the 2021-2022 academic year: President- Susana Ruiz Diaz VP- Vanessa Luna Celio Treasurer- Alejandro Sanchez MoralesSecretary- Viviana Rojas Bonzi Communications- Jennifer Johnson Tropilunch Coordinators- Medha Prakash & AJ Hart Regional representatives: Asia- Hermudandato; Africa- Metolo Foyet; Latin America- Omar Hernandez If you
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TCD hosts virtual workshop that brings together NGO, grassroot, academic & government partners from the Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) project.

This week, TCD hosts a virtual workshop across 3 days that brings together NGO, grassroot, academic and government partners from the Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) project.  GIA established a Community of Practice and Learning over the last 2 years with partners from 4  focal mosaics in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.   The workshop
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TCD Working Group publication on effectiveness of environmental governance in the Amazon

Hot off the Press!  Check out this May 17th publication in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change by TCD working group. This study evaluates effectiveness of environmental governance in the Amazon. By using comparative analysis of case studies and an integrated framework, these authors identify broader lessons learned regarding how to improve governance of natural resources
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TCD Alum Germain Mavah helping to improve wildlife conservation and food security in the Republic of the Congo

Germain Mavah has long been interested in the inter-relationships between wildlife, protected areas, rural people livelihoods, and natural resource governance in the Congo.  Working with Dr. Brian Child from UF’s Geography Dept. and the Center for African Studies, Germain received his PhD degree in Interdisciplinary Ecology (SNRE) and a TCD graduate certificate in 2015.  His dissertation examined
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Center for LAS 69th annual conference – Indigenous Rights, Environmental Change, and Development in South America’s Chaco

The two-day event brings frontline actors and academics to roundtable discussions and presentations on April 15-16, 2021 The UF Center for Latin American Studies will host the 69th Annual Conference, a virtual two-day program titled “Indigenous Rights, Environmental Change, and Development in South America’s Chaco,” on April 15-16, 2021. The conference will bring together frontline
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PhD student in TCD & FFGS awarded prestigious ITTO fellowship for the second time

Felipe Veluk Gutierrez, PhD student in School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatic Sciences, and leader in TCD’s Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon project awarded prestigious ITTO fellowship for the second time!  Felipe talks about his journey from Brazil through Central America, the Caribbean, and then University of Florida and back to Brazil for his
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MDP & TCD student Ange Asanzi’s defense presentation is now available. Congratulations!

Thank you all for coming together and supporting the TCD program on #GatorNationGivingDay

We so greatly appreciate your kindness.  Your support means the world to the TCD! It is so wonderful to be part of such a great community! #GatorNationGivingDay  #AllForTheGators For more than 30 years TCD has been convening UF students, faculty, alumni and partners in the theoretical and practical advancement of tropical conservation and development through interdisciplinary
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Congratulations to Dr. Karen Kainer for receiving UF CALS Graduate Teacher/Advisor of the Year!

Karen, a professor in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and TCD core faculty, was nominated by her graduate students [Stephanie Cadaval (SFRC)  Ana Violato Espada (SFRC), Johanna Depenthal (SFRC), Mabel Baez Schon (SFRC), Yeyetsi Maldonado Caballero (MDP)] for CALS prestigious faculty award. For nearly two decades Karen has been advising graduate students and
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Dr. Marianne Schmink Papers archived at UF Smathers Libraries

We are excited to share this link which provides a “Guide to Marianne Schmink Papers” bringing together her scholarly work over the past decades.  Marianne Schmink was one of the founders of the Tropical Conservation and Development Program and instrumental in both the preceding programs, such as the Amazon Research and Training Programs, as well
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TCD Student Group Trivia Night!

Join the TCD Student Group for a Tropical Trivia night! Reconnect with the TCD community while having some fun. Thursday, March 5th @ 7 – 8:30 pmA Zoom link and password will be sent to those registered prior to the event Register HERE

TCD Core Faculty Joel Correia receives UF International Award

Joel Correia received the University of Florida International Educator of the Year Award that recognizes extraordinary contributions in international education especially taking into consideration the impact on student learning and engagement with international issues, and the impact on international partners and the UF community as a whole.  Joel’s research and teaching focuses on the intersection
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Andrea Baudoin (SNRE/TCD) is the 2020 M. Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award Recipient!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. C. Andrea Baudoin Farah is the 2020 winner of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program. Dr. Baudoin received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology in 2019 from the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) program under the supervision of Dr. Stephen
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TCD Innovation Award deadline November 16, 2020

For application info, please visit the TCD Innovation Award page The Schmink Innovation Award seeks to ensure the long-term impact of the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program around the world by catalyzing new ideas and innovative approaches and by enabling shared learning throughout the tropics. This new TCD award is funded by an endowment
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TCD-SFRC’s Ana Violato Espada leads a community exchange in Brazil’s extractive reserves

Ana Violato Espada, a doctoral researcher at the University of Florida, organized a community exchange among users of six Brazilian Amazon extractive reserves to emphasize collective inquiry, experimentation grounded in experience, and the wealth of social learning related to community timber management. The community exchange was part of Ana’s fieldwork (May 2018 to September 2019)
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Congratulations to “Outstanding Colombian Abroad” Diana Alvira (SNRE & TCD Alumna)

UF SNRE and TCD alumna Diana (Tita) Alvira was selected by the Consulate of Colombia in Chicago as an outstanding Colombian working abroad in a ceremony on October 10th.This date coincides with the “National Day of the Colombian Migrant”, which was established in 1999 to recognize the courage and work of Colombians working outside of
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TCD Working Group Grant – Deadline 10.12.20

TCD Working Group Grants are designed to catalyze an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty to meet over the course of a semester or two semesters to address themes that involve the interface between conservation and development, or new connections between disciplines or approaches that have not been or have only been minimally explored. Competitive
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Workshop of the Amazon Dams International Research Network: “Key knowledge gaps for decision-making”

The 5th thematic session of the 3rd International Workshop of the Amazon Dams International Research Network, Panel 5: “Key knowledge gaps for decision-making”, is approaching.  It will be held on October 2, 2020 2:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (USA).  The panelists will be: Amarilis Gallardo, an associate professor in the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Polytechnic
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TCD Student Group Tropical Trivia Night

Join the TCD Student Group for a Tropical Trivia night! Reconnect with the TCD community while having some fun. Thursday, September 24th @ 7 – 8:30 pm A Zoom link and password will be sent to those registered prior to the event Register HERE

2020 TCD Fall Orientation & Gathering on Sept. 11, 2020

Join us to learn about the TCD Program, receive updates on its events and opportunities, meet current and new students, faculty and staff! Friday, September 11, 2020 @ 1 to 4 pm Zoom meeting(Meeting ID: 953 445 3775) RSVP here AGENDA 12:30-1:00: Zoom open for those who wish to login and catch up with others
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UF and TCD alums instrumental in developing regulations to protect urban wetlands in Chile!

UF and TCD alums instrumental in developing regulations to protect urban wetlands in Chile! After passage of an urban wetlands law in January 2020, Ignacio Rodríguez (UF SNRE alumni, Soil and Water Sciences Department) and Marcela Márquez García (UF SNRE alumni, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, TCD) were hired by Chile’s Ministry of Environment to develop
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Thank you for attending TCD Orientation

We would like to thank all of you that participated in TCD’s annual Orientation/Gathering.  We would also like to acknowledge and thank the exceptional skills of our facilitators – Becky Williams & Jon Dain, as well as the TCD student group.  As we continue on in this exceptional time, building and strengthening our community will
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GIA Webinar “Post-COVID19: a green and inclusive recovery to Latin America”

Post-COVID19: a green and inclusive recovery for Latin America  According to CEPAL, the effects of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean may include the most severe recession since 1930 and ruthless unemployment, poverty and inequality.  As commodity prices and international trade plummet, the crisis is also revealing vulnerabilities of highly fragmented global trade networks. There
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Gender, Local Communities, and Natural Ecosystems in Tambopata, Peru

The UF Center for Latin American Studies and the Tropical Conservation and Development Program are pleased to announce the release of the sixth MERGE case study, Gender, Local Communities, and Natural Ecosystems in Tambopata, Peru, written by Dr. Avecita Chicchón and Ms. Rosario Lanao. The Managing Ecosystems and Resources with Gender Emphasis (MERGE) Case Studies
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TCD Alumnus Publishes Work on Brazil Nut Productivity in Amazon

Check Eduardo Bongiolo and colleagues’ recent paper from his Masters at UF: Swidden fallow management to increase landscape-level Brazil nut productivity. The journal allowed a 50 days “grace” access period (no fees or registration required). Use the link here until April 29th to have access to the full paper. Highlights • Data confirm higher densities
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TCD alumna Dr. Amy Duchelle is internationally recognized as one of 16 Women Restoring the Earth

Dr. Amy Duchelle, SFRC and TCD alumna, was highlighted as one of 16 Women Restoring the Earth. Congratulations! Learn more about Dr. Duchelle’s work and the work of other remarkable women across many professions as they devote their careers to creating a better and more sustainable future from the Global Landscape Forum.  At CIFOR, Dr.
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Under the Tree of Life Workshop

Registration is Open, Space is Limited! UF/Latam and TCD faculty and students are invited to register until March 6, 2020: Under the Tree of Life: Biocultural Stories, Memories and Connections. Workshop: March 20, 2020, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Terrace Room, Norman Hall – 1221 SW 5th Ave., College of Education, University of Florida. Registration form here.
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TCD students launch Crowdfunding Campaigns!

The TCD Fundraising Class has been hard at work preparing their crowdfunding campaigns… and they are now LIVE! Join them as they carry out some fantastic research or work with partner institutions to advance their conservation and development goals. 9 graduate students in the TCD launched their GoFundMe campaigns to support their summer research or professional
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The Amazon Dams Network is expanding!

An International Workshop Marks the Amazon Dams Network Partnership with Bolivia The Amazon Dams Network (ADN) announced the inclusion of Bolivian partners in the network. The international workshop “Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon: Dialogue on research opportunities and impact analysis” marks the beginning of this collaborative effort. This event, held from May 14 to
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2019 Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award in Tropical Conservation and Development

Our congratulations go to Dr. Myrian Sá Leitão Barboza for being selected the 2019 recipient of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program in the Center for Latin American Studies.  Dr. Barboza is the 10th recipient of this prestigious dissertation award that honors Dr. Schmink for her significant and
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TCD and WEC alumna Sheherazade Master’s work hit the NYTimes.

Study shows that flying foxes are crucial for durian pollination, demonstrating the economic importance of bats for durian fruit production in Indonesia. Durian is economically important for local livelihoods in Indonesia. The study investigated the identity of pollinators of semi‐wild durian and subsequently estimated the economic contribution of these pollination services. The researches, including a
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GIA Project Webinars

The University of Florida’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program is leading an initiative “Governance Infrastructure in the Amazon” (GIA) to create, strengthen, and expand a Community of Practice within four regions of the Amazon: Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. Together with our partners in the field, we are examining different tools and strategies used to
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TCDsg Bingo *December 6*

The TCD Bingo is an annual event organized by the TCD Student Group. This is a fundraising event that brings together family and friends to build our community and have a great time. The funds go directly to scholarships and other funding sources for TCD students. This year the Bingo will be on Friday, December
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TCD Alumni lead Gender workshop in Peru and the Women in Conservation Declaration

Click here to read the full Declaration in Spanish. Soon to be translated into English and Portuguese. For more information please contact Antonieta Eguren.

TCD alumna publishes work on bats and durian pollination in Indonesia

Check Sheherazade ‘s recent paper from her Masters at UF: ‘Contributions of bats to the local economy through durian pollination in Sulawesi, Indonesia’. Durian is economically important for local livelihoods in Indonesia. Our study investigated the identity of pollinators of semi‐wild durian and subsequently estimated the economic contribution of these pollination services. We conducted pollination
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TCD students and alumna working together to improve tourism and conservation in the Brazilian Amazon

For a week, TCD students Igor Vianna and Ana Luiza Violato Espada, worked with TCD alumna Paula Pinheiro, to prospect new activities related to canoeing, ecotourism, and naturally protected areas in the Western Brazilian Amazon. Every year, since 2017, Igor Vianna and Ana Luiza organize outrigger paddling expeditions in the Amazonian rivers as a strategy
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TCDsg Conservation & Development Forum on Burning Forests in South America

A recording of the event will be available on the TCD YouTube channel very soon. Thanks to all that contributed to a great event and discussion.

2018 Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award Presentation

Co-management of natural resources in the Lower Juruá Extractive Reserve, Central-West Brazilian Amazon Recording of this talk will be available soon Presentation Summary: Paula’s dissertation examined different perspectives of natural resource governance in the co-management of the Lower Juruá Extractive Reserve, in the central-western Brazilian Amazon, involving the federal government (ICMBio) and local communities. Through
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It is not only the Amazon that is burning…

The expanding extractive frontier is leading to the rapid deforestation of the Paraguayan Chaco, creating fragmented forests and raising questions about socio-environmental justice. Photo by Joel E. Correia, 2019. TCD & LAS Faculty, Joel Correia recently published the article “South America’s second-largest forest is also burning – and ‘environmentally friendly’ charcoal is subsidizing its destruction” in
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TCD & MDP Forum: Documenting Socio – Economic – Ecological Collapse in Rural Honduras

If you missed Becky William’s talk, click here to watch the recording. Thursday, Oct 10 @9:30 am in Grinter 471 The “migration crisis” in the US has governments, development organizations, and the public in an uproar over what is causing the migration, who is at fault, and what should be done about it. In this
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TCD students co-authors paper in Science about tropical montane rivers

College or Unit Name UF PhD and TCD student Suman Jumani and her co-authors argue that tropical montane rivers serve as sentinels of regional and global change threatened by infrastructure development, pollution, biodiversity loss, conflict over water use, among other human disturbances. Suman is in UF’s Soil and Water Science Department and was part of
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TCD student organizes workshop in Peru on community-based conservation

Last summer with the support of a local grass-root organization, Red AMA, Vanessa Luna organized a 2-day workshop in Chachapoyas, Peru to promote collective discussion on the factors that limit and facilitate the effective management of community-based conservation areas in the northern Peruvian Andes.  She brought together leaders from 10 communities and through use of
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Remembering Dr. Wendy Townsend

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr. Wendy Townsend, an alumna of the University of Florida (UF)’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and the Center for Latin America’s Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program, passed away on 10 August 2019 after a courageous battle against cancer. For the past
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SNRE & Amazon Dams Network (ADN) joint Seminar on the Grand Inga Dam in the DRC

Please see below the flyer for an upcoming talk on October 14 from 1:55 – 2:45 by UF MDP student Ange Asanzi titled ‘A socio-economic analysis of the world’s largest planned hydropower project: the Grand Inga Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo’, presented by the Amazon Dams Network and the University of Florida School
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TCD student publishes papers with support from TCD Field Research Grant

Congratulations to Ben Lowe and co-authors for two recently published articles. Ben’s work was supported in part from a TCD Field Research grant! Lowe, B. S., Jacobson, S. K., Anold, H., Mbonde, A. S., & Lorenzen, K. (2019). The neglected role of religion in fisheries management. Fish and Fisheries. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12388 Lowe, B. S., Jacobson, S. K., Anold, H.,
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TCD Faculty leads publication calling for improved policies to address the impacts of small dams in the Amazon

Improving policies and instruments to address cumulative impacts of small hydropower in the Amazon Authors: Simone Athayde, Carla G. Duarte, Amarilis L. C. F. Gallardo, Evandro M. Moretto, Luisa A. Sangoi, Ana Paula A. Dibo, Juliana Siqueira-Gay, Luis E. Sánchez Summary: In this perspective article, we highlight current policy challenges and options for assessing the
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Give us your feedback! 2019 TCD Orientation & Gathering Survey

We want to thank all of you that attended the TCD Fall Orientation / Gathering last week. We would greatly appreciate your feedback on the activities of the day by completing this short survey by September 20, 2019.

International Workshop: Governance, Sustainability & Infrastructure in the Amazon

As part of the Amazon Dams Network and the Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon project, the University of Florida in partnership Universidad Amazónica de Pando organized a 3-day workshop in Cobija, Bolivia.  This workshop brought together participants from Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and the US to dialogue about infrastructure development in the region, and
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Winner of the UAP Poster Competition: Jose Alberto Noco Mopi

José Alberto Noco Mopi, born in Guayaramerin, Beni, is a biologist by profession, a lover of nature, and a graduate of the Universidad Amazónica de Pando (UAP). In 2018 he participated in a project which monitored the Brazil nut harvest in the Reserva Nacional de Vida Silvestre Amazónica Manuripi. As a student he also studied
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Public Forum “Women leading change: Human rights & environmental justice in L. A.”

Please register for this event HERE

Thank you to all our sponsors & donors for another successful Taste of Tropics!!

Dear TCDers, In two weeks (March 30) we will have our great Spring Fundraising Event: TASTE OF THE TROPICS!! Yes, start thinking now about a winning dish to cook and participate in our delicious cooking competition. As you may already know we have 6 categories: Appetizers (Veggie and Non-Veggie), Main dish (Veggie and Non-Veggie), Dessert and
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TCD Field Research Grant application deadline: Monday, March 4, 2019

For complete info on how to apply, click here TCD Field Research Grants support field research addressing the issues of biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource use, and human well-being in the tropics at Master’s and preliminary doctoral levels (i.e. Doctoral level funding is intended for initial site visits and preliminary research activities only). Grants will average
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TCD student group weekly TropiCafe comes back in Fall 19

We want to invite you to join us for an afternoon Coffee after Tropilunch where we can connect and strengthen our TCD student community. The idea is to create a space where we can talk about whatever comes up, like continuing Tropilunch discussions, chat about life as a graduate student, plan future events and etc.
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TCD congratulates Dr. Paula Pinheiro on her selection as the 2018 recipient of the M. Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award!

 We are pleased to announce that Dr. Paula Soares Pinheiro is the 2018 winner of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award from UF’s Tropical Conservation and Development Program. Dr. Pinheiro received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology in 2018 from the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) program under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Perz.
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TCD members participate in an important Brazilian Grassroots Movement meeting

Includes information from Agência Acre A meeting to remember and reaffirm Chico Mendes’s legacy was organized by the Brazilian Grassroots Movement Conselho Nacional das Populações Extrativistas (CNS), in the hometown of the union leader, Xapuri, Acre State, during December, 15- 17, 2018. More than 500 people participated in the “Meeting Chico Mendes 30 Years: A
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TCD Faculty and collegues published study on cost/benefit of spatial intelligence use and nature restoration

Eben N. Broadbent, SFRC /TCD Faculty, and colleagues had their new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution “Strategic approaches to restoring ecosystem can triple conservation gains and halve costs”, which presents a novel approach to identify optimal priority areas for restoration, considering multiple criteria such as biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and reduction of
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UF Law 2019 Costa Rica program: Law Policy and Professional Practice

21st Century Agenda for Amazon Conservation Paper

Dr. Cynthia Simmons, UF Geography and Dr. Robert Walker, UF Geography & Center for Latin American Studies, together with colleagues, recently published a 21st Century Agenda for Amazon Conservation in Biotropica.  They call for developing a system of refugia, advancing ability to predict impacts of infrastructure development, collaborative conservation planning, among other things.  This paper
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Confidence in Communication Workshop @ 11/29

Gardening for Graduate Gators Workshop @ 11/30

TCD student group would like to THANK YOU for a fantastic BINGO!

Cartoons as an education tool Mini Workshop @ 12/3

A TCD student, Farah Carrasco Rueda, has graciously agreed to share what she learned in a Workshop provided by Rohan Chakravarty (www.greenhumour.com), at the past 2018 Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation meeting, with the TCD community. Farah will provide the basics of generating cartoons of your study / favorite organism very informally to those
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Coffee & Development Workshop and Tasting

Do you want to know more about how coffee transforms from a humble bean, to a delicious drink in your mug? Do you want to know how to taste coffee? Are you curious about the livelihood of coffee farmers?Then come join us for our panel discussion on coffee production from farm to consumption. Our panel
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Trueke Market Exchange Event

What? A take on a Latin American tradition of alternative exchange markets where vendors are more than sellers, they are participants and community members. Bring goods or offer services to exchange and a willingness to connect with others. When? 3:30-5:30 PM- Friday, November 16 Facebook Event Where? Ethnoecology Garden 2799 SW 7th Pl, Gainesville, FL
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2017 Schmink Innovation Award winners present their work on cross-cultural learning and indigenous pedagogy

Click here to see the video of their Tropilunch’s presentation entitled “Basket of knowledge”: Weaving networks, connecting multiple ways of knowing and technologies through the creation and use of alternative didactic kits in indigenous pedagogy in Amazonas, Brazil 

2017 Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Awardee presenting special Tropilunch on Indigenous mobilization and livelihoods in Brazilian Amazon

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Thaissa Sobreiro, the 2017 winner of the Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award will be in Gainesville to present her dissertation “Indigenous mobilization and multi-local livelihood strategies in the Middle Rio Negro, northwestern Brazilian Amazon” during a Special Tropilunch in October. Dr. Sobreiro received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology
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Nature art activity available for TCD community

Would you like to take a break and let nature inspire your creativity in a different way than to study for courses, read papers and write grants? TCD is offering two activities for you to choose from: Mandala coloring (from UF counseling and Wellness Center) and rubber stamp carving for printmaking (see images and descriptions
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TCD alumna publishes research on Evaluating biodiversity workshops & promoting conservation in Chile

Hot off the press! “Evaluating biodiversity workshops in Chile: are farmers responding with conservation action? just published in Environmental Education Research. #MarcelaMarquez received her PhD from UF IFAS Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and is part of the @TCD_UF community – in fact former President of the TCDsg ! Congratulations Marcela, Susan and Olga!  Marcela Marquez,
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TCD co-organizes Workshop “Peoples of the Forest” as part of the Belém+30 Congress

Indigenous and traditional peoples share innovative juridical and technological tools for territorial management in the Belém+30 Congress For more information and access to the Workshop’s report, visit the event’s website or watch the event’s video. Last month, in an unprecedented collective effort, the Workshop Peoples of the Forest: Connections and Self-determination – Juridical and Technological Tools
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TCD students and faculty publish on how biases may influence conservation science

Mongabay has recently highlighted a study by TCD students Johanna Espin, Alyssa Cho & others and TCD Faculty Emilio Bruna on how “implicit gender, racial biases may lead to preventing a diversity of perspectives from being heard, and lessen chances of solving pressing conservation problems.

2018 TCD Annual Orientation & Gathering *New Venue*

Friday, August 31, 12:30 – 4:30 w/ lunch Terrace Room, UF Norman Hall *New venue* WHO * Everyone is welcome to attend! Any student and faculty member with interest in ‘conservation and development’ whether they are pursuing a TCD certificate or not. * If you already consider yourself a TCD student, please invite others that
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TCD Alumni publish paper on Conservation in the Southern Cone

TCD Alumni from Southern Cone Conservation Leadership Initiative just published a paper discussing the challenges and opportunities to advancing conservation in the Southern Cone; reporting out from multi-stakeholder group working together to find solutions.

2017 Amazon Workshop Report

Amazon Workshop Report The workshop on Tools and Strategies for Conservation and Development in the Amazon: Lessons Learned and Future Pathways took place in Gainesville, Florida on October 3-5, 2017. In a collective learning process of reflection and dialogue, the workshop participants analyzed lessons learned from a wide range of experiences and contexts in order 
to
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Have a great summer!

The Center for Latin American Studies and the Tropical Conservation and Development Program wish you a great summer and a successful fieldwork.

Bette Loiselle, TCD Director, was awarded the 2018 Brewster Award!!!

Congratulations to Bette Loiselle!! Dr. Loiselle is the recipient of the 2018 Brewster Award from the American Ornithological Society. The William Brewster Memorial Award is given annually to the author or co-authors of the most meritorious body of work (book, monograph, or series of related papers) on birds of the Western Hemisphere published during the past ten
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Participation as a virtual guest speaker in a K-12 classroom

Participation as a virtual guest speaker in a K-12 classroom The Outreach Office of the Center for Latin American Studies has a special request for your participation as a virtual guest in a K-12 classroom. The Virtual Guest Speaker Initiative through the Center’s Outreach Office is designed to bring an international or national expert into
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Special lectures by our guest speaker: Dr. Carlos Nobre

Lectures by guest speaker, Dr Carlos Nobre The Center for Latin American Studies, the Tropical Conservation and Development Program, Department of Geography, Florida-Brazil Linkage Institute, and UF Biodiversity Institute welcome Dr. Carlos Nobre to the University of Florida from 26-30 March 2018. Dr. Nobre will give two talks and be involved in several informal discussions during the week, and
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TCDsg Officers Nominations

Nominations Open for TCDsg Officers:   President Vice-president Secretary Treasurer Tropilunch Coordinator Regional Representatives (Asia, Africa, Latin America) Nominees should be current UF students who participate in TCD. Nomination Deadline: 23 March, 2018. Email nominations (name and role) to: benlowe@ufl.edu President: – Initiate and preside over TCDsg meetings and events – Serve as an authorized
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Save the date: Taste of the Tropics

Taste of the Tropics Mark your calendars for Saturday March 31st at 6:00 pm. Our famous cooking competition will take place at Bette Loiselle & John Blake’s house (3440 NW 27th Place, Gainesville FL.). The objective of the event is to raise funds that will be used for scholarships for TCD students. Please sign up here
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UF Faculty describe the struggle facing an indigenous tribe living alongside the Tapajos River in the Brazilian Amazon

UF Faculty describe the struggle facing an indigenous tribe living alongside the Tapajos River in the Brazilian Amazon Robert Walker and Cynthia Simmons published in the Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development journal an article entitled “Amazonia threatened: an indigenous tribe fights against the development of the hydroelectric plant in the Tapajós Valley“. Editors selected
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Guyana Capacity Building – Grant Recipients

Research Grant Recipients Three University of Guyana students receive research grants for natural resource management. The University of Guyana in collaboration with the University of Florida and the World Wildlife Fund-Guianas is proud to announce that three students, Ms. Wilda Hungito, Mr. Mark Ram, and Ms. Nadia Hunte, will receive research awards in support of
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2016 Schmink Dissertation Awardee Seminar

TCD and The Center for Latin American Studies would like to invite you to the 2016 Marianne Schmink Dissertation Awardee special seminar Tourism consumption of biodiversity: Thatch huts & tropical forest management By Dr. José Antonio Sierra Huelsz 2016 Marianne Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Awardee* Wednesday, February 28, 2018  11:30 am — 12:30 pm Grinter Hall – Room
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Recordings: Bat Acoustic Workshop

Working with acoustic data is a challenge that can be paralyzing due to the volumes of data generated that needs to be processed. Dr. Bruce Miller, a bat acoustics expert, took us on an exciting journey during the workshop “Bats Equal BIG DATA Challenges” at the University of Florida on 1 February 2018 in collaboration with
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PhD student presents work supported by TCD Program

PhD student presents work supported by TCD Program Ana Luiza Violato Espada, a 2nd-year PhD student of School of Forest Resources and Conservation with concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development at University of Florida (UF) is participating in the 24th Annual International Society of Tropical Foresters Conference at Yale University, New Haven, February 1-3, 2018.
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TCD Spring Party

We are hosting our first party for the semester and Karen Bailey is hosting the party this year, thank you! When: January, Friday 26th Time: 8pm Where: 3709 SW 15th St. We will have beer and wine and request $ 5 for cover charges. This will allow us to cover our costs. Please bring cash
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Fieldwork Festival

The University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies cordially invites you to participate in a Fieldwork Festival. February 9, 2018. ||  1:00 – 4:30pm ||   Reitz Union (rooms 3315 & 3320) The festival begins with an interactive workshop designed to build on and develop fieldwork skills and strategies for research, practicum and internship projects. Following,
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Women’s workshops at the 12th Gender Summit

Women’s workshops at the 12th Gender Summit 2017 After 3 workshops developed in Gainesville (Florida, USA), Quito (Ecuador) and Puerto Iguazú (Argentina), the organizing team of the workshops “Women in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges in Latin America” was invited to participate in a round table at the 12th Gender Summit (and the
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TCD members publish PLOS Biology paper

“As science becomes more international, scientific editorial boards lag behind”  UF TCD PhD Candidate Johanna Espin, UF TCD Faculty Emilio Bruna and others report lack of diversity in editors ​of major scientific journals. Read article here. Press Release

Special Seminar – Dr. Fonseca

Global Environment Facility, the International Multilateral Environmental Agreements Architecture, and My Experience in it. by Dr. Gustavo Fonseca, Global Environment Facility. Friday, December 15  |  3:30-4:30 pm  |  112 Newins-Ziegler Hall. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was created at the eve of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio to become the first financial mechanism to assist developing
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Primatology at UF – Dec 5-6, 2017

Two visiting primatologists, Dr. Tara Stoinski & Prof. David Watts, will share their research and conservation efforts on mountain gorillas in a series of events: Primatology researchers speak on Mountain Gorilla Conservation By Dr. Tara Stoinski & Professor David Watts Wednesday, December 6, 2017 | 12:00-3:00 pm Smathers Library (East) Room 100 Informal Workshop: Protecting Mountain Gorillas
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Report – UF Amazon Workshop

Join us to the Report Back and Analysis from TCD students! The event is to present and discuss with the TCD community the class project from LAS 6920: Knowledge, Governance and Land Use Dynamics in the Tropics, where students participated in the Workshop on Tools and Strategies for Conservation and Development in the Amazon: Lessons
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Gender, Race and Sexual Positionality in the field Workshop

Join the TCD student group for a very interesting Workshop! Thursday, December 7, 2017 | From 9:00-12:00pm | CSE E221

Tropilunch by Nicholas Dowhaniuk

Join us for the semester’s last Tropilunch! “The Conflict After the War: Conservation, War, and Post-conflict Regrowth in Northern Uganda” By Nicholas Dowhaniuk on Tuesday-December 5th, 2017 from 12:45-1:45pm in Grintell Hall 376.  

Tropilunch by Dr. Allison

“Snakes, Crocodiles, and Markets: conservation, livelihoods, and wildlife trade on Cambodia’s Tonlé Sap” By Dr. Edward Allison on Tuesday-November 7th, 2017 from 12:45-1:45pm in Grintell Hall 376. Free grad student pizza luncheon with Dr. Allison on Wed, Nov 8, 12-2pm, in 185 Frazier Rogers Hall (just across Museum Road from NZH). RSVP to benlowe@ufl.edu

TCD student group Annual Bingo Fundraiser

The Bingo event is almost here!! The TCD Bingo is an annual fundraiser that brings together family and friends to have a good time. The funds go directly to scholarships and other funding sources for TCD students. This year the Bingo will be on  Friday November 3, 2017 from 6:30 to 10:30 pm at Patricia &
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Welcome to our new website!

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new website We hope you like the fresh new look to the website that will allow you to find the information you need more quickly and easily. Our new site offers simplified menu options and navigation, direct access to the information you need, and color-blinded colors. We
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TCD News

Congratulations to Bette Loiselle!! Dr. Loiselle is the recipient of the 2018 Brewster Award from the American Ornithological Society. The William Brewster Memorial Award is given annually to the author or co-authors of the most meritorious body of work (book, monograph, or series of related papers) on birds of the Western Hemisphere published during the past ten
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