Wednesday, August 8, 2007: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
C3&4, San Jose McEnery Convention Center
OOS 33 - Ecological restoration for poverty reduction
It has been well recognized that the maintenance of ecosystem functions and natural resources are vital for human well-being. Yet, many of the world’s 1.2 billion poorest people cannot benefit from nature’s goods and services because of severe environmental degradation. Deterioration of the natural environment perpetuates cycles of poverty by resulting in low food production from exhausted soils; lack of freshwater due to over-exploitation, siltation or contamination; loss of resources such as medicinal plants and fuelwood; and increased vulnerability to natural hazards. Such ecological problems may be further amplified by climate change, which is predicted to disproportionately impact poor and thus more vulnerable populations. Therefore, the restoration of ecosystems and their vital functions should be a priority in the global quest to eradicate extreme poverty and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the world’s most vulnerable people. In the context of poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals, restoration of ecosystems must aim to restore the structures and functions of pristine habitat as well as the goods and services that people depend upon for subsistence. Furthermore, restoration plans must be designed in the context of a changing physical environment.
Organizer:Cristina Rumbaitis-del Rio, Earth Institute at Columbia University
Co-organizer:Jane Ingram, Earth Institute at Columbia University
Moderator:Cristina Rumbaitis-del Rio, Earth Institute at Columbia University
1:30 PMHousehold-level effects on the patterns of deforestation near Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
Christopher P. Brooks, The University of Texas at Austin, Timothy H. Keitt, The University of Texas at Austin
1:50 PMInclusive planning for ecological restoration: A Toronto, Canada perspective
Allegra Newman, York University
2:10 PMEcosystem services in peopled landscapes: imitating the forest through the trees
Cheryl Palm, Earth Institute at Columbia University, Markus Walsh, Wold Agroforestry Center, Alex Awiti, Earth Institute at Columbia University
2:30 PMRestoration and beyond: Helping ecosystems and society heal
Kaustubh Moghe, Indian Institute of Cost & Management Studies & Research, Vivek Gour-Broome, Medicinal Plants Conservation Center
2:50 PMIn the process of restoring life-sustaining qualities of nature for survival, growth, and alleviating poverty: The Auroville experience
Nina Sengupta, Auroville Center for Scientific Research (CSR)
3:10 PMBreak
3:20 PMEcological restoration alleviates poverty and promotes biodiversity conservation on Bishnoi community lands in Rajasthan, India
Jonathan Hall, Ohio State University, Tom Waite, Ohio State University, Anil Chhanghani, School of Desert Sciences
3:40 PMAgrobiodiversity: Restoring human health as a principle ecosystem function in the Millenium Village of Kenya
Fabrice DeClerck, CATIE
4:00 PMSocial-ecological restoration for promoting resilience and reducing vulnerability
Jane Ingram, Earth Institute at Columbia University
4:20 PMEcological restoration of barrier forests can provide new means of income generation in Madagascar
Catherine L. Craig, Conservation through Poverty Alleviation, International and Harvard University, Robert S. Weber, Conservation through Poverty Alleviation, International

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See more of The ESA/SER Joint Meeting (August 5 -- August 10, 2007)