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 PM	OOS 33-1		Household-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 PM	OOS 33-2		Inclusive planning for ecological restoration: A Toronto, Canada perspective Allegra Newman, York University
2:10 PM	OOS 33-3		Ecosystem 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 PM	OOS 33-4		Restoration 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 PM	OOS 33-5		In 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 PM			Break
3:20 PM	OOS 33-6		Ecological 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 PM	OOS 33-7		Agrobiodiversity: Restoring human health as a principle ecosystem function in the Millenium Village of Kenya Fabrice DeClerck, CATIE
4:00 PM	OOS 33-8		Social-ecological restoration for promoting resilience and reducing vulnerability Jane Ingram, Earth Institute at Columbia University
4:20 PM	OOS 33-9		Ecological 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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