Evaluating the success of carbon projects aimed at protecting tropical forests and benefiting local livelihoods

I am a Professor of Conservation Science in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, where my research focuses on how to reconcile biodiversity conservation with meeting human food needs and other land-demanding activities; the costs and benefits of retaining intact ecosystems; and identifying what works in conservation. I collaborate closely with conservation practitioners and with colleagues in other disciplines, including economics and psychology. In my book Wild Hope he argues that cautious, evidence-based optimism is vital in tackling environmental challenges. I helped establish the Student Conference on Conservation Science, the Cambridge Conservation Forum, Earth Optimism, and most recently the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits.

Professor Bhaskar Vira FAcSS is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, and Professor of Political Economy at the Department of Geography, a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, and an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College.

Trained as an economist, Professor Vira’s research focuses on the political economy of land-use and landscape level strategies, water use and management, forest management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and human well-being, with a specific focus on South Asia. He works with a number of PhD students and early-career researchers on his broad interests in the political economy of environment and development, and has collaborations with colleagues in both academic and non-academic institutions in South Asia and around the world. Professor Vira is currently leading a major initiative on Decent Work and Youth Livelihoods. He has led large-scale applied research projects that involve interdisciplinary conversations across the natural and social services, and contributes regularly to policy advisory processes across the science-policy interface.

Nicolas has worked in Africa for over 10 years and is particularly interested in the nexus between development and conservation.

The overall purpose of Nicolas’ position is to manage the RSPB’s large-scale tropical forest conservation projects in Africa, the beacon being the Gola Landscape (>300,000 ha) within the Upper Guinea Forest Biodiversity hotspot, including the Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone (www.golarainforest.org) and the Gola Forest in Liberia. Duties include working with relevant Birdlife Partners, Governments, project staffs (~200) and corporates to lead the implementation of these projects and ensuring direct social benefits to >120 local communities. The Gola REDD Project is the first of its kind in the region, selling carbon credits on the voluntary market.

Zoë Cullen is Head of Conservation Finance at Fauna & Flora International, overseeing a programme of work to develop sustainable models for financing conservation and aligning local incentives with conservation objectives.

Zoë joined Fauna & FIora International (FFI) in 2006. Over the last 9 years she has worked in a range of roles, initially within the business and biodiversity and conservation capacity teams.  Then followed a 2 year secondment to the Indonesia programme where she worked with FFI’s unique Sumatran tiger conservation programme, developing a new programme of work with local NGOs and forest-edge communities to protect important forest areas outside the national park. Returning to the UK in 2011, Zoe joined the Environmental Markets team, and has recently returned from a one year sabbatical to complete the MBA course at Cambridge University.

She has a BSc in Zoology from Bristol University, an MSc in Environmental Policy, Planning and Regulation from the London School of Economics, and MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School, specialising in Social Innovation.

Sam has provided technical expertise to project development in 10 REDD+ projects (7+ countries) for more than five years.

Works on the development and implementation of REDD+ projects as well as the identification of new, financially viable REDD+ projects throughout the tropics.

Has worked closely with Sabah Forestry Department and the Oil Palm Industry to protect over 500,000 hectares of forest, providing a unique perspective on the contribution of carbon projects to forest conservation.

Visiting scholar at UCAM, is an environmental lawyer and senior researcher of the Brazilian National Research Agency, and has long-standing interests in carbon trading in the context of the Amazon. 

Valerie leads UNEP-WCMC’s  Climate Change and Biodiversity (CCB) Programme in its work on the impacts of climate change and related policy on biodiversity and ecosystem services and the role of ecosystems in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Her recent has focused especially on analytical and other approaches for supporting the potential of climate change mitigation policy and action to deliver multiple environmental benefits. This includes supporting countries to take account of biodiversity and ecosystem services in their land use planning for REDD+, and to identify and address the potential risks and benefits of REDD+ in the context of the Cancun Safeguards.