Posted on May, 19 2016

In March, two members of the Forest and Climate team were invited by the Environmental Science Program at George Mason University to give a special seminar for their graduate students on REDD+ as a means to advance broader conservation agendas. 

Josefina Braña Varela, Senior Director, and Kristina Van Dexter, Senior Specialist, gave a comprehensive presentation on REDD+, covering a range of topics from the international through the community level: 

• The conceptual development of REDD+ through the establishment of the Warsaw Framework to the Paris Agreement; 
• How REDD+ is being developed at the national level in the countries where we work, along with some of the key challenges encountered and the need to promote REDD+ from an integrated land management approach; 
• Country specific examples of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, private sector engagement, and community approaches.

After the presentation, Josefina and Kristina fielded follow-up questions from students on the implementation of REDD+ and the role of local communities. 

Collaboration with universities is an important aspect of WWF’s forest and climate work, in terms of project implementation, and scientific and educational advancement. As an organization that bases its work on applied sciences, we strive to be a link between the academic realm and practitioners all over the world.  Through our wide network of academic institutions and community organizations, WWF connects the best science to the most recent data and developments on the ground in order to facilitate smarter and more just conservation strategies.