Jefferson Hall: Smart Reforestation: Advancing Tropical Forest Restoration for a Sustainable Future
Tropical reforestation has been recognized as an important tool in combating climate change as young forests can potentially take copious amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Yet restoring forests on infertile or degraded soils, the soils most likely targeted for restoration, can be particularly challenging. Smart Reforestation® is about planting the right trees in the right place, at the right time, and for the right reason. This talk will discuss how results form research on ecosystem services at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Agua Salud Project and how this has led to transdisciplinary research in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca or Indigenous area. Results showing how carbon payments and subsidies can make markets accessible for low wealth rural landowners who would otherwise be left out of projects will also be discussed, showing how such programs can improve local livelihoods and improve community resilience while also delivering a global benefit.
Dr. Jefferson Hall is a Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the lead scientist on the Agua Salud Project. A major research focus is on understanding the flow of goods and services provided by tropical forests and how they change with land use and climate change. His research projects include multidisciplinary teams of foresters, ecologists, hydrologists, economists, social scientists, and educators. During the last 10 years Jeff has led the establishment of a series of forest restoration trials that leverage Agua Salud research to restore forests for diverse benefits. In the Panama Canal Watershed and the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in western Panama Jeff and his team have combined more equitable carbon payments to indigenous peoples and other rural residents with their restoration trials.
Prior to joining the staff at STRI Dr. Hall worked for 20 years on different aspects of conservation and development in Central Africa. He started his career as a Peace Corps science teacher in Africa. He helped establish two protected areas, including the Okapi Faunal Reserve, a multiple use Reserve the size of Connecticut. He led a multi-year survey to understand the distribution and abundance of the Eastern Lowland Gorilla before undertaking his PhD research on the sustainable management of African mahogany. Jeff has authored over 100 scientific publications and policy and extension related books, book chapters, white papers, and other reports.