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Conference proceedings

The need for the meeting

Savanna woodlands are important to the livelihoods of many people and are becoming increasingly threatened by deforestation, fire and climate change. The market for ecosystem services, in particular terrestrial carbon offsets is important for its role in regulating the global climate, maintaining biodiversity and promoting sustainable land-use options. The capacity of savanna areas to sequester carbon therefore has potential for poverty alleviation and development in rural communities.

The Miombo project is just one project which has utilised the opportunities which are emerging from the development of the global carbon market, and this has been done very successfully. It is therefore important for the lessons learned to be shared with others. Many successfully developed community led projects together have the potential for protecting natural habitat and restoring degraded areas as well as providing for rural people over large areas of dryland forests in eastern Africa.

Speakers:

• Neil Bird - Joanneum Research, Institute of Energy Research
• Eric Bettelheim - Sustainable Forestry Management Ltd.
• Prof. John Grace - University of Edinburgh
• Robert Harley - Camco
• Robin Harper - MSP
• Rohit Jindal - Michigan State University
• Dominick Kwesha - Universidade Católica de Moçambique
  
• Dr. Heather Lovell - University of Edinburgh
  
• Emmanuel Matsika - PESAD, Miombo Network Coordinator, Zambia
  
• Willie McGhee - BioClimate Research & Development
• Alexa Morrison - BioClimate Research & Development
• Pauline Nantongo - The Environment Conservation Trust of Uganda
• Philip Powell - Envirotrade
• Dr. Peter Read - Massey University
• Dr. Robert Rees - University of Edinburgh, Scottish Agricultural College
• Casey Ryan - University of Edinburgh
• Antonio Serra - Envirotrade
• Dr. Margaret Skutsch - University of Twente
• Dr. Richard Tipper - The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management
• Ray Victurine - Wildlife Conservation Society of America
• Dr. Mat Williams - University of Edinburgh

Feedback:

Positive feedback was received about the conference, and delegates who enjoyed the meeting praised the scheduling the content of talks and discussions:

"This was one of the most useful conferences I have ever been to"

"The breakout groups... enabled much more interaction than traditional quenstion - answer sessions"

"The poster paper session with wine tasting was also very good for promoting discussion and stimulating interaction"

"The hospitality was great"