We’d like you to meet Brian App! Brian is a natural resource management specialist with nearly 20 years of experience working in the environmental sector. From flipping through the pages of National Geographic to building more water-secure communities in Africa, he shares some of the highlights of his development journey. Brian is one reason #DevelopmentWorksHere.…
We’d like you to meet Alejandro “Alex” Arrivillaga! Alex is a biologist and the deputy chief of party for the USAID Guatemala Biodiversity Project. He shares some of the insight he’s gained over the course of his 25-year career working with communities to develop shared solutions for biodiversity conservation. Alex is one reason #DevelopmentWorksHere. 1.…
This paper was the result of Chemonics’ collaboration with the Conservation Solutions Lab (CSL) at Arizona State University to ask a very basic and important question: Do we have any evidence to show that this approach is achieving the results we seek? At the request of Chemonics and CSL, the authors traveled to three East…
Alejandro Arrivillaga is a biologist with more than 25 years of experience with complex, multi-country biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management projects, in government and non-governmental settings. Alejandro has a proven scientific record and experience with strategic planning and all aspects of resource assessment and monitoring. His work has required teamwork development, leadership and networking,…
This review was undertaken as part of a joint initiative, the Conservation Solutions Lab, between Arizona State University and Chemonics, and seeks to build knowledge and evidence-based approaches for more effective community engagement in conservation. The analysis revealed that the current evidence base is lacking the robust data needed to uncover the links between governance…
Carlos Morales has over 20 years of experience implementing USAID and other donor funded projects in Latin America. He worked for over than ten years in the Guatemalan food industry, developing an exhaustive understanding of the vegetables value chain and strong relationships with producers, suppliers, and international customers. Carlos worked with the World Wildlife Fund…
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program was implemented in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conserve biodiversity and reduce forest degradation, together with actions to support low emissions development and disaster risk reduction.
In Colombia, a country highly dependent on natural resources, climate change will have significant consequences. As the country consolidates a historic peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), it must also prepare for potential environmental deterioration as former combatants and displaced people resettle in rural areas. These challenges call for early action…
What do forest and species loss have to do with politics? A great deal, in fact. Conserving and protecting natural resources involves a complex set of power dynamics, interests, and economies — licit and illicit — that affect how a program can operate within an existing local system. Biodiversity programming must embrace a Thinking and…
From mangroves to pine trees and sea turtles to quetzals, Guatemala is home to an incredibly diverse host of species and ecosystems. As one of the most ecologically diverse nations on the planet, Guatemala’s biodiversity underpins its food security, clean air and water, economic development, and local livelihoods. But its complex ecosystems are vulnerable to…
Southern Africa has significant biodiversity and natural resources, as well as a robust legal framework for natural resource management across borders. However, most countries in the region are water scarce or water stressed. National policies lack harmonization across countries and between sectors, and poor and vulnerable populations lack enough benefits and incentives for sustainable resource…
Dr. Felix Gaschick is a biodiversity and forestry specialist with more than 15 years of experience conceptualizing and managing natural resource and livelihood programs across Mongolia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He joined Chemonics in 2013 and served as the biodiversity and forestry specialist for the USAID-funded Philippines Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and…