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People around the world are restoring animals, plants, and trees in their landscapes and seascapes for future generations, and, in doing so, are finding creative ways to make a living. Watch the discussion from visionaries and changemakers from the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States.

Sponsor

This session in presented in partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios.

About the Participants

Julie Robinson has focused her work on marine research and conservation off the coast of Belize for over twenty-five years. She is the director for the Belize Program of The Nature Conservancy, overseeing Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Carbon Programs. In addition, she is leading the Belize Blue Bonds Program, the largest debt restructure for marine conservation ever done and is about to launch a Regenerative Agriculture program.

Michael Judd is the founder of Ecologia Edible and SilvoCulture and has worked with agro-ecological and whole-system designs throughout the Americas for over two decades, focusing on applying permaculture and ecological design. His projects increase local food security and community health in both tropical and temperate growing regions. He is also the author of Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist and For the Love of Paw Paws.

Philip Karp is an independent citizen scientist, ocean advocate, and film producer, formerly with the World Bank where he was a knowledge management and learning specialist. His research and advocacy work are focused on the interface between marine conservation and livelihoods, with particular emphasis on empowering and creating new livelihood opportunities for coastal communities. He is currently producing an original documentary film focused on women’s leadership in marine conservation.

Semi Lotawa is an Indigenous Fijian from Nalotawa Village, Yakete, Ba. He is the co-founder and operations manager at Rise Beyond the Reef. Lotawa worked in forestry with a focus on sustainable community development. His goal was to secure sizeable investment from the private sector markets within the United States to continue his pursuit of sustainable development for Indigenous communities in the Pacific. He worked as an investment analyst for five years, co-founded Serevi Rugby, and is the Fiji CEO of Callison Pacific Pine Chemicals.

Delphin Mukira is the chief program officer at The Maa Trust. She coordinates Education, Health and WASH, Child Rights, Women and Youth Empowerment, Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation programs at the Trust. She previously worked in a conservation organization in the Mount Kenya region managing a health program which focuses on population health and environment.

Alison Sant is a partner and co-founder of the Studio for Urban Projects, an interdisciplinary design collaborative based in San Francisco that works at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, art, and social activism. Sant is the author of From the Ground Up: Local Efforts to Create Resilient Cities (Island Press, 2022). She has taught at the College of Environmental Design, University of California Berkeley, the California College of the Arts, Mills College, and the San Francisco Art Institute.