A little over one month ago, CSF completed its second Indonesian Economic Tools for Marine Conservation course hosted in Bali. Twenty-four Indonesian conservation professionals from nineteen institutions participated in the two-week course. Some of the institutions represented were the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Dept. of Environment and Forestry, University of Indonesia, TNC, WWF, as well as other national universities and NGOs and private consultants.

Dr. Rusdian Lubis, Mubariq Ahmad, and John Reid It is with great delight that we announce the official launch of CSF Indonesia!

Hairy Grayfish. Photo credit: Richard Brooks

For this month's Donor Spotlight series, I sat down with Jon Mellberg, a Bay Area-based contributor who has supported CSF's videos on economic valuation, part of our popular animated video series. He recently spent some time with me to discuss his background, why he supports CSF and even the best way to calculate the economic value of an elephant! Aja: Can you tell me a little about your career to date?

Conseravation Strategy Fund is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Mubariq Ahmad as the first Director of CSF-Indonesia. Mubariq has enjoyed a 30-year career working as economic policy researcher and professional activist in a variety of organizations including The World Bank (2009-2015), WWF (2003-2009), and LEI/Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute (1997-2000). He will take the helm of CSF's program on February 1.

The region of the Tapajós basin is considered the new frontier of energy expansion in Brazil. Specifically the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric project, the largest planned for the basin. If it is built, many ecosystem services will be impacted, influencing the well being of hundreds of local people who depend on them. In this perspective, CSF conducted a study that sought to understand the economic impacts on the services provided to local populations.

Course coordinators Margaret Duncan, Niki Gribi, Craig Martz, and Kim Bonine.CSF traveled to Sacramento, CA in October to lead a three-day training for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Participants included 28 members of the CDFW staff, and 6 members of the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). We were able to reach 16 staff in field offices across California using remote access technology and our online workspace.

CSF's sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4 out of 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

Our 17th annual International Economic Tools for Conservation course is underway at Stanford University! We have an amazing group of people from every corner of the globe sharing ideas about how to protect the ecosystems and human livelihoods of the world.