Most people believe that tropical deforestation contributes significantly to climate change.  We can safely assert that tropical deforestation and habitat degradation, combined with a seeming increase in severity and frequency of natural disasters, and sometimes drier (for example, in the Caribbean) or wetter conditions, are increasingly threatening the well-being and livelihoods of people who live near forests and/or depend on natural resources.  

Results/Conclusions

There is an important role for ecologists and other scientists to play in helping build capacity overseas in a number of different areas related to deforestation and climate change.  These could include better management of forests overall, including through integrated natural resource management; application of knowledge of the role of managed forests (e.g., plantations or restored forest), and agroforestry systems in the carbon cycle and biodiversity conservation, and practical recommendations; and improving capability to predict and respond to different disaster scenarios at the local, national and international scales.  Using two or three case studies from Mesoamerica and Caribbean, I hope to show how collaboration on forest inventory, monitoring and analysis and on fire and disaster preparedness has helped build local capacity and leadership in the countries where we work.  I also hope to highlight some additional areas where targeted scientific and technical cooperation could help improve natural resource management in the region.