

Results
Since the launch of the TFL program in 2019, ELTI has enrolled six cohorts of participants, with an average cohort size of 74 individuals.
On This Page
The 400+ participants to date represent 70+ countries and 280+ organizations. These participants use the enhanced information, networks, and credentials to apply the knowledge and skills in their work, implement aspects of their Capstone projects, and advance or change careers.
Geographic Distribution of Participants

From Knowledge to Action
How past participants put what they learned into action
- Planned initiatives at the landscape level
- Implemented new practices
- Developed a comprehensive monitoring framework
- Created a funding proposal
- Thought holistically and critically about conservation
- Developed participatory approaches to stakeholder engagement
- Recognized bias and critical issues of social justice
- Began a new career in conservation

Building a Sustainable Future for Madagascar
After completing ELTI’s Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program in 2020, Herintsitohaina Razakamanarivo was quickly solicited by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in Madagascar. There, she helped lead the design of a 10-year strategic plan for the ministry for the implementation of a new national environmental program and headed a new department on environmental policy.

Responding to Humanitarian and Environmental Emergencies in Refugee Camps of Bangladesh
For Ehsan Hoque, the TFL program’s interdisciplinary content and rigorous approach to the Capstone project design equipped him with the tools to analyze and address the complex environmental issues facing refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. Since completing the program in 2020, Ehsan has spearheaded efforts to protect and restore over 700 hectares of degraded land. With the support of UNHCR and IUCN, Ehsan’s team deployed elephant watchtowers and response units, significantly reducing human-elephant conflict while improving the overall ecosystem. His efforts to introduce liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking have led to an 80% reduction in refugee wood fuel consumption.

The knowledge and skills I acquired from the certificate program makes me confident and well-equipped to undertake my role as a restoration practitioner. I received amazing mentorship, established incredible new networks, and deepened my understanding of topics highly relevant to my work to manage the restoration of 10,000 Ha of degraded landscapes in Tana Delta, Kenya.”
Professional Development and Career Advancement

Godwin Cudjoe
Three Cairns Fellow, TFL ’23, Ghana
“I'm happy to announce that I've started a new role with Rainforest Alliance (RA) as Lead for Thriving Landscapes, Sui River Landscape in Ghana. The Sui River Landscape spans 244,000 hectares, including 5 forest reserves, and is one of West Africa's most important cocoa growing areas. My immediate tasks are to develop a vision, strategies, and implementation actions together with stakeholders and partners. Essentially, the certificate program in practice!”

Gabriela Taveras
TFL '23, Dominican Republic
“I have seen many benefits of the program to my work and career thanks to knowledge I earned and skills I polished throughout the certificate program. My employer now assigns me more project management-related responsibilities. Additionally, thanks to the knowledge obtained through the TFL certificate program, I was selected to participate in my first ever Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt, and was selected for a competitive disaster management programme, sponsored by the Japanese government. My most important piece of advice? Don't hesitate to apply!”

Brandon Elrod
TFL '22, United States
“Through this program I gained the knowledge I needed to parlay my career in commercial arboriculture into a Community Forestry model. I've been able to incorporate many of the program's concepts already, including stakeholder mapping and stock and yield analysis, into my Community Forestry planning. For anyone like myself who is outside of the typical forest restoration scenario, I'd encourage you that the concepts apply far beyond the bounds of the obvious. It's worth your time investment!”

Liboum Mbonayem
TFL '20, Cameroon
“I recently became a Senior Program Officer for Rainforest International's Landscale for Africa program. The Yale certificate played a big role in my selection [for the position] because it made me credible. Thanks again to this program.”
Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Leaders

Thanks to ELTI and the support from the Three Cairns Program, I have learned how to restore forest landscapes for resilience against flooding, landslides, tidal waves, and windstorms. During the field course, I could interact first-hand with the farmers, the communities, and the organizations who bring sustainability practices and actions to light. Overall, ELTI has prepared me to navigate the right tapestry of traditional and community knowledge and social diversity which are integral for project success.”