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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

    Map of Geographic distribution of participants 2019-2023: Europe 13.6%, USA and Canada 31.2%, Latin America and Caribbean 22.4%, Asia 14.3%, Australia and Pacific 1.3%, Africa 22.4%

    Participant Feedback

    In a survey of participants who successfully completed the program (n=240):

    Satisfaction

    97%

    of respondents are “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their experience in program

    Goals

    94%

    say the program met their goals for enrolling “extremely” or “very” well 

    Management Practices

    93%

    report that they have already made changes to land management practices or approaches 

    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

    Razakamanarivo portrait

    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. 

    Hoque portrait

    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.  

    Makhanu portrait

    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.”

    Rudolf Makhanu — TFL '23Nature Kenya, Kenya

    Professional Development and Career Advancement

    Cudjoe portrait

    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!” 


    Taveras portrait

    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!” 


    Elrod portrait

    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!” 


    Mbonayem portrait

    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

    Pervez Manan
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Pervez Manan

    Pervez Manan, a forester and climate financing expert in Pakistan, believes that sustainable and equitable forest management requires a broad set of technical and political skills — and an ability to listen to diverse stakeholders. The Tropical Forest Landscapes certificate program is helping him build that skill set and engage with like-minded practitioners from around the world. He hopes to adapt the best practices he’s learning to help increase the resilience of Pakistan’s forests. 

    Andrea Rodríguez Zepeda
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Andrea Rodríguez Zepeda

    As a climate change and sustainability consultant and co-founder of the Tierra Alta Fund,  Andrea Rodríguez Zepeda understands the importance of ensuring access to financing and technical resources to build resilient ecosystems and communities. She enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes certificate program to enhance her skills in facilitating equitable and sustainable conservation projects, and has already used what she’s learning in TFL to help secure seed funding alongside the Tierra Alta team for soil sampling and community workshops through the Mountain Sentinels Fellowship Program.

    Enver Mapanda
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Protecting African Woodlands

    The Miombo woodlands in Central Africa is a biodiversity hotspot and key natural resource for local populations. Enver Mapanda, head of forestry operations for Green Resources in Niassa, Mozambique, is leading an effort to conserve and restore parts of the woodlands  that are experiencing considerable degradation and deforestation. She enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program to help her develop new methods for preserving these vulnerable areas and achieve her “ultimate goal” of contributing to climate mitigation and adaption through forest conservation and restoration. 

    Peter Bulimo
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Empowering the Next Generation of Kenyan Climate Leaders

    Top-down approaches in conservation have led to the sidelining of Kenya’s youth and Indigenous populations in the decision, planning, and development process, says Peter Bulimo, global youth ambassador for the international non-profit Youth4Nature. To help equip the next generation of climate leaders with the skills they need to take action, he enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program

    Laura Orozco Romo
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Advancing Sustainable Agroforestry in Tanzania

    The One Acre Fund provides financing and training to over 1 million smallholder farmers across six countries in eastern and southern Africa. In Tanzania, the Fund’s carbon projects leader Laura Orozco Romo designs and manages projects that support the country’s small farmers through agroforestry. The Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program  is giving her a new perspective on the vital importance of community engagement in her initiatives, she says.

    Andres Melendro
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Financing Forest Restoration through Carbon Markets

    Working with governments in developing countries on forestry-related initiatives, Andrés Melendro conducts risk analysis and due diligence on the social, financial, and ecological feasibility of conservation and restoration projects. The Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program is helping him further understand the complexities involved in financing forestry initiatives through carbon markets, serving as a valuable tool for linking international climate policy with landscapes and livelihoods on the ground level. 

    Japheth Orieny
    Three Cairns Fellows

    Restoring Degraded Landscapes

    Japheth Orieny has seen firsthand how a top-down approach to land restoration can keep community members from being fully committed to conservation. An assistant director of communications for the Kenya Environmental Action Network, Orieny enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program to learn new ways to encourage stakeholder engagement and enhance fundraising efforts to get more community buy-in to climate action initiatives. 

    Stefanía Sibille
    Three Cairns Fellows

    A Low Carbon Future for the Amazon

    Stefanía Sibille Grández is part of a knowledge management team informing local populations, governments, and businesses on regional decarbonization trends and opportunities in one of the world’s most critical ecosystems, the Amazon. She enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program to develop a more holistic approach to the  initiative she works on across South America.

    Abdoul portrait

    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.” 

    Moro Taufic Abdoul — TFL '23, Three Cairns Fellow National Disaster Management Organization, Ghana