TROPICAL NETWORK

Ridge to Reef community action for ecocultural conservation

Overview: We promote the interaction of nature and culture and bio-based economies by implementing community-led landscape-scale management plans. Our network framework starts with developing a funding stream that is incubated by public, collective, and corporate investment with the goal to mature into self-sustaining conservation business management. New projects are developed using a networking approach where a mentor group (a Think Tank) is coordinated from network leadership team that works with new projects to help facilitate the process. Our program is not to create a hierarchy but to create a peer-to-peer support group to help NGOs and grassroots conservation efforts scale up to a landscape level.

Logistical

Over 6 million trees planted in partnership with our network. From project assessment, workforce capacity building, site preparation, nursery and greenhouse management, site maintenance, heavy machinery operation, human resource management, and financial management, we work with NGOs and communities to improve logistic systems.

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Ecological

Our goal is to use ecological monitoring to drive management decisions through adaptive management. By embedding biodiversity analyses into conservation credit portfolios through eDNA sampling, and acoustic, carbon, and soil monitoring, we promote better management decisions by communities and more confidence in grass-roots projects by funders.

Economic

From private, public, and corporate investment, we have a diverse funding portfolio that leads to results across our network. We focus on developing carbon and conservation credits by linking partners to funding opportunities. We invest in outreach to train NGOs in monitoring techniques to inform reforestation effectiveness.

Scientific

Our core staff and affiliated partners focus on methods to enhance restoration effectiveness, tree survival, maximize carbon sequestration rates, pre-adapt plants and animals to global warming, and engage public participation through citizen science.

Social

Our educational programs such as EcoKids, GreenDrone, and The Restoration Certificate Field School are all geared towards increasing public participation in land stewardship, revisioning cultural relationships to nature, and training the next generation of restoration practitioners. Community participation in the design, implementation, monitoring, and self-sustainable revenue generation are keys to long-term restoration success.

Interactional

A key thesis of our group is that cross-cultural networking enhances the overall creativity of our team. Through sharing stories of our different perspectives on nature interactions with culture, and the process of ecocultural restoration, we can inspire action. Our tropical network includes over 100 organizations that we work with to connect them to each other, with funding opportunities, and with emerging technologies and new social programs.

CULTURAL

The expression of our values of nature is the theme of our art. This is reflected in our restoration projects through incorporation of concepts illustrated in Earth Art, trail design, narratives, and videography. Expression of our values in nature and the process of acting on these values is a core component of our educational programs and community participatory process.

News & Info

EcoCulture News and Information

Puerto Rico

Biodiversity Monitoring Project

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Gulf of California

Increase Community Awareness

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Restoring Tropical Dry Forest in Panama

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Interactive Map

Coming soon…

Assessments throughout the region, 87 member of network, 28 countries. Prioritized for different funding streams. Makes financing easy. Over 10 million trees in the network. Network hubs in Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Our Project Portfolio

Please have a look at selected projects below to learn more about our work.