Vol. 24., No. 10	November 20, 1998

CERC Wins $1 Million MacArthur Grant to Train New Environmental Leaders

By Bob Nelson

The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) won a $1 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to train a new generation of environmental leaders from developing countries.

For the next five years the MacArthur grant will provide two graduate fellowships, two visiting scholar fellowships, three mid-career training fellowships for environmental professionals and the funds to bring six highly-placed international environmental officials to CERC's Environmental Leaders Forum, held each spring.

"This important funding from the MacArthur Foundation will enable [CERC] to bring in a new international group of scholars and practitioners, who in turn will enrich biodiversity conservation communities and activities in their home countries." Don J. Melnick, director of CERC and professor of anthropology and biological sciences at Columbia, said.

CERC's Environmental Leaders Forum, a 10-day intensive workshop with international wildlife and environmental officials, helps attendees develop strategies to carry out their individual mandates for biodiversity conservation. The third annual forum, held in May 1998, discussed conflict between humans and animals, from direct predation to exchange of diseases. The fourth forum, in May 1999, will focus on ecosystem fragmentation. CERC is a part of the Columbia Earth Institute, the University's initiative to develop strategies for wise stewardship of the planet.