Current Programs
Resilient Forests and Communities PrograM
The Smithsonian’s Resilient Forests and Communities Program brings a community-based lens to our longstanding research of tropical forests in Panama and around the world, recognizing that healthy forests and the communities that rely on them are an integral part of moving toward a more equitable and just future for all.
This Program is poised to address the most pressing challenges we face, by engaging with local communities, understanding forest governance and community-based management efforts, and researching socio-ecological impacts of carbon capture technologies. The Program includes existing STRI tropical forest research as well as the Smithsonian Bird-Friendly Coffee and Cocoa Program and the Bacurú Drōa forest monitoring project.
Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee and Cocoa
Smithsonian Bird Friendly® is a certification and research program that promotes biodiversity conservation in tropical agricultural landscapes. For over 20 years, Bird Friendly® has served as the environmental gold standard for coffee and cocoa agriculture. Certified farms provide high quality habitat to birds and other wildlife by conserving native shade trees and forest patches. Through the certification, these farms are able to access specialty markets and price premiums for their crops. Because of the growing standards, the Bird Friendly program is also a critical asset in fighting climate change.
The Smithsonian Bird Friendly program is part of the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and STRI.
Bacurú Drõa Forest Monitoring Project
Bacurú Drõa is an old-growth observatory research project in the Darien Gap, involving six local communities, and co-developed in collaboration with the Traditional Emberá Authorities of Tierras Colectivas of Balsa.
The project was created to establish a community-driven Old-Growth Forest Observatory in full partnership with the Emberá people of the Balsa River to enhance knowledge of old-growth forests, protect biodiversity and improve the local economy. Through capacity-building, empowering and innovative research driven methods, the project is also helping to develop local governance to ensure forest and species conservation, cultural survival and food-security.
MARINE AND ISLAND RESILIENCE
The Smithsonian’s Marine and Island Resilience program aims to develop and implement a robust, comprehensive socio-ecological framework to collect, analyze, integrate, and utilize information on the health of the people and ecosystems from across key coastal and ocean regions, starting with the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands regions.
The Marine Resilience Program, via a combined focus on science, shared capacity, and amplifying local leadership, will assemble the data and skills necessary to be leveraged by all parties to drive an effective implementation of conservation efforts in the region, to support resilient coastal communities and healthy marine environments.