When: Monday, May 14, 2012 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Where: LeFrak Hall, Room 1124
Event Type(s): Seminar

Featuring: Dr. Ruth DeFries, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development
Colombia University

Seminar Abstract:
Tropical forests are at the nexus of competing demands for agricultural commodities, biofuels, conservation, and carbon storage. As increasing appetites of growing populations rise, the demands on tropical forests will only increase further. Some have argued that intensifying agricultural production will spare land for nature by concentrating production on less land. Results based on satellite data of the Amazon and elsewhere indicate that intensification can spare land for nature but only with targeted policies to reduce deforestation. Dr. DeFries' research focus is examining human transformation of the landscape and its consequences for climate, biogeochemical cycling, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services that make our planet habitable.

Website: geog.umd.edu/content/tropical-forests-agriculture-and-sparing-land-nature-seminar-dr-ruth-defries-monday-may-14-2

For more information, contact:
Dr. Tatiana Loboda
Department of Geographical Sciences
loboda@umd.edu
www.geog.umd.edu