The Yale Chapter of ISTF  

 

The first student chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) was organized at Yale in 1989, as part of a network of natural resource professionals concerned with tropical resource management. ISTF provides a forum for students with interests and experiences in linking natural resource conservation and management with economic development. Members participate in a range of social, educational, and professional activities that promote the sharing of experiences and knowledge related to resource management in developing countries.

Members of ISTF at Yale also contribute to the development of new policies and curriculum in the tropical studies program at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Each year, Yale ISTF organizes a two-day conference to highlight new and important ideas in natural resource management. These conferences have traditionally brought together a diversity of participants representing governments, universities, as well as environmental and developmental organizations to discuss such topics as:

  • Natural resources management in areas of conflict
  • The private sector and tropical forest stewardship
  • Himalayan conservation and development
  • The role of indigenous knowledge in economic development 
  • Transboundary conservation areas