[MPWG] IFCAE initiative in Indonesia

Tue Oct 16 12:27:36 CDT 2007

FYI, I am forwarding this message and encourage support for this initiative.? See www.ifcae.org

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Dear Friends,

I'm writing to let you know about a new Indonesian project at IFCAE 
and to give you an opportunity to show your support by making a 
donation.? IFCAE is a 501c3 charitable nonprofit organization.

Creating models of conservation and advancing environmental education 
in Indonesia is of critical importance.? Indonesia has only 10% of 
the world's tropical rainforests but they hold a high level of the 
world's biological diversity.? It's estimated that more than 50% of 
Indonesian rainforests have been decimated or eliminated altogether 
in the last two decades by human activity.? Three years ago IFCAE 
brought a team of four researchers to Indonesia to do exploratory 
research on sustainability issues.? As a part of that work we 
interviewed and visited many people and projects on the islands of 
Borneo (NE Kalimantan), Java, and Bali.? This effort was groundwork 
for long-term applied research and community work in the country and 
to help us establish a presence in southeast Asia.

Recently we have partnered with Tropical Salvage, a Portland and 
Indonesia-based small business with a focus on environmental 
sustainability and community well-being.? Together we are mapping out 
several collaborative projects to help the environment and community 
around the village of Jepara on the island of Java.? Our first goal 
is to create the Jepara Forest Conservancy, a community-based 
environmental education center surrounded by restored tropical 
forest.? Thus far land has been purchased, design and restoration 
efforts have begun, and we are working on finding partners and 
raising funds to achieve the following goals:

1. Provide a much-needed community benefit in the form of a public forest park.

2. Establish an environmental education program to empower Indonesian 
youth with the knowledge and skills needed to address critical 
cultural and ecological challenges.

3. Structure reforestation to enhance ecosystem services such as 
reestablishing some of the area's former biological diversity and 
increasing the area's carbon sequestration profile.

4. Help to preserve the rich traditional forest knowledge and 
practices in this area of Java through the cultivation and study of 
native plants.

5. Generate additional job opportunities in Jepara by creating and 
expanding markets for native nontimber forest products.

You can get details about the project at 
http://www.ifcae.org/projects/jepara 
and 
http://www.tropicalsalvage.com/?p=conservancy 

Ways to donate...

Global Giving - An effort to connect donors to grassroots projects.? Global giving takes 10% of the donation to run their organization and gives the rest to us.? So is giving through Global Giving better than giving directly to IFCAE?? Well, since we are new to the Global Giving program we do not know yet.? It could be that other donors will be attracted to donating to the Jepara project if they see there are many other donors also taking an interest in it.? If you donate through Global Giving you should receive a receipt from them for tax-deduction purposes.? Global Giving provides a list of donors to us monthly so we can send out a thank you notice. 
http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/1900/proj1829a.html

Directly to IFCAE - We also welcome direct contributions to IFCAE.? For now we recommend that if you want to give to the Jepara project that you use the Global Giving program.? If you want to give to the IFCAE General Fund to help with our everyday expenses (e.g., office equipment, bookkeeping, grant writing, project idea 
development) you can find more information on various ways to do this at www.ifcae.org/donate/index.html?or just send a check to PO Box 6688, Portland, OR 97228-6688.

If you any problems, did not receive a receipt, or have questions please don't hesitate to email or phone us.

Please share this email with your friends and colleagues who you think might be interested in lending their support to this project. 

Thank you from all of us at IFCAE for your time and support!

________________________________________________________________________
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