Dr. Lowman talks about her recent project involving the church forests of Ethiopia:

One of my most recent projects involved global conservation of African forests. During January, I traveled to Bahir Dar, Ethiopia,a center of the Coptic or Christian Orthodox churches in this proud country. Working with the one (and only!) forest conservationist in northern Ethiopia, I presented a workshop to the church clergy, explaining the value of the forests surrounding their churches. In Ethiopia, a church is not considered to be serving its mission unless it is surrounded by a forest. As a consequence, some forest patches are over 1500 years old (as are the churches…. some amazing architecture!). (When I think of our Florida churches, usually surrounded by cement parking lots, I am quite embarassed!) Ethiopia’s landscape is predominantly cleared for agriculture, and also deforested for fuel; so these church forests house their last remaining biodiversity. This includes pollinators (important for their crops), birds, animals, and trees many of which are already listed by the United Nations as endangered species. Even more important, springs of fresh water are often housed in these forest patches, providing the only clean water supply, thanks to the surrounding trees.

Together, my colleague and I asked for the blessing of the bishops for our conservation project. When I showed them photos of their church forests using Google Earth, they gasped. They had never seen Google Earth, much less a computer! They understood that NO OTHER forests existed within miles of their own sanctuary, and they could also see the rings of soil color changes, indicating rapid shrinking of their property due to encroaching agriculture. They fervently asked for our support, because maintaining these forests (not just the building itself) is part of the responsibility of the clergy.

One simple solution is barbed wire fences. For approximately $10,000 we can create perimeter delineation for at least 10 churches since labor is almost free. TREE Foundation generously funded this workshop for the bishops, and now we seek additional funding to help Ethiopia save its important biodiversity. Who knows if the cure for cancer exists in their unstudied vines or tree canopies! If anyone has any thoughts about philanthropy that supports religion and/or environmental issues, this project is a real win/win/win for the donors, the church, and the planet!

(Click to enlarge.)

From Herald-Tribune:

The beautiful Casey Key home of Henry and Susanne Rodriguez was the perfect setting for an intimate and fun party to celebrate the launch of the TREE Foundation, with president Gerri Aaron and executive director Dr. Meg Lowman.

The dynamic duo shared their plans to build an elaborate, multilevel tree house on the Crowley Museum and Nature Center grounds that will link children with nature.

The foundation’s mission is “Tree research, exploration and education, both locally and globally,” says Lowman. “Our flagship project was the Myakka canopy walkway, and we hope the tree house project will be a logical next step to focus on linking kids to nature through trees.”

Full story

Published in Sustainability on April 1, 2009:

A Blueprint for Florida’s Clean Energy Future - Case Study of a Regional Government’s Environmental Strategy
Margaret Lowman

Abstract: On 13 July 2007, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida signed executive orders to establish greenhouse gas emission targets that required an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by the year 2050. Florida is a very high-risk state with regard to climate change. Its 1,350-mile-long coastline, location in “Hurricane Alley,” reliance on coral reefs and other vulnerable natural resources for its economy, and the predictions that state population could double in the next 30 years all contribute to this designation of “high-risk. As a consequence of the potential economic and ecological impacts of climate change to Florida, a series of Action Teams were created to plan for adaptation to impending environmental changes. As the 26th largest emitter of carbon dioxide on a global scale, Florida needs to act aggressively to create a clean energy footprint as part of its statewide initiatives but with global impacts. This case study examines the process and expected outcomes undertaken by a regional government that anticipates the need for stringent adaptation.

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