Welcome to the IP Communities of Learning and Practice Website
A global learning community for natural resource management practitioners
2024 Seminar Applications
The US Forest Service International Seminars build global learning communities of practitioners engaged in natural resource management. In 2-3 week courses based in strategic locations around the United States, participants meet with community members, government representatives, researchers, and the private sector to understand and exchange innovative approaches to shared conservation challenges. Apply to a 2024 seminar through the link below!
Explore New Content
Revisit the Recording from the December 11th, 2023 Beyond Trees Session: Community Engagement and Outreach: Conservation Enterprises in Malawi!
Revisit the Recording from the November 29th, 2023 Beyond Trees Session: i-Tree Cool Air with Jay Heppler (Davey Tree Expert Company).
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Testimonials
Muhammad Nawaz
Watershed Seminar 2016
“The seminar enhanced my understanding and equipped me with tools to manage watersheds to maintain water service without adverse impacts on investments, environment and communities. Working for water sector in Pakistan, I realized that watershed has not been considered as an integral part of development projects. This watershed-minus approach led to severe problems of siltation of dams by reducing its useful life, loss of ecosystems, and deprivation of downstream communities of their water rights. During the seminar in 2016, I learned about watershed assessment, classification, upstream and downstream sensitivities, stakeholders’ engagement, payment for watershed services and management plans to restore degraded watershed. On returning from the seminar, we have arranged two workshops on watershed management for stakeholders of a dam project that USAID completed in the recent past. We have also started watershed management for one of our dam investments by planting trees in areas prone to erosion. The host government has also been involved and sensitized to upscale the idea of watershed to other areas as well.”
Joyce Kloulechad Beouch
Watershed 2016
"I use many ideas from the seminar in my work - ecosystems services, water reclamation concepts, etc. The best outcome is a network of friends and professionals with whom I still share and exchange information."
Kakha Sukhitashvili
ISPAM 2019
"I would like to proudly say that my visit to the US was crucial for me. During this period, my idea was to explore unknown recreational-tourism opportunities in the Kakheti region, including protected areas. The knowledge I gained from NaturHistorium and Gare-Mare social programs was resolute. Also, I have made some significant suggestions about new trails around urban areas of the Kakheti region. Fortunately, this projects also in the stage of implementation by CENN. I want to say thank you to the University of Montana and Forest Service International Programs."
Cintia Brazão
ISPAM 2014
"I continue as Chief of the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, in Brazil. The experiences I had at ISPAM contributed (and still contribute) to my work performance. Among the many challenges faced by the park's team, there are those related to preventing and fighting forest fires and managing public use; topics covered during ISPAM.
The efforts, that started in previous administrations, made the Chapada do Guimarães National Park among the ten most visited national parks in the country. Today, we are moving forward with the process of concessions for visitation. Since 2017, we have been adopting the Integrated Fire Management (MIF) approach, with excellent results in terms of protecting areas that constantly suffered from the impact caused by forest fires and reducing areas affected by fires of human origin.
Like many protected areas all over the world, we have great challenges and opportunities, and the exchange of experience and learning that was provided during ISPAM helps to find ways forward."
Mirjana Radovic
Tourism Seminar 2016
“This seminar enables me to learn more about protected areas in general, but also to learn more about the needs of the protected area where I work. I will use all these benefits to transfer my experience and knowledge to the people that I work with. Many new ideas came out from the seminar that we will try to develop in our protected area and to make our PA a place where visitors keep on coming for enjoyment and recreation as well as care for the environment.”
I.K. Cinsant
Tourism Seminar 2016
“The mobile seminar sponsored by Colorado State University and the US Forest Service International Programs gave me a new perspective to arrange tourism in Protected Areas and gave me ways to improve how they give benefits to indigenous people so that they support the protection and preservation of natural resources.”
Yariseth Acevedo Castro
Tourism Seminar 2016
“The experience in the mobile seminar was very good. You learn a lot of theory with excellent mentors, and the field practice is extraordinary. We visit mystical and historical places, ones that captivate and transmit many learnings just by looking at them. It is easy to absorb knowledge in the format this seminar provides.”
Maximiliano Caal
Tourism Seminar 2016
“This transformative experience in the mobile tourism in protected area management seminar has broadened my thinking of developing and leading tourism in Belize. A combination of classroom lectures, field adventures and discussions with colleagues enable a lifetime transformation of nature enjoyment.”