TIDE’s Development Director Joins Kinship Conservation Fellows 2007

Jonathan Labozzetta, who has been the Development Director for The

Development Director (TIDE)

Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) for the past two years, will join 17 other conservation leaders - 11 from the United States, and others from Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hungary, India, Madagascar, the Philippines and Sri Lanka at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, USA for a month-long fellowship exploring market approaches to environmental issues.

The Kinship Conservation Institute, established in 2001, transformed to what is now known as Kinship Conservation Fellows in 2006.  Their mission is to develop a community of leaders dedicated to applying market-based principles to environmental issues.  More information about Kinship Conservation Fellows can be received by contacting Renee Michaels at (847) 714-1702, or by emailing to the following: Renee.Michaels@kinshiptrustco.com, or visit www.KinshipFellows.org http://www.KinshipConservationFellows.org

Kinship Fellows are long time serving conservation leaders with a deep commitment to conservation values and an interest in learning about market approaches to environmental issues.  Kinship Fellows understand the world of commerce, economics and business principles and work in areas where they can integrate these principles with conservation work after their fellowship is over.  Before joining TIDE, Jonathan worked for five years with an innovator in market-based conservation, the Rainforest Alliance (www.ra.org).

According to Steven Yaffee, Kinship Conservation Fellows Advisory Council member and Theodore Roosevelt, Professor of Ecosystem Management at the University of Michigan, Fellows will be required to develop projects on topics such as sustainable development, collaborative conservation, and innovative finance mechanisms to promote conservation.  Jonathan’s project will be doing just that - to develop ways to create jobs for local people and earn income for conservation programs.