David Rochkind

22:18 Gorongosa National Park - Piotr Naskrecki - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Stories of success in nature conservation are much rarer than those of defeat. Yet restoration of Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is one of such rare examples. Completely destroyed during a 20-year civil war, Gorongosa was able to rebound thanks to a unique partnership between a US-based NGO and the Mozambican government. An important tool in the park’s recovery was the use of film and photography to bring the park into the public’s awareness, and turn the perception of Mozambique from that of a war-torn place to a unique ecotourism destination. Blue Earth Alliance 20:28 Carlton Ward Jr. - Florida Wildlife Corridor | Wildspeak Presentation 2016 Carlton Ward Jr. has been working for years on the Florida Wildlife Corridor that aims to connect, protect, and restore corridors of conserved lands and waters essential for the survival of Florida’s diverse wildlife. Blue Earth Alliance 22:16 Jaime Rojo - The Living Med | Wildspeak Presentation 2016 Jaime Rojo presents The Living Med The Living Med is an ambitious nature photography and multimedia communications project, with the conservation of the Mediterranean Basin at its heart. The Mediterranean hotspot expands well beyond its shores, and it is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions in the world, and one of the most threatened too. From the wetlands of the Balkans to the cold Cedar forests of Northern Africa, follow the work of three Spanish photographers united in their mission to protect this vast ecoregion. For more information on this effort see http://www.thelivingmed.org/ Blue Earth Alliance 18:07 Mangroves The Skin of our Coasts - Octavio Aburto - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Mangroves, the forests forming the transition between land and sea, provide numerous ecosystem services. Mangroves protect the shoreline and provide essential nursery habitat for many species. Despite these benefits, we continue to destroy them at an alarming rate; so fast in fact, that in the last 50 years we have lost almost 50% of the earth’s mangrove forests. “Mangroves: the skin of our coasts” is a new communication campaign to stop the deforestation of these incredible forests. Blue Earth Alliance 21:31 Protecting the Orangutans of Borneo - Tim Laman - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Tim Laman discusses his 20 years of collaborating with local and international NGOs to protect and preserve the natural habitats of Borneo's orangutans. Blue Earth Alliance 37:44 Garth Lenz - Extreme Oil, Infrastructure, and Our Warming Planet - WiLDSPEAK Presentation 2016 As we approach peak conventional oil, we are relying increasingly on so-called unconventional or extreme oil sources. Tar Sands, fracking, Bakken crude, as well as the ever increasing associated pipelines, bomb trains, and other infrastructure entrench us to fossil fuel dependence which is the greatest threat to the future of the planet. Join Garth as he illustrates these issues, their impacts and discusses possible solutions. Blue Earth Alliance 28:47 Lucas Bustamante - Amphibians of Ecuador - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Working in Ecuador, his home country and one of the most biodiverse and threatened countries on Earth, iLCP Emerging League Photographer Lucas Bustamante has developed a successful formula to raise global awareness for amphibians and reptiles, without doubts some of the richest but least studied group of vertebrates. Lucas has partnered with local and international conservation groups who are using his photography to start projects that serve to protect these animals through education, science, and ecotourism efforts throughout Ecuador. Blue Earth Alliance 29:08 Bridget Conneely - WildCam Gorongosa WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Bridget Conneely is a wildlife ecologist with over 12 years of experience working with conservation organizations on ecological research and communications. She works with the Educational Media team to produce a variety of classroom resources with a particular focus on environmental science and conservation topics, including the citizen science website WildCam Gorongosa. Conneely earned her master’s degree in zoology from the University of British Columbia, where she researched the ecology of reintroduced buffalo and wildebeest in Mozambique. Prior to joining HHMI, she spent 9 years working with the Gorongosa Restoration Project, a non-profit organization working to restore Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. In this role, she gained considerable experience communicating science and conservation messages to the public through print, digital, and interactive media. Blue Earth Alliance