March 2011
ARLINGTON, Va. - Mar. 28, 2011 - Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) co-founder and President Dr. Mark Plotkin ('81 M.F.S.) was recently awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES).
The Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service Awards were created by the F&ES Alumni Association to recognize graduates and leaders of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies for outstanding contributions to the fields of forestry or environmental science, policy or management. Among the awardees of the past is the famous conservationist Aldo Leopold M.F.
"Mark's work in the Amazon is legendary and I know I speak for the School when I thank him for his courage and persistence in the fight to save and protect the precious natural resources of a region that is home to indigenous cultures who are under threat," said Sir Peter Crane, Dean, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. "We have an outstanding cadre of accomplished, visionary alumni who have made, and are making, a difference in the world across cultures, disciplines, geography and time. As one of this remarkable group of individuals, Mark is an inspiration to many in our School."
Dr. Mark Plotkin is a renowned ethnobotanist and social entrepreneur who has spent almost three decades studying traditional plant use with elder Shamans (traditional healers) of tropical America who co-founded the Amazon Conservation Team in 1996. The organization was founded on the idea that to truly conserve the Amazon, the work must begin at the ground level. ACT has spent the last decade and a half forming partnerships and empowering Amazonian indigenous peoples to protect their land and culture through grassroots conservation. ACT's journey is a successful and exciting story of innovative conservation.
"I deeply appreciate this great honor from the Yale School of Forestry - my years at that extraordinary institution were truly a formative experience for me. But I also want recognize the other people who make this work possible: all my colleagues at the Amazon Conservation Team and - in particular - my indigenous teachers in the South American rainforest." said Dr. Mark Plotkin, President, ACT.
During its 15 years, ACT has expanded its field operations to the northwest, northeast and southern Amazonian regions, working directly with 32 indigenous tribes to lay the essential groundwork for better protection of more than 70 million rainforest acres in South America.
About The Amazon Conservation Team
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was founded in 1996 by Dr. Mark Plotkin and conservationist Liliana Madrigal. By partnering with indigenous tribes throughout the Amazon to map, manage, and protect the rainforest, ACT ensures the successful protection of the biodiversity, culture, and health of the Amazon's ecosystem-the flora, fauna, and the indigenous people. In March 2008, the Amazon Conservation Team received the Skoll Foundation's prestigious Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Recently, ACT was named a 2010 Tech Awards Laureate by Silicon Valley's Tech Museum for their work in Brazil to advance the technology of field data collection in partnership with indigenous communities. To learn more about ACT, visit www.amazonteam.org.
