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Jane Carter
Sustainable Livelihoods and Biodiversity Conservation
Jane Carter is a seasoned international development professional with a wealth of experience in senior advisory roles, management, and knowledge brokerage. With a unique blend of hands-on field experience and a strategic global perspective, Jane is dedicated to promoting socially inclusive and sustainable development initiatives. Currently, Jane's focus lies in implementing multi-stakeholder strategies for natural resource and landscape governance. Her skill set encompasses program and project development, execution, monitoring, and evaluation, along with spearheading transformative change processes and conducting participatory research. Jane's writing talents span a wide spectrum, from academic papers to engaging blogs. Having recently relocated to Switzerland after a significant tenure in Nepal, where she served as a key member of the Senior Management Team at Helvetas Nepal, Jane brings extensive experience from assignments in India, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Asia. Her academic credentials include a first-class honors degree and a doctorate in agriculture and forestry from Oxford University, having studied at Pembroke and Linacre Colleges.
Highlights
Localization... I spent this past weekend catching up with friend and former colleague Natalya Voloshyna - who is on a visit to Switzerland from Uzhgorod, Ukraine. The NGO FORZA for which Natalya works is one of the best examples I know of #localization although it was created before this became a development buzzword; we spoke more generally of #sustainability. Over 2004 - 2010, Intercooperation (as we were then, before the merger with Helvetas) managed an SDC forestry project in the #Carpathian region of #Ukraine called FORZA. I was involved in the later stages of its operation, advising on participatory approaches to forest management - in which I worked closely with Natalya. The FORZA team was always especially dynamic, and when the project came to a close they decided to create an NGO of the same name, headed by Lesya Loyko. Nearly 14 years later, they are still going strong - with quite a range of mandates in #CloseToNature silviculture, #ClimateChange adaptation, #EnergyEfficiency and #ForestBasedEnterprises. This is true success! It's been so interesting to talk with Natalya about her work, about life in a Ukrainian town that is not under constant bombing but is nevertheless part of a country at war, and of course many other things.
This afternoon I've been looking at statistics from a shorebird survey in the Gulf of Mottama, #Myanmar as part of a piece of work drawing conclusions from the ten-year SDC project of the same name. Protecting #migratingshorebirds from hunting has been one focus of this project that combines improving the livelihoods of the coastal peoples of the Gulf with conserving the local #biodiversity. #Ornithologists from all over the world came to see if they could spot, amongst other species, the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper - “Spoony” to its friends - during its winter stop-over.
Did the project succeed in persuading bird hunters to take up alternative livelihoods whilst raising community awareness of the ecological importance of shorebirds? Overall, yes – although it seems there have been recent lapses due to the economic distress that followed the military coup in February 2021.
Did bird numbers increase? There the story is not so simple. As far as the Spoony is concerned, the numbers are not great, although better than last year. In 2023, the bird survey recorded sightings of nine birds and from this estimated there to be some 16 individuals present in the Gulf of Mottama. This year, the numbers are 19 and 34, respectively. Perhaps room for hope.
I’m reminded of my July holidays in the UK during which I visited the #LondonWetlands - like the Gulf of Mottama, a #RamsarSite. I went there shortly after its establishment and was impressed by the scale and ambition of a large wetland area almost in the middle of London. Returning some 20 years later, it is even more impressive, hosting parties of excited school children and keen ornithologists. My day was made by having a Bittern pointed out to me (much yellower than I expected - I've heard the male "booming" call in Norfolk, but never previously seen one). Its a major achievement to have attracted such a shy resident bird to the area. And yet... All the ornithologists with whom I spoke shook their heads and said that migrating species are arriving annually in fewer and fewer numbers.
It doesn’t take much reflection to understand why migrating bird species are on the decline – whether through hunting or #climatechange or #habitatdestruction or any of the numerous other threats to them on their migratory routes. But whether its in Myanmar, the UK or elsewhere, preserving what is left of their habitat is ever more crucial. What I hope will one day be possible in a peaceful Myanmar is that school children and ornithologists alike will be able to spot "Spoonies" and other waders along the mudflats, marvel at the distance they travel – and, in the case of the ornithologists, contribute to the local economy for the privilege of so doing. https://lnkd.in/eqHpRqSn Andrew Wilson Severin Huber Rakesh Munankami Thanhtike Aung Jos van der Zanden
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Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
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