We nurture sustainable development and restoration that is
science based, action oriented, and community driven.
Recent Publications
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Wetland mud is 'secret weapon' against climate changey title...
Check out the wonderful BBC News coverage of our latest paper in Nature!
March 06, 2019
Nature: Wetand Carbon Storage amd Sea Level Rise
Check out Kerrylee Rogers and her co-authors (including our own Lisa Schile-Beers) latest contribution to Nature! "Wetland carbon storage controlled by millennial-scale variation in relative sea-level rise". Coastal wetlands (mangrove, tidal marsh and seagrass) sustain the highest rates of carbon sequestration per unit area of all natural systems. However, climate change and sea level rise may increase the rate of organic-carbon burial in coastal wetlands in the first half of the twenty-first century, but these carbon–climate feedback effects will likely diminish over time as wetlands are increasingly submerged and carbon stores become compromised by erosion
WeWork highlights Silvestrum's work in climate change
For Kris May, saving humanity from climate change is literally just another day at the office. May, a principal partner at the Silvestrum Climate Associates consulting firm and a member at WeWork 995 Market St in San Francisco, helped write the National Climate Assessment—the frighteningly apocalyptic climate forecast that dropped last November. In the Southeast, for example, communities “are particularly vulnerable to the combined health impacts from vector-borne disease, heat, and flooding.” It’s a sobering prediction, but one that May, who started Silvestrum to help frontline communities understand and implement practical adjustments, believes we can all work to change. She and five other WeWork members who work in environmental protection offer ways we can fine-tune our workplace habits to combat climate change.
January 17, 2019
Science: The Value of Small Mangrove Patches
Silvestrum’s third major science contribution in a month!! Today in Science, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (Mangroves) highlights the importance and plight of small mangrove patches. Such patches provide critical links in coastal ecosystem functioning, particular coastal food chains, but are being destroyed carelessly. There is a disconnect between the provision of finance for climate resilience and sustainable development with destruction of such ecosystems. Our Steve Crooks serves as a Steering Committee Member of the SSC (Mangroves). This article is an output of a programmatic approach linking nature-based solutions to improved climate resilience.
Nature: A global agenda for soil carbon
Policymakers and investors have perceived securing soil organic carbon as too difficult, with uncertain returns. But new technical, policy and financial opportunities offer hope for rapid progress. Check out Moritz von Unger's latest article in Nature Sustainability that helps unlock the challenges with soil carbon in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
November 06, 2019
Crazy climate, what now? Climate change and local consequences, a presentation by Yanna Badet
Yanna will be presenting at the BÜNDNIS 90 DIE GRÜNEN meeting and discussion at the NordWestHotel in Zum Rosenteich in Germany. She will be presenting on recent findings from Silvestrum's adaptation work in local communities.
Nature-based solutions in Suriname and Guyana
Steve and Mike are travelling all the way to Suriname to present our work with Conservational International to the local stakeholders and government officials. We just wrapped up a 6-month project completing a biophysical review of the shoreline and mangrove forests, a blue carbon feasibility assessment, an a shoreline vulnerability assessment focuses on identifying nature-based solutions that can sequester carbon, promote bio-diversity, provide flood protection, and enhance opportunities for local villages to re-connect with the shoreline and the array of goods and services that mangroves can provide. Look for our final reports to be posted soon!
August 15, 2019
Abby in Half Moon Bay
Abby spent the day in Half Moon Bay serving as Vice Chair of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is partnering with Marin County to host a Native Oyster Restoration Working Group for Tomales Bay. Oyster restoration is an amazing concept that supports living shorelines and natural wave attenuation to reduce shoreline erosion and help mitigate inland flooding. Check out the link below to learn more about Abby's work on the Advisory Council.
August 12, 2019
Steve and Moritz tackle Blue Carbon in DC
Steve and Moritz hosted a series of workshops for the Blue Carbon Initiative, Conservation International, and the PEW charitable trusts. Across 4 days, the half-day workshops spanned an introduction to Blue Carbon, Lessons from the Field, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies, and Guidelines for Inventorying and Accounting Commitments for Blue Carbon Projects. If you want to learn more about Blue Carbon, contact us!
August 01, 2019
Silvestrum Celebrates 3 Years Together!
It's hard to believe Silvestrum is 3 years old!! We celebrated by moving into new, bigger digs (still in San Francisco) and hosting a happy hour with our old and new neighbors.