The Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) is an social network in the Bay Area broadly interested in tropical forest conservation and ecology. We gather monthly, typically for a happy hour beverage in the Peninsula area. Events are free and we provide snacks and drinks. Think Green Drinks but with a focus on forests.

Our goal is to foster peer-to-peer networking in a relaxed atmosphere where ideas, data, and collaboration flow freely. This is a great opportunity to connect with media, scientists, economists, foundations, activists, artists and many others thinking about these issues. Everyone is welcome! It is a great way to get in touch with other people working on similar interests or to learn more about current issues and initiatives in forest conservation. BATFN gatherings have resulted in grants, internships, academic opportunities, and new friendships

Attendees of BATFN typically include people from a range of fields and locations, including researchers and activists working in Brazil, Indonesia, Peru, Madagascar and other exiting places. If you are interested in exploring any of these areas -- professionally, academically, or just out of casual interest -- you shouldn't miss BATFN events.


May 2012 BATFN

The Bay Area Tropical Forest Network (BATFN) is pleased to announce that renowned ecologist William F. Laurance will be speaking at our gathering on Friday, May 4 at Stanford University.

Laurance, a Distinguished Research Professor at James Cook University who in 2009 was awarded "The Nobel Prize of Conservation" for his work in the Amazon rainforest, will talk about "Combating anti-environmental fallacies promoted by industry trade groups". Laurance will talk specifically about groups that are pushing to relax restrictions on illegal logging and make dubious claims about the environmental performance of palm oil and Indonesia's pulp and paper industry. It promises to be a provocative discussion. His talk will likely start about 6:30 pm.

We will provide snacks and drinks. Please RSVP via Facebook or by emailing mongabay [at] gmail.com

BATFN will take place at the seminar room at the department for plant biology at the Carnegie Institution complex (260 Panama St, Stanford, CA 94305) from 5:30-8:00. The seminar room is a stand-alone building behind the department for plant biology - there are a plenty of free (after 4:00) parking lots on Panama St.

Doors open at 5:30 for networking and discussion prior to Laurance's presentation.

Facebook event page

When: Fri, May 4, 2012, 5:30-8:00 pm.
Where: Seminar Room,
Carnegie Institution for Plant Biology
Stanford University
260 Panama St, Stanford, CA 94305







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History:

  • BATFN 1 (Jun 2009): Stanford University.
  • BATFN 2 (Jul 2009): Stanford University. Presentation: Tropical forest news highlights for June 2009 (Rhett Butler)
  • BATFN 3 (Aug 2009): California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
  • BATFN 4 (Sep 2009): UC Berkeley. Presentation: What we know and what we still need to find out about deforestation in Brazil (Maria Bowman)
  • BATFN 5 (Oct 2009): UC Berkeley.
  • BATFN 6 (Nov 2009): Stanford University. Presentation: Oil palm plantation expansion in Indonesian Borneo: Tipping points and tradeoffs (Kim Carlson)
  • BATFN 7 (Dec 2009): Stanford University. Presentation: How rainforest shamans heal (Chris Herndon)
  • BATFN 8 (Jan 2010): UC Berkeley. Presentation: An overview of REDD and what happened in Copenhagen (Rhett Butler)
  • BATFN 9 (Feb 2010): RAN-San Francisco. Presentation: Palm oil and plantation forestry in Indonesia (Lafcadio Cortesi)
  • BATFN 10 (Mar 2010): Stanford University. Presentation: Global policies as a framework for effective local action to reduce deforestation (Suzi Kerr)
  • BATFN 11 (Apr 2010): Stanford University. Film: Owners of the Water - Conflict and Collaboration Over Rivers (Laura Graham)
  • BATFN 12 (May 2010): UC Berkeley. The Climate Impacts of Cattle Ranching Intensification in Brazil. (Avery Cohen)
  • BATFN 13 (Jun 2010): Stanford University. Presentation: REDD in Colombia (Brodie Ferguson)
  • BATFN 14 (Sep 2010): UC Berkeley. Presentation: California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and forests (Michael O'Hare)
  • BATFN 15 (Oct 2010): Stanford University.
  • BATFN 16 (Nov 2010): San Francisco.
  • BATFN 17 (Jan 2011): Berkeley ('Last Nomads' film screening).
  • BATFN 18 (Feb 2011): Palo Alto.
  • BATFN 19 (Mar 2011): RAN-San Francisco. (Lindsey Allen)
  • BATFN 20 (Apr 2011): Google - Mtn View. (Greg Asner)
  • BATFN 21 (May 2011): Greenpeace-San Francisco. (Rolf Skar)
  • BATFN 22 (July 2011): Palo Alto. (Holly Gibbs)
  • BATFN 23 (Oct 2011): Stanford University. (Nichol Simpson: Health in Harmony in Borneo)
  • BATFN 24 (Nov 2011): UC Berkeley. (Dan Hammer: FORMA, a global real-time remote sensing system)
  • BATFN 25 (Dec 2011): UC Berkeley. (Roger Leaky)
  • BATFN 26 (Jan 2012): Stanford University. (Andrew Stevenson: an inside-the-Beltway look at REDD finance)
  • BATFN 27 (Feb 2012): UC Berkeley. (Eco-Ola)
  • BATFN 28 (Mar 2012): Berkeley. (The Borneo Project)
  • BATFN 29 (Apr 2012): San Francisco. (Pandora Thomas)
  • BATFN 30 (May 2012): Stanford University. (William Laurance upcoming)


    The idea for BATFN emerged somewhere between the Stanford campus and nearby walking trails, as Holly Gibbs and Rhett Butler discussed ideas to strengthen the tropical forest community in the Bay Area. Both Rhett and Holly saw a huge potential for community-building around a critical research and communication area.

    BATFN has been a great success from the start owing to the strong and sociable community surrounding us.


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