Earlier this month, Professor Ernesto Alvarado spent two weeks in Havana, Cuba, as part of a team from the U.S. Forest Service, and he co-presented a paper on wildfires and climate change at the X International Convention on Environment and Development, held July 6 to 10.

With the recent re-opening of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Forest Service International Programs from Washington, D.C., sponsored the trip as part of the federal government’s efforts to initiate collaboration on environmental topics with Cuba. Joining Alvarado from the Forest Service were Dr. Armando González-Cabán from Riverside, Calif. (who co-presented the paper with Alvarado) and Alexandra Zamecnik, program manager for the Forest Service International Programs.

Alvarado says the presentation was well received and generated interest in promoting future collaboration possibilities in Cuba and other countries in the region. The team also met with staff from environmental institutions and organizations to identify key areas of interest for collaboration on environmental management and protection, and to strengthen cooperation on scientific research on related fields.