On this page:
Mission
Components of Beahrs ELP
Building Capacities in SRD
Supporters and Partners

"The Beahrs Environment Leadership Programme is an excellent initiative in terms of capacity building at the global level. By promoting interchange of experiences, generation of new ideas, analyses of alternatives, and development of an informal network between participants from different parts of the world, it achieves what is urgently needed by the world: human resources development at the very highest level"
- Enrique Castelan, Mexico

MISSION

The ELP at UC Berkeley seeks to:

1. Strengthen the capacities of environmental leaders worldwide to:

• integrate interdisciplinary knowledge;
• balance environmental, economic and social objectives; and
• facilitate dialogue and problem-solving among diverse stakeholders.

2. Foster international collaboration among ELP alumni, their institutions and the University of California, Berkeley on a continuing basis.

Summer course desired outcomes:

After completing the ELP summer certificate course, participants will have strengthened capacities to:

• integrate interdisciplinary knowledge and tools to solve environmental policy and management problems.
• identify and analyze environmental, economic and social trade-offs.
• design and lead multi-stakeholder processes.
• value peer learning across disciplines, sectors and geographic boundaries.
• leverage the continuing UC Berkeley - ELP partnership to become more effective environmental leaders.
  

COMPONENTS

Summer certificate course
Berkeley Alumni Network
Satellite Centers
Small Grants Initiative
International environmental conference

RESOURCES IN BERKELEY AND BEYOND

The Beahrs ELP offers an annual international three-week summer certificate course in Sustainable Environmental Management held at the Berkeley campus. The course provides participants access to a wide range of U.C. Berkeley and California resources through lectures, exchanges of experiences, case studies and field trips:

• Faculty and researchers who are internationally recognized for their expertise in the fields of agricultural, resource & development economics & policy, resource management, ecosystems sciences, plant, insect & microbial biology, agroecology, forestry, rural sociology, collaborative processes, and environmental politics.
• California-based non-for-profit, for profit and public organizations and enterprises working on innovative technologies and institutions to meet the often conflicting needs of environmentalists, communities, farmers, developers, and governments.
• A highly diverse agricultural and natural resource landscape that includes small and large-scale farming, conventional and organic production, diverse approaches to resource management, and increasing population pressure on scarce resources.

BUILDING CAPACITIES

Today’s development and environmental leaders are faced with the dual challenge of protecting the environment while enlarging economic opportunities, especially for the least advantaged sectors of society. Growing populations dependent on a decreasing resource base, whether in California, Kenya or India, is a major global concern that has generated fertile debate and innovative approaches for improving resource productivity and management. At the same time, new types of institutional arrangements are unfolding between governments, resource-dependent communities, and environmentalists to resolve disputes and collaboratively develop sustainable resource management plans.

The problems are enormous, but human ingenuity and goodwill are leading the way to ideas and innovations with great potential. The Beahrs ELP at U.C. Berkeley is committed to building the capacity of environmental leaders around the world through exposure to:

• State-of-the-art science, research and policy analysis for meeting natural resource, agricultural and environmental challenges.
• Inter-disciplinary perspectives on leading global environmental and sustainable development topics.
  • Natural resources & ecosystems management
  • Global warming & climate change
  • Community forestry
  • Population, poverty & the environment
• Leadership skills-building in collaborative processes for conflict management (sharing the pie) and innovation & entrepreneurship (enlarging the pie).
• Global sharing of experiences, networking and partnering through interactive learning during the summer course and on-going participation in the Beahrs ELP Berkeley Alumni Network.

SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS

The Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program was established in August 2000 with a generous gift from University of California at Berkeley alumni Carolyn and Richard Beahrs. The Program has also received funding from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Development Program, the UCB College of Natural Resources, and private individuals to support scholarships, the Small Grants Initiative, curriculum development and the Beahrs ELP Berkeley Alumni Network. The Beahrs ELP is a member of the Environmental Leadership Collaborative, and has developed partnerships with LEAD International (http://www.lead.org), Development Alternatives, Inc., ASHOKA and Ecoagriculture Partners, among others.