The Tropical Forest Trust’s goal is to increase the area of sustainably managed forest in the tropics. We pursue this goal principally through ‘Forest Management Unit’ based projects, and by assisting major retailers to secure ‘good wood’. TFT also established the Jourdain Scholarship Fund in 2000 in order to increase the number of local foresters and policy makers in the tropics who understand the practice of sustainable forest management and who are committed to promoting it in their countries.
The Jourdain Scholarship Fund allows tropical foresters to study at leading international forestry departments, and on other specialist courses. They learn the principles and practicalities of sustainable forest management and study its links with international timber markets and forest politics. Previous ‘Jourdain Scholars’ who studied at Oxford or Yale have also benefited by making valuable contacts with other forestry and forest policy specialists during their courses.
Michael Jourdain, after whom the fund is named, was a highly experienced forester with over 40 years forestry employment worldwide, including many years in tropical Africa, Asia and Latin America. Through much of that time Michael developed and implemented forest management plans that were focused on achieving timber production targets, at a time when this approach was widely seen as the most beneficial for the people and economies of timber rich developing countries. At the same time, Michael was a strong advocate of ensuring that the forestry operations under his control contributed to local community development. He was responsible for the building of many schools, hospitals and community centres in the tropical countries in which he worked. He grew deeply concerned both about the rapid disappearance of natural forests, and about the minimal return for local communities and national economies being achieved from this forest clearance.
Michael became a strong advocate of the FSC process and, though frustrated by FSC’s limited success in the tropics, he carried out crucial planning work on a number of TFT projects in Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia including the FSC certified PITC project in Perak State. He believed that sustainable forest management and FSC certification could only achieve their potential in the tropics with the active support of many more well-informed local forest managers and policy makers.
Sadly, Michael died in a motorcycle accident in September 2000 before seeing PITC finally certified. The Scholarship fund is named in his memory - a recognition of his practical contribution to promoting good forest management, and of his public championing of more and better trained young foresters in the tropics.
A successful candidate must:
- Be a graduate with a Bachelors or Masters degree in forestry (Practitioners with field level experience are favored).
- Be a citizen of one of the following countries: Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam
Congo Basin Region: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo. - Have already been accepted on to an appropriate Masters program or other course (subject to funding).
- Be seeking funding to enroll on: - A Masters level forestry course or short-term training course/workshop, Bachelor or Doctorate level study/research will not be funded.
- A course offered by a department or training centre with recognized expertise.
- A course that focuses on practical questions of forest management and administration in tropical countries.
Application documents:
- Application form (downloadable word document - below)
- Certificate of employment issued by current employer (if applicable)
- Latest graduation certificate for relevant studies
- Up-to-date letter of recommendation
- Written statement (maximum 3 pages) by the candidate that explains, in specific terms, how the proposed course will enhance his/her ability to implement sustainable forest management in their home country.
- Official description of the Masters program or other course.
- Official confirmation that the candidate has been accepted for the respective course, or accepted subject to funding
- Budget, including information about funding sources and proposed TFT contribution.
NOTE: Master programs candidates with additional funding by a second scholarship program will be favored. It is strongly recommended to search for additional funds. For information about other scholarship programs it may be useful to contact the university department or training centre directly.
Funds will usually not be paid to the student, but directly to the university or other organization providing the course to disburse to the student. Therefore, to qualify for support, the student must first be accepted onto the course by the course convenor, and will not be able to transfer the funding to any other purpose.
Application Deadlines: The next deadline for applications is the 30th June 2006
Download application form here
For more information contact: b.roberts@tropicalforesttrust.com
Source of info: http://www.tropicalforesttrust.com/home/jourdain.htm