James Anderson

Communications Manager, Forests Program

Bio

James Anderson is Communications Manager for WRI's Forests Program, where he leads communications and media outreach on projects such as Global Forest Watch, Global Restoration Initiative, and Forest Legality Alliance. James develops outreach strategies, designs communications materials, engages with media and partners, and identifies opportunities for WRI's forests work to have greater impact.

Previously, James was a Research Fellow at the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre in Namibia, where he managed a desert ecology research program and field school, coordinated media outreach, and advised Namibia’s Strategic Environmental Assessment on the social and environmental impacts of uranium mining. James has also worked with Jones Associates Foresters in Maine, the Fish and Wildlife Service in Kodiak, Alaska and the National Park Service at Mt. Rainier, Washington. Most recently, he was a writer for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s online biodiversity database The Encyclopedia of Life.

James is passionate about both effective communications and rigorous research. He studied English and Environmental Studies at Grinnell College, Iowa.

James is an avid hiker and runner, and plays mandolin with the WRI house band "The String Refresh."

Blog Posts

Restoring Degraded Land in Latin America Can Bring Billions in Economic Benefits
by Luciana Gallardo Lomeli and James Anderson - October 28, 2016
New WRI research shows that bringing life back to degraded lands in Latin America and the Caribbean would yield $23 billion in net benefits over 50 years.
New Satellite System Analyzes Brazil’s Forests Weekly. Will It Help Curb Deforestation?
by James Anderson and Mikaela Weisse - August 24, 2016
A new satellite alert system on Global Forest Watch tracks weekly tree cover loss throughout Brazil. The tool can help government officials, law enforcement agencies and even the public keep an eye on the country's forests.
Zooming In: The Real Reasons for Tree Cover Loss and Gain in Minnesota’s Oak Savanna
by James Anderson - January 20, 2016
James Anderson uses the Global Forest Watch platform to analyze forest change in his hometown of Northfield, Minnesota.
New Climate Commitments on Forests and Land Will Reduce Emissions by 2%, but More Needed
by Fred Stolle, Taryn Fransen, Ranping Song, Hana Biru, James Anderson and Octavia Payne - December 04, 2015
Countries' new climate plans released this year represent the greatest collective commitment to reduce land use emissions even seen in international climate negotiations. Yet there's still room for even more progress during COP21.
4 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Forests at COP 21
by Nigel Sizer and James Anderson - November 25, 2015
Forests, which cover about one-third of the land on Earth, are an often under-appreciated resource for addressing climate change. But this year, things could be different.
Forest Fires Blaze in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park
by Susan Minnemeyer, Tjokorda Nirarta "Koni" Samadhi, James Anderson and Mimi Gong - July 09, 2015
The protected area has seen 185 fire alerts since May 29, 2015, some of which are likely associated with land clearing for agriculture.
Tree Cover Loss Spikes in Russia and Canada, Remains High Globally
by Nigel Sizer, Rachael Petersen, James Anderson, Matt Hansen, Peter Potapov and David Thau - April 02, 2015
Russia and Canada experienced massive tree cover loss in 2011-2013, with annual losses in their northern forests equal to an area the size of Ireland, mostly due to forest fires, according to new satellite data from WRI’s Global Forest Watch.
COP20 Lays the Groundwork for Paris Climate Pact: 7 Key Developments
by Jennifer Morgan, David Waskow, Yamide Dagnet, Heather McGray, Cynthia Elliott, Athena Ballesteros, James Anderson and Benoit Lefevre - December 14, 2014
After two weeks of difficult negotiations and a nail-biting finale, delegates in Lima laid the groundwork for a successful international climate agreement in Paris next year.
Ethiopia Commits to Restore One-Sixth of its Land
by Aaron Minnick, Tesfay Woldemariam, Chris Reij, Fred Stolle, Florence Landsberg and James Anderson - October 21, 2014
The New York Declaration on Forests issued at the UN Climate Summit last month includes a global pledge to restore 350 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes by 2030.

Several countries confirmed their commitment to restore millions of hectares of degraded land, with Ethiopia making one of the most significant pledges—setting a target to restore 15 million hectares of degraded and deforested land into productivity by 2025.
Restoration Pledges in NY Declaration on Forests: Where Are the Opportunities?
by Sean DeWitt, Katie Reytar, James Anderson, Lars Laestadius and Jared Messinger - October 07, 2014
The newly established New York Declaration on Forests aims to restore 350 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes into productivity by 2030—an area the size of India.

Here we highlight countries that are prime for restoration.

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James Anderson

Restoring Degraded Land in Latin America Can Bring Billions in Economic Benefits

New Satellite System Analyzes Brazil’s Forests Weekly. Will It Help Curb Deforestation?

Zooming In: The Real Reasons for Tree Cover Loss and Gain in Minnesota’s Oak Savanna

New Climate Commitments on Forests and Land Will Reduce Emissions by 2%, but More Needed

4 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Forests at COP 21

Forest Fires Blaze in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park

Tree Cover Loss Spikes in Russia and Canada, Remains High Globally

COP20 Lays the Groundwork for Paris Climate Pact: 7 Key Developments

Ethiopia Commits to Restore One-Sixth of its Land

Restoration Pledges in NY Declaration on Forests: Where Are the Opportunities?

Global Forest Watch preview at UN Forum on Forests (short version)

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