Jan Cassin
Senior AdvisorWater Initiative
Jan is an ecologist with expertise in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater systems. Her career has emphasized applied research and practice in a wide range of water resource management issues – including integrated watershed management, environmental flows assessment, ecosystem services quantification, and innovative financial mechanisms such as wetland banking, and investments in watershed services (IWS). Jan directs Forest Trends’ work on investments in watershed services; she has also worked with Forest Trends’ Business and Biodiversity Offset Programme to support and promote the use of best practices in biodiversity offsets and biodiversity conservation around the world. Prior to joining Forest Trends, Jan received her Doctorate at the University of Michigan and worked for eleven years as a senior project manager and ecologist for Parametrix (a Seattle-based engineering and environmental consulting firm), and for nine years as a biologist for The Nature Conservancy. Jan developed recommendations to the Puget Sound Partnership on the use of innovative financial mechanisms for the recovery of the Puget Sound ecosystem, worked with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund to establish a payments for services pilot for nitrogen removal by shellfish in Puget Sound, assisted BC Hydro develop performance measures for their long term environmental goal, and led studies evaluating impacts of flow alteration on aquatic ecosystems for King County. Jan has traveled extensively in Central and South America, has proficiency in Spanish, and enjoys photography, travel, kayaking, and hiking.
Nature for Climate Action: Nationally Determined Contributions
Policy strategies for managing deep uncertainty with deep resilience
By Jan Cassin, Kari Davis, and John H. Matthews View PublicationFailing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the greatest risks facing the world today. However, even dramatic cuts in emissions at this stage will only begin to slow the rate of climate change. As of the middle of 2021, ever dramatic impacts of climate change are already here, and we need to […]
Guía para la Evaluación de Intervenciones en Infraestructura Natural para la Seguridad Hídrica: Escala de Efectividad, Equidad y Sostenibilidad
By Jan Cassin, Bruno Locatelli View PublicationLa Guía para la Evaluación de Intervenciones en Infraestructura Natural para la Seguridad Hídrica. Escala de Efectividad, Equidad y Sostenibilidad es un documento que permite orientar los esfuerzos de evaluación de proyectos e iniciativas vinculadas a infraestructura natural. En él se desarrolla una escala que permite medir el proceso gradual de avance de las intervenciones[…]
The COVID-19 Pandemic: An Update on Our Work
We are preparing for social distancing measures to be widespread and for strong limits on travel until at least June 2020 and possibly as long as a year. This has required some re-strategizing on how we’ll do our work. On the ground Some field research and project implementation will be unavoidably delayed in order to […]
How to Plant a Trillion Trees and Get Real Climate Results
The world is rallying around planting trees for climate action. Even President Donald Trump is on board, announcing last week at the World Economic Forum that the US would join the One Trillion Trees Initiative. In the next ten years, you will likely see the largest effort in history to regreen the planet. The United […]
The Astonishing Opportunities in Our “Hidden Infrastructure”
It’s Infrastructure Week in the United States. Communities across the country are discussing how to #BuildForTomorrow by restoring and improving the nation’s infrastructure. Our water system is broadly supported by two types of infrastructure: the “gray infrastructure” of pipes, pumps, and treatment facilities – and the “green infrastructure” of our forests, grasslands, wetlands, and natural […]
We’re Not Waiting: Individuals, Communities, Cities, and States are Leading Action for a Climate-Resilient Water Future
Over the past two weeks, we have witnessed yet more tragic loss of life from hurricane-force winds, rain, and flooding in the eastern US. Now, people in the affected area must brace themselves for the long, difficult task of repairing damage and recovering lives interrupted by the storm. Just a month ago, as warm temperatures […]
US and Canadian Governments Invest US $27.5 Million in Innovative Natural Infrastructure Program to Deliver Water Security and Climate Resilience for Peru
The two countries are supporting a collaborative effort spanning government, businesses, communities, and civil society in Peru to protect the natural systems – grasslands, forests, and wetlands – that can help safeguard water supplies today, and for future generations. Importantly, this new investment in natural infrastructure will improve water security not only for major cities such as Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Piura, and Moquegua, but also for the small towns and rural communities in Peru’s highlands.
World Water Week 2016 Shines Spotlight on Sustainable Development
Next week, Forest Trends will join over 200 organizations from around the world in Stockholm for the annual World Water Week (WWW) meetings. This year’s WWW focuses on Water for Sustainable Growth, and it shines a light on an important realization: twentieth-century approaches – more storage, pipes, and treatment plants – are not sufficient for 21st […]
Peru Approves New Innovative Environmental Policies
In the last week we have seen the announcement of several important steps forward for the people of Peru and the critical ecosystems that sustain their livelihoods and cultures. The Peruvian government has formally released: 1) the regulation of its groundbreaking national payments for ecosystem services law; 2) a separate regulation of the Sanitation Sector […]