JULIAN SMITH

Environmental impacts in Latin America

The tropics of Latin America have suffered from development and deforestation for decades. What’s new is the scale—both of the threat, in the form of massive hydroelectric projects in the Amazon, and the conservation efforts in the shadow of global climate change. In his reporting, Julian will investigate a variety of topics, including the delicate balance between carbon protection efforts and biodiversity conservation, and the effect of dams on fish migration, sediment flow and nutrient cycling. He will report on the zero-deforestation commitments made by some multinational companies who depend on tropical commodities.

Julian Smith is a journalist whose work has appeared in Smithsonian, Wired, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Men’s Journal, New Scientist, Discover, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and US News & World Report, among others. He is a contributing editor at Archaeology magazine and has won the country’s top travel writing award from the Society of American Travel Writers.

With a BA in biology and an MS in wildlife ecology, Julian helped launch and edit the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. He has reported across the United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa, where he retraced the 4500-mile route of a love-struck British explorer to write the award-winning Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his family.