Daniel C. Nepstad

Daniel C. Nepstad
Senior Scientist
Woods Hole Research Center
149 Woods Hole Road
Falmouth, MA 02540-1644
Phone: 508-540-9900 x131
Fax: 508-540-9700

Education

Ph.D. - Yale University
1989, Forest Ecology

M.S. - Michigan State University
1983, Plant Ecology & Botany

B.A. - Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan
1979, Biology

Professional Experience

  • 1999 - present: Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
  • 1993 - 1999: Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
  • 1990 - 1993: Assistant Scientist, Woods Hole Research Center
  • 2000 - present: Lecturer, Yale University, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
  • 1995 - present: Scientist and Founding President. Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (Amazon Institute of Environmental Research), Belém, Brazil.
  • 1995 - present: Visiting Professor. Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brasil. Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos.

Research Interests

A tropical forest ecologist, Nepstad has studied tropical forests and strategies for their conservation for the last 24 years. His research includes the Amazon forest “tipping point”, the analysis of public policies to conserve the Amazon’s natural resources, the prediction of future trends of Amazon forests and people, the “taming” of agroindustry, and the development of carbon markets to reduce deforestation within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.  Based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, he leads the Center’s Amazon program and coordinates the program on “REDD” (Reductions in Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation). In 1995, he co-founded the Amazon Institute of Environmental Studies (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia), which is now the largest independent research institution in the Amazon region.  He also helped to found Aliança da Terra, a non-governmental organization comprised of cattle ranchers and soy farmers devoted to sound land stewardship, and was a founding board member of the Roundtable for Responsible Soy.

He has published more than 100 scientific articles and books on the Amazon and tropical forests generally.

Ten recent publications

Gullison, R. E., P.C. Frummhoff, J. G. Canadell, C. B. Fields, D. C. Nepstad, K. Hayhoe, R. Avissar, L. M. Curran, P. Friedlingstein, C. D. Jones, C. Nobre. Tropical forests and climate policy. Science (Policy Forum) Pages 1-3/10.1126science1136163

Nepstad, D., C. Stickler, B. Soares-Filho, P. Brando, F. Merry.2008.  Ecological, economic, and climatic tipping points of an Amazon forest dieback.  Phil. Trans. Royal Society B  doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.0036.

Nepstad, D., I. Tohver, I., D. Ray, P. Moutinho, G. Cardinot.  2007.  Mortality of large trees and lianas following experimental drought in an Amazon forest.  Ecology88(9): 2259-2269

Nepstad, D., B. Soares-Filho, F. Merry, P. Moutinho, M. Bowman, S. Schwartzman, O. Almeida, S. Rivero. 2007. The costs and benefits of reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon. Woods Hole Research Center, 28 p. Report released prior to the Bali UNFCCC meeting. whrc.org

Nepstad, D., S. Schwartzman, B. Bamberger, M. Santilli, P. Schlesinger, P. Lefebvre, A. Alencar, D. Ray, E. Prinz, A. Rolla. 2006. Inhibition of Amazon deforestation and fire by parks and indigenous reserves. Conservation Biology Vol. 20(1): 65-73.

Nepstad, D., C. Stickler, O. Almeida. 2006. Globalization of the Amazon beef and soy industries: opportunities for conservation. Conservation Biology 20(6): 1595-1603.

Nepstad, D., C. Azevedo-Ramos, A.C. Barros, D. McGrath, C. Pereira, F. Merry. 2005. Managing the Amazon timber industry. Conservation Biology 18(2): 1-3.

Nepstad, D., D. McGrath, A. C. Barros, A. Alencar, M. Santilli, M. C. Vera. 2002. Frontier governance in Amazonia. Science295:629-630.

Nepstad, D, A. Veríssimo, A. Alencar, C. Nobre, P. Lefebvre, P. Schlesinger, C. Potter, P. Moutinho, E. Lima, M. Cochrane, Vanessa Brooks. 1999. Large-scale impoverishment of Amazonian forests by logging and fire. Nature. 398:505-508.

Soares, B., D. Nepstad, L. Curran, G. Cerqueira, R. Garcia, C. Ramos, E. Voll, A. McDonald, P. Lefebvre, P. Schlesinger. Modeling Amazon conservation. 2006. Nature 440: 520-523.

Synergistic activities/Achievements, awards, other activities

  • Coordinator of “Amazon Scenarios” project, involving 8 institutional users and 10 institutional collaborators.
  • Results of research are communicated directly to Brazilian policymakers through IPAM’s public policy program; IPAM is asked to present scientific evidence in 2 to 3 Brazilian congressional hearings each year, and 3 to 4 ministerial level meetings.
  • Support for development of a system for environmental certification of the Amazon's large-scale cattle ranches and soybean farms.
  • Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Pará’s Center for Higher Amazon Studies (UFPA/NAEA), in Amazonia’s major multi-disciplinary program in environmental studies. Teach ecosystem ecology, and course on Amazon fire.
  • Pew Scholar in Conservation & Environment (1994-97)