The Landscapes Game: App Developer is Needed!!

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advances human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to help shape policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and South America.

CIFOR is looking for a App Developer 

Overview 
Drawing on concepts of Monopoly, SimCity, American Farmer and Snakes and Ladders, CIFOR scientists have developed a board game called the Landscapes Game that requires players to invest in different land uses or commodities to maximize their revenues while at the same time taking care of ecological and social conditions (see the player manual here).

Playing the Landscapes Game/@GlobalLF

The game has been played with communities across the world and has helped scientists better understand the dynamics of land competition, policy measures and sustainability of many different kinds of land uses.

We are now looking to engage a consultant or game development agency ahead of the Global Landscapes Forum on 16-17 November to bring this board game to the online world by creating a mobile phone app for Android and iOS.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

1. Use relevant programming languages to design, develop and implement a mobile game version of the Landscapes Game; 
2. Liaise with scientific project team and collect application development requirements; 
3. Manage changes, bugs, and enhancements for the application; modify the application where necessary; and test its applicability to ensure it conforms to the specifications; 
4. Conduct user acceptance testing and report results; 
5. Provide end-user support; 
6. Perform other related duties as required. 

Expressions of interest should be sent to Bruno Vander Velde b.vandervelde@cgiar.org and Sandra Caya s.caya@cgiar.org by 14 October 2013 and should include a portfolio of previous app/game development. Shortlisted applicants will be sent a more detailed brief in late October and asked to submit a proposal and budget for consideration.

CIFOR is an equal opportunity employer. Staff diversity contributes to excellence.

Leave Nothing But Footprints

The Jakarta Post -- WEEKENDER | Sun, 11/23/2008 3:31 PM |

You’ve gone over the list countless times. Will it be a shamelessly self-indulgent R&R weekend in Legian? Or a slightly more adventurous journey into the highlands of Tana Toraja? There’s also that Mt. Bromo trip your spouse keeps pestering you about. Hmmm ... Settle for Orchard Road? Ubaidillah Syohih trains his green binoculars on your next holiday destination.

Holidays are a time to bond and spend some leisurely time with your loved ones or friends. At the planning stage, when half a dozen ideas on where to head off to are floating around, holidays also do a very good job of fraying nerves. So before the Lonely Planet guides and maps start flying across the room, here are some things to keep in mind.

In a country such as Indonesia, with its seemingly endless range of awesome destinations, you will always be spoiled for choice. Hundreds of volcanoes to climb, rainforests to trek, waves to surf, reefs to explore, beaches to roast on, more than 250 ethnic groups with 350 local languages to discover ... There’s something for everyone. But regardless of the destination, with every additional dive down the reef wall or every new bungalow, the destination loses a little something.

It’s not just a piece of coral that is inadvertently broken during a dive, or a small food wrapper that gets caught in the wind and ends up decorating the forest. The aggregate impact of our holiday, from transportation (emissions, traffic) to the hotel we’re staying at (energy and water use), can damage the prospects of a holiday destination to sustain tourists over the long term. Indonesia may need visitors, but it also needs them to tread lightly and respectfully. With people from all over the world traveling to the archipelago to witness nature at its creative best, there’s only one way to safeguard these destinations: responsible tourism.

Now you may have heard about ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, a catchall term that has been eagerly appended to many a hotel and resort name. At best, this is a form of responsible tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals. It typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. At worst, it is a hotel called “Bunga Ecotourism Resort” whose claim to sustainability is limited to a glossy brochure flaunting the natural merits of the area.

How can we select a rewarding holiday destination without leaving a trail of destruction in our wake?

PLANNING

1. Decide on what kind of holiday you are after – will it be backpacking or operator-tour style?

2. If you go for the tour operator, ask where your money is going or find out by yourself – staying in locally owned accommodation benefits local families.

3. In choosing your activities at the destination, go for environmentally friendly activities that contribute to the local economy and protect nature and culture.

4. Small gifts from home can be a great way to say thank you to your hosts – think about what might be of most use to the local community.

Review your options: www.eco-tropicalresorts.com/indian/indonesia.htm

BEFORE YOU GO

Before you bounce out the door, there are a few things that need to be taken care of.

1. Make sure that all electric appliances are switched off, and that there are no leaks.

2. If you are going on vacation with your own vehicle, make sure that it is well maintained so you don’t pollute the places you visit. It would be better if you used public transportation, such as a bus or train, to reach your destination.

WHEN YOU’RE THERE

Only a few hotels in Indonesia are managed in an environmentally friendly way, so it’s up to you to do your bit.

1. In many remote places around Indonesia, fresh water is scarce. Keep this in mind when you wash, and keep those showers short.

2. Towels can be used for at least two days without being washed, to reduce energy and water used to clean them.

3. Remember to switch off lights and air conditioning when you leave the room to reduce energy use.

4. Of course, never buy products made from marine turtles and insist on eating locally caught fish.

5. You can also encourage the hotel by presenting the manager with a list of environmental tips for green hotels. If your hotel or homestay prides itself as an ecotourism facility, make sure you ask them why and how.

More tips at http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/green-hotels.htm

“KILL NOTHING BUT TIME, TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES AND LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS”

You have probably heard this well-known phrase. By killing nothing but time and by taking nothing but pictures, you protect the environment and wildlife. And by leaving nothing but footprints, you make a positive impact on local communities, such as preventing the loss of culture.

World Cup 2010 Carbon Footprint Will Be Whopping 6x That of Last Event

by Yuka Yoneda, 06/11/10

According to a startling infographic made for EU Infrastructure and a report by the Norwegian Embassy, the carbon footprint of this year’s World Cup in South Africa will be a whopping 6 times that of the last competition that took place in Germany 4 years ago. Many factors come into play – construction, travel, energy efficiency and existing infrastructure. Read on to see how each one adds to the 2,753,251 tons of CO2 (the equivalent of yearly emissions of over a million cars) that the event is projected to generate, what steps are being taken to possibly offset some of the ungreenness and how some of what is contributing to the massive footprint could actually be a good thing for South Africa.

Construction makes up a decent portion of the footprint contributing 15,359 tons of CO2 to the total. To be fair, it’s important to point out that unlike past host locations, South Africa didn’t have many existing stadiums and needed to build new ones. As you may know, cement production releases carbon at a ratio of one ton of carbon for each ton of cement, and the amount of the material needed to construct the 10 main venues for games was substantial.

Another major factor will be international travel. Since many, if not the majority, of fans will be making the trek from Europe, the fact that the games will be located in South Africa ups the amount of carbon from travel quite a bit from past competitions held in European countries to 1,856,589 tons. In addition to how the fans are getting to the games, their energy consumption while they stay at hotels and other accommodations is projected to release 340,128 tons of carbon into the atmosphere largely due to the poor energy efficiency of South Africa’s buildings.

So what’s the good news? Well, much of what has been built has incorporated sustainable features like solar panels and efficient lighting, and will hopefully be used for other events for years to come. In terms of travel within South Africa, the Gautrain, a high-speed rail network, has been constructed to transport fans around the country, and will also remain as an alternative to cars for residents.

And a plan to reduce the games’ carbon footprint is currently in progress. According to ENS Newswire, the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs have partnered to secure $1 million in funding from the Global Environmental Facility Fund to install solar panels and efficient lights on the streets and promote low carbon participation by handing out informational packets to fans.

Via EU Infrastructure