As seen on Humboldt State University’s Magazine:

From his office in the nation’s capital, Andy White has an expansive view of the world. The Humboldt State University graduate (‘83, Forestry) sees women’s rights being tromped on in places like Liberia and China. He sees the deforestation of Indonesia. He watches governments grabbing land that has long been home to impoverished peoples of Africa.

In reality, White’s view of the planet is awareness. Staying on top of global land issues is key to the goals of the Rights & Resources Initiative, a coalition he helped organize in 2006. The mission of RRI’s 13 partner organizations and 140 community-based groups is to return ownership to indigenous peoples and local communities who have historic rights to the forests, and help them change the laws and regulations that are keeping them poor. While still going forward, progress has slowed significantly according a recent study released by RRI.

“We’re realizing that it will be a tough slog,” White said. “For a while there was steady progress, but then property values went up and governments started wavering. They started thinking ‘maybe we’ll keep it and make money.’

“But the traditional owners who live on the land are more connected to it, and therefore more committed to taking care of it. They won’t give up on dreams of a better life for their children. For that to happen, there will be more conflict and compromise.”

Rights & Resources has dug in for the long haul, and its efforts receive almost daily exposure in the worldwide media. A notable example was March 8, when members of the coalition held International Women’s Day rallies and meetings in Liberia to address the expansion effort of the Equatorial Palm Oil Company, which hopes to exploit more than 86,000 acres of community land.

Supporting women and their organizations is particularly important, White said, because their rights to land have traditionally been ignored and shut out of policy discussions. In many cases, those same women who are denied the ability to own the land they live on and the fields where they work are producing agricultural products that line the pockets of their respective governments.

Involving this long ignored but sizable segment of the population is critical, White said, as the reckless use of natural resources affects climate change.

“Women and their rights have been abused for far too long,” White said. “Respecting women’s rights not only brings some measure of justice to them, but is critically important for all of society. We’re heading into the largest battle of our lives, and it’s like going in with one arm tied behind our back. The more we can ensure equal rights for women, the better chance of having an impact on climate change.”

According to White, the education he received at HSU laid the groundwork for his ascension into the role of influential social and environmental advocate. During the early ’80s, forest management in Humboldt County was experiencing significant changes, and true to its continuing hands-on approach, the university’s forestry program was in tune with the times.

“At that time, days of traditional forestry were waning,” White said. “It was the beginning of the end of conventional forest harvesting, and of course, a time of tension. Much of what was going on played out in the forestry department, to the benefit of the students.”

“I wanted to learn forestry from the ground up. We called it ‘dirt forestry,’” White said. “Humboldt State was the place to learn. It had tremendous professors, who were very aware of worldwide forestry issues, and is in a wonderful setting. It was the perfect place to be.”

In her role educating another generation of Humboldt State students, forestry professor Erin Kelly views White’s work as an example of merging educational boundaries while addressing land management issues.

“I think the best approach (to teaching land management) is in nurturing cross-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary projects and programs for students,” Kelly said. “Andy’s work combines politics, forestry, sociology, economics, and probably other fields.”

White enjoys the opportunity to visit the HSU campus occasionally, and has a brother, Phil who is an oceanographer living in Arcata. He’s noticed the physical changes, but the same dynamic that existed during his student life remains.

“It’s a very positive environment for learning,” White said. “You come out with a very practical orientation and feeling that problems can be solved.”

Kelly, who is in her third year at HSU, feels current forestry students can and should follow White’s lead.

“His work has helped policy makers understand the roles of land tenure, or control over land, in implementing forestry policies, particularly for marginalized groups and women,” Kelly said. “His career demonstrates that our Forestry and Wildland Resources program prepares students for a really broad array of jobs.”

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