GEOG graduate student Ashley Enrici was recently awarded the Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship for the 2014/2015 academic year.  This Fellowship is a merit-based award that enables recipients to focus on their research and does not have to be repaid.  Ashley will receive a $25000 stipend as well as candidacy tuition remission.    

Ashley is currently investigating forest conservation oriented payment for ecosystem service projects, such as REDD+, in Indonesia across scales.  "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.  'REDD+' goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks" (United Nations Collaborative Programme on REDD in Developing Countries).  Ashley is using a comparative case study method to understand which challenges arise for effective forest conservation by assessing discourse vs reality.

Of the approximately 4,000 students pursuing doctoral degrees at UMD, only 13 have been awarded this Fellowship.  Congratulations, Ashley!