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Home to more than 10,000 species and spanning across more than 5 countries, the Congo Basin is among the world's largest rain forests, second only to the Amazon - and it is slowly disappearing. This treasured ecosystem is home to the prized Ebony tree. Due to its superior quality, tone, and beautiful dark hue Ebony has been a critical source of wood in instrumentation. This hardwood species takes hundreds of years before reaching maturity, and for this reason has become immensely threatened.
Taylor Guitars and UCLA have decided to join forces and stand against the grain in order to find a way to sustainably manage this valued tree species.
We are the 2019-2020 Sustainable Ebony Practicum Team, a collection of 6 senior UCLA Environmental Scientists. Collectively, we care about how the environment affects real world individuals and communities. Our 2019-2020 team consists of: Melissa, Madison, Ciara, Breezy, Ryan, and Kevin. We chose to work on this project to see the success of this in the future and well as practice sustainable development in a country where we are not the local community. This year, our team will collaborate with Taylor Guitars, the Cameroonian locals, and The Congo Basin Institute to expand on previous years research.
Before this project started, information on the ebony tree was nearly non-existent. At the request of Bob Taylor, the owner of Taylor Guitars, UCLA students have spent the last 3 years collecting data on ebony and how to sustainably harvest it, ultimately creating an entirely novel dataset on the tree. The first year of the project looked at mapping out the distribution of ebony trees within Cameroon, while the second year of the project sought to understand and identify the pollinators of the ebony tree. The 3rd year of the project focused on discovering which areas would be best suitable for expanding the project while also considering the community who will care for the reforested trees.
Currently, the problem lies in figuring out the best way to continue to support and expand the sustainable ebony project rooted in Cameroon by clients Taylor Guitars and CBI. We are hoping to protect the longevity of a cherished species, support the creators of ebony intensive guitars, and develop the local community in a way that is accepted, desired, and hoped for!
The Project is currently in its four-year stage, and we need your help to keep it going! This collaborative effort will benefit local communities and ecosystems for years to come, and we hope it will carry on so that future students may also experience this amazing opportunity just as we hope to have. It is essential that our team goes to Cameroon to see how this project is affecting the local people. Our hope is to expand our project to many more villages and this cannot be done successfully from UCLA. We need to talk to the local people and work with them in their community.
Please give us your support to visit the local people, share our intentions, hear their stories, address their concerns, and assist future UCLA students to continue to better the project in the future years for sustainability. Your donations will provide the monetary expenses for our travelling, food and research materials!
We need the help of responsible and kind donors to help us complete our research. Your generous donations will fund our entire research trip—travel, lodging, meals, and equipment. By studying in Cameroon, our team can meet the locals who will help guide our research towards improving their social and environmental landscape.
Your donations will help SAVE EBONY FORESTS and FEED THE PEOPLE of Cameroon.
We thank you all for the support!
Your donation of 8 dollars will go towards food that we will be packing when we travel into the Cameroonian rainforest. As a thank you for your donation, we will send you a video of all of our team members doing the UCLA 8 Clap next to a growing ebony tree!
Your donation of $10 will provide a meal for one of our members while in Africa. To thank you for this, you will receive a funny bloopers video compiled of outtakes and embarrassing moments that happened when we filmed our introductory video!
Your donation of 20 dollars and 20 cents will help get this years 2020 Ebony Project Team to Cameroon to research something we are passionate about. As a thank you for your donation, we will send you a group picture of us conducting research.
Your $50 donation will go towards obtaining transportation in the field. $50 will go towards funding our car rental for one day. As a thank you for donating, our team will send you a personalized video thanking you for your support.
Your donation of $100 is making it possible for us to stay in Cameroon. This amount will feed one of our members for 3 days. To express our gratitude our entire team will send you a personalized thank you note.
Want a special souvenir from Cameroon that will be brought back to you by our very own members? Donate now and get a mysterious surprise!
Your contribution if $250 is helping us step foot in Cameroon. Since you are making it possible for us to travel, we would love to let you know more about our travels. We will take behind the scenes videos throughout our trip, and we promise, they won’t disappoint.
You are a true fighter for ebony, the rainforest, and local Cameroonians! In addition to the perks above, we will acknowledge you in our final research presentation as a vital part of our success!
Your donation of $750 will fund the food and lodging of one member for the entirety of our trip in Cameroon. As a thank you for supporting our field work you will receive the aforementioned perks and get a tree planted in your honor. Your mark will be left in Cameroon for generations to come!
Your donation will fund the flight to Cameroon for one member. To thank you for your extreme generosity, our cohort will graciously offer you all of the perks previously mentioned. This package will also include an invitation to our end of year research presentation and celebration.