Jefferson S. Hall

Dr. Jefferson Hall is a Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and the lead scientist on the Agua Salud Project. A major research focus is on understanding the flow of goods and services provided by tropical forests and how they change with land use and climate change. His research projects include multidisciplinary teams of foresters, ecologists, hydrologists, economists, social scientists, and educators. During the last 10 years Jeff has led the establishment of a series of forest restoration trials that leverage Agua Salud research to restore forests for diverse benefits. In the Panama Canal Watershed and the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in western Panama Jeff and his team have combined more equitable carbon payments to indigenous peoples and other rural residents with their restoration trials.

Prior to joining the staff at STRI Dr. Hall worked for 20 years on different aspects of conservation and development in Central Africa.