SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee (PIAC)

SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee responds to SALSA’s primary mission to support research on lowland South America, and to promote public knowledge of this region and its astonishingly rich cultural, linguistic, and biological diversity. However many of the peoples and environments we study are imperiled, and we encourage public attention and action to address injustices, harmful policies, and human rights violations. As home to the world’s largest tropical forest, which sequesters 20% of global atmospheric carbon, the consequences of what happens in this region extend far beyond South America.

Thus it is sometimes relevant for SALSA to take a public stand, as it has in the past (see below), in order to bring the full weight of the organization to bear on important issues. To this end, SALSA President Jonathan Hill created the SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee (PIAC) in 2014 (see the Terms of reference for membership in PIAC).

SALSA members who wish to propose a public action statement should read the following Procedures and Terms of Reference and address their proposal to the the President of SALSA, Laura Graham ([email protected]), or to the Chair of the PIAC, Chris Jarrett ([email protected]).

SALSA Public Issues and Actions Statements

It is sometimes relevant for SALSA to take a public stand, in order to bring the full weight of the organization to bear on important issues. Read SALSA PIAC Statements.

PIAC Procedures and Terms of Reference

SALSA members who wish to propose a public action statement should read these Procedures for Advocacy and Policy Statements and address their proposal to the president of SALSA or to the Chair of the PIAC.

Advocacy Organizations and Information Resources

Consult here a list of international and pan South American advocacy organizations and links to several noteworthy online information resources.

PIAC Membership since 2023

Committee Members

• Chris Jarrett, Rainforest Foundation US. Chair
• Clarice Cohn, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil.
• Connie Campbell, USAID Program for Local and Urban Sustainability (PLUS), University of Florida, USA.
• Luis Felipe Torres, Museu Nacional / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil.

Ex-Officio Member

• Laura Graham, SALSA President

Former PIAC Membership

2020-2023

• Clarice Cohn (chair), Christopher Hewlett, Michael Cepek

2017-2020

• Jeremy Campbell (chair)

2014-2017

• Laura Graham and Janet Chernela (co-chairs), Renato Athias