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 (laura-graham@uiowa.edu), or to the Chair of the PIAC, Chris Jarrett (chris.c.jarrett@gmail.com).
PIAC Membership since 2023
Chair
- Chris Jarrett, Rainforest Foundation US.
Committee Members
- 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
![PIAC statements](https://i0.wp.com/www.salsa-tipiti.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PIAC-statements-1.png?fit=178%2C118&ssl=1)
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 here the SALSA PIAC Statements.
![Public Issues and Actions Committee PIAC](https://i0.wp.com/www.salsa-tipiti.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PIAC3.jpg?fit=400%2C266&ssl=1)
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 the president of SALSA or to the Chair of the PIAC.
![PIAC Online Sources and Information Resources](https://i0.wp.com/www.salsa-tipiti.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PIAC-info-thumb.png?fit=178%2C118&ssl=1)
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.