To help conserve one of Earth’s ecological treasures, the New York Botanical Garden today announced a multifaceted program today that aims to dramatically improve the management and sustainable use of the Brazilian Amazon forest, part of the largest expanse of intact forest in the world.  In collaboration with scientific colleagues in Brazil and the Brazilian Forest Service, the Botanical  Garden is committing its expertise in plant science to four related initiatives to promote environmentally responsible forestry practices and the conservation of Amazonian biodiversity. The new Amazon Forest Program, A Better Baseline: Building Capacity and Resources for Forest Inventory in the Brazilian Amazon, is supported by a major, new grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.  The program builds upon prior support from the Beneficia Foundation, the J.R.S. Biodiversity Foundation, The Overbrook Foundation, and The Tinker Foundation Incorporated.  JRS is proud to have supported the Garden’s project led by Dr. Douglas C. Daly, “Rescue and Integration of Botanical Data for Conservation in the Southwestern Amazon” from 2009 through 2011.  JRS’ support included training and installation of BRAHMS software, herbarium courses in digital photography, data-basing of Amazonian collection records, specimen imaging and student training.