Susan Minnemeyer joined the World Resources Institute in May 1999 and is WRI's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Lab Manager. Much of her work at WRI has been for Global Forest Watch (GFW), an international initiative originated by WRI to provide data and information on the world’s remaining primary forests. Since joining GFW, she has produced maps and databases for reports on forests in Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Alaska, and Canada that describe the state of the forests and provide information on concessions, protected areas, and forest condition.
Global Forest Watch is working around the world to develop datasets on logging concessions, protected areas, and roads for the region to determine the extent of forest fragmentation and to identify large intact forest Landscapes. In Cameroon, Susan worked with colleagues, partners, and Cameroon's Ministry of Forests and Wildlife to create the first Interactive Forestry Atlas of Cameroon, which made national data on forest management publicly available for the first time. She is working on a similar project to improve transparency and accountability in the management of forests in Indonesia. Susan has led GIS training sessions in Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, and Indonesia to improve capacity to use GIS as a tool for improved decision making.
Susan received a Master's degree in environmental management from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, where she majored in conservation biology/landscape ecology and studied GIS applications for conservation.
