Claudio Madaune

Geographer
Fiskevollen Bærekraftig Inspirasjonssenteret
Hauggrend
3870 Fyresdal
NORWAY                                         
Tel: (47) 35042466 / 48242556
ecoaldeasnsa@ecovillage.org
claudio@world-changers.org
www.world-changers.org
 

Claudio has completed advanced studies in Geography in Chile and France. He has studied various subjects such as Permaculture Design, Appropriate Technology and Alternative Construction at the GAIA Group in Norway, Conflict Resolution and Decision-Making through Consensus in Creestone, Colorado – USA, and Santiago, Chile.
 
He has participated in various workshops, courses and events about social cartography, GIS, ecological characterisations and management planning as tools for conservation processes and sustainable development with local communities.  These were organised by Fundación Natura – WWF, Colombia – National Network of Natural Reserves – ECOFONDO – Biopacífico, in Colombia.
 
He was selected as a fellow in the “Land Management and Stewardship on Protected Areas” for LatinAmerican conservation professionals in 1997. The fellowship consisted of exchange of experiences with federal, national and state parks, wild life refugees, land trusts, planning officers and other examples of conservation and territory management within New England, USA.  The fellowship was granted and organised by the Quebec Labrador Foundation/Atlantic Centre for the Environment.
 
He has given speeches, conferences, workshops and courses on Permaculture Design and Ecovillages Development in various Universities, NGOs, Institutions and grassroots organisations in: Holland, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, USA, Puerto Rico, México, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Senegal. He has participated in various groups and organisations as an environmental activist spreading information and training grassroot groups about sustainable ways of life and the respect for all living forms.
 
Claudio is a founding member of the Darién Foundation, an NGO established in 1993 to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development projects with active community participation in the Chocó biogeographical region in Colombia, one of the most bio diverse regions worldwide. A number of preservation and sustainable development projects have been under his coordination, including those involving territory management planning, ecological characterisation of natural reserves of the civil society, protection of sea turtles, environmental education, responsible tourism, food security and alternative livelihoods proposals, among others.
 
He has lived for 8 years at the Sasardí Integrated Reserve located in the Darien rainforest (Colombia), a natural reserve and ecovillage which serves as a pilot centre of experimentation for alternative technology and natural resources management  with emphasis on local participatory community process. Sasardi was the first ecovillage in Colombia and one of the first one in Latinamerica. He has worked in local sustainable development projects in collaboration with local authorities, universities, research groups and the Ministry of Environment.
 
He has represented the Darien Foundation in different international events to share their unique experience regarding endangered species conservation management with participation of local communities at the Urabá Gulf.  The Foundation’s work includes the conservation of the Dermochelys coriacea sea turtle, which serves as example for the preservation of sea turtles and local development worldwide. He has participated and given presentations at the Annual International Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, the meeting of Latin American Sea Turtle Specialists, the WIDECAST meeting in the USA (1999, 2000 and 2002),  the  Second International Congress on Chelonian Conservation in Senegal (2003), and the Second International Conference of People and the Sea in Holland (2003).
 
He has participated at various international arrangements together with representatives of the alternative movement and indigenous cultures such as: The Norwegian Social Forum in Oslo-Norway/ 2002-2006, the Ecovillage Network of the Americas Council meetings at Creestone, CO.-USA/ 1999 and at the Darien-Colombia/ 2002, the Eco Maya Festival at Los Angeles, CA-USA/ 2000, Second Meeting of Elders and Spiritual Indigenous Guides of the Americas at Araracuara-Amazonas-Colombia/ 1997, the  First Bioregional Gathering of the Americas in Tepoztlan-Mexico/ 1996, the International Conference Towards the 21st  Century in Oslo-Norway/ 1995, the 5th International Permaculture Conference in Copenhagen-Denmark/ 1993, the UNSAID Festival parallel to the Earth Summit at Rio, at Freiburg-Germany/ 1992, among others. He has also visited various ecovillages and sustainable development projects in many countries. He has been active as liaison and network-builder between different groups, organisations and grassroots movements worldwide.
 
Claudio has been the representative for the northern part of South America at the Executive Council of ENA (Ecovillages Network of the Americas) between 1999 and 2003, at present he is chairman of the ENA advisory committee and member of the Norwegian NGO, Change the World. He has lived with his family at Hurdal ecovillage, the first ecovillage in Norway for two years and has moved lately to Fyresdal in Telemark to initiate a Demonstration centre for sustainable development.
 
Claudio speaks English, French, Spanish and Norwegian, as well as a little conversation Italian. He is currently in charge of some of the main projects of Change the World in Oslo. He has co-ordinated the organisation’s Learning Centre at Sagene Community Centre, where he has been involved in the process of becoming a Centre for the Local Agenda 21 together with other 19 pioneer municipalities working towards a sustainable development in Norway. He has lived for 2 years at the Hurdalsjøen Økolandsby, the first ecovillage in Norway, and has moved since may 2007 to Foldsæ Education Center in Fyresdal, Telemark, where he is in charge of the development of the project “Fiskevollen, Inspiration Center for Sustainable Development”, and will participate as well in the creation of another ecovillage on the norwegian mountains of Telemark.