So many of us who care about sustainable development and the livelihood of local people do so for deeply personal reasons.
很多人关注可持续发展以及当地人民的生计，是出于非常个人的理由。
I grew up in Cameroon, a country of enchanting beauty and rich biodiversity,
我在喀麦隆长大，那是个迷人美丽、物种丰富的国家，
but plagued by poor governance, environmental destruction, and poverty.
却困于糟糕的治理、环境破坏、贫困。
As a child, like we see with most children in sub-Saharan Africa today, I regularly suffered from malaria.
小时候，就像现今非洲撒哈拉以南大部分孩子一样，我常常遭受疟疾折磨。
To this day, more than one million people die from malaria every year,
至今，每年有超过一百万人死于疟疾，
mostly children under the age of five, with 90 percent occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
大部分是五岁以下的孩子，90%的病例都发生在撒哈拉以南非洲。
When I was 18, I left Cameroon in search of better educational opportunities.
我十八岁时离开了喀麦隆，去寻找更好的教育机会。
At the time, there was just one university in Cameroon,
那时，在喀麦隆只有一所大学，
but Nigeria next door offered some opportunities for Cameroonians of English extraction to be trained in various fields.
但邻国尼日利亚给受过英语教育的喀麦隆人提供接受不同领域训练的机会。
So I moved there, but practicing my trade, upon graduation as an ecologist in Nigeria, was an even bigger challenge.
所以我去了那里，但毕业之后，在尼日利亚以生态学家的身份从事我的行业却是更大的挑战。
So I left the continent when I was offered a scholarship to Boston University for my PhD.
所以当波士顿大学提供博士学位的奖学金时，我离开了非洲大陆。
It is disheartening to see that, with all our challenges,
让人沮丧的是，在面临艰巨挑战时，
with all the talents, with all the skills we have in Africa as a continent,
尽管我们非洲大陆有人才、有技术，
we tend to solve our problems by parachuting in experts from the West for short stays,
但在解决自己的问题时，我们却倾向用空降到非洲做短期停留的西方专家，
exporting the best and brightest out of Africa, and treating Africa as a continent in perpetual need of handouts.
而把非洲最好、最聪明的人才出口到其他国家，然后把非洲视为是一块永远需要施舍的大陆。
After my training at Boston University,
在从波士顿大学毕业之后，
I joined a research team at the University of California's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
我加入的研究团队隶属于加州大学环境及可持续发展研究所。
because of its reputation for groundbreaking research and the development of policies and programs
因为它在开创性研究以及政策和项目的开发上享有盛名，
that save the lives of millions of people the world over, including in the developing world.
并拯救了全世界数百万的人，包括发展中国家。
And it has been shown that for every skilled African that returns home,
目前已知的是，每当一个有技能的非洲人返乡，
nine new jobs are created in the formal and informal sectors.
平均就会创造出九个正式和非正式的工作。
So as part of our program, therefore, to build a sustainable Africa together,
因此，我们项目的一部分是要建立一个永续的非洲，
we are leading a multi-initiative to develop the Congo Basin Institute,
我们发起了一个多重计划，要开发刚果盆地学院，
a permanent base where Africans can work in partnership with international researchers,
它是个永久的基地，非洲人可在这里和国际研究者合作，
but working out their own solutions to their own problems.
自行解决本地的问题。
We are using our interdisciplinary approach to show how universities,
我们用自己的跨学科方法来展现大学、
NGOs and private business can partner in international development.
非政府组织以及私人企业如何共同进行国际开发。
So instead of parachuting in experts from the West for short stays,
所以，与其让来自西方的专家空降之后短暂停留，
we are building a permanent presence in Africa,
如今我们建立在非洲的会永久存在，
a one-stop shop for logistics, housing and development of collaborative projects between Africans and international researchers.
提供一站式服务，包括物流、住房以及非洲与国际学者的合作项目的发展。
So this has allowed students like Michel to receive high-quality training in Africa.
这让像米歇尔这样的学生能在非洲接受高质量的教育。
Michel is currently working in our labs to investigate the effects of climate change on insects, for his PhD,
米歇尔目前在我们的实验室工作，探究气候变迁对于昆虫的影响，这是他的博士论文，
and has already secured his post-doctorate fellowship that will enable him to stay on the continent.
且他已经得而了他的博士后研究员资格，让他能够继续留在非洲大陆。
Also through our local help program, Dr. Gbenga Abiodun, a young Nigerian scientist,
此外，通过我们的当地协助计划，班加·艾比欧登博士，一位年轻的尼日利亚科学家，
can work as a post-doctoral fellow with the Foundation for Professional Development in the University of Western Cape in South Africa
能够以博士后研究员的身份，为南非的西开普大学的专业发展基金会工作，
and the University of California at the same time,
同时也在加州大学研究，
investigating the effects of climate variability and change on malaria transmission in Africa.
研究气候变迁对非洲疟疾传染的影响。
Indeed, Gbenga is currently developing models
的确，班加目前正开发的模型，
that will be used as an early warning system to predict malaria transmission in Africa.
将被用来预警非洲的疟疾传染。
So rather than exporting our best and brightest out of Africa, we are nurturing and supporting local talent in Africa.
所以，我们不再把非洲最好、最聪明的人才出口到其他国家，而是在非洲培养和支持当地的人才。
For example, like me, Dr. Eric Fokam was trained in the US.
以我为例，艾瑞克·佛康博士是在美国受教育的。
He returned home to Cameroon, but couldn't secure the necessary grants,
他回到家乡喀麦隆工作，但却缺少必要的科研资助，
and he found it incredibly challenging to practice and learn the science he knew he could.
他发现在这种情况下，尽管自己有能力进行科研和学习，但现实却难于登天。

So when I met Eric, he was on the verge of returning to the US.
当我遇到艾瑞克时，他已经打算要回美国了。
But we convinced him to start collaborating with the Congo Basin Institute.
但我们说服他与刚果盆地学院展开合作。
Today, his lab in Buea has over half a dozen collaborative grants with researchers from the US and Europe
现今他在布埃亚的实验室有超过六项经费合作的计划与美国和欧洲的研究者一起进行，
supporting 14 graduate students, nine of them women,
资助十四名研究生，其中九名是女性，
all carrying out groundbreaking research understanding biodiversity under climate change, human health and nutrition.
他们全都在进行开创性的研究，探究在气候变迁下的生物多样性、人类健康以及营养。
So rather than buy into the ideas of Africa taking handouts,
所以，不用再持有非洲需要施舍的想法，
we are using our interdisciplinary approach to empower Africans to find their own solutions.
我们用我们的跨学科方法，让非洲人也有能力找到自己的解决方案。
Right now, we are working with local communities and students, a US entrepreneur,
现在，我们在和当地小区及学生、一位美国企业家，
scientists from the US and Africa to find a way to sustainably grow ebony, the iconic African hardwood.
以及来自美国和非洲的科学家合作，试图找出永续的方法来种植非洲的代表性硬木--黑檀木。
Ebonies, like most African hardwood, are exploited for timber,
黑檀木和大部分的非洲硬木一样，被拿来当木材使用，
but we know very little about their ecology, what disperses them, how they survive in our forest 80 to 200 years.
但我们不是很了解它们的生态特性，它们是如何散播的以及它们如何在我们的森林中生存80到200年。
This is Arvin, a young PhD student working in our labs,
这位是雅文，我们的实验室一位年轻的博士生，
conducting what is turning out to be some cutting-edge tissue culture work.
正在进行最先进的组织培养研究。
Arvin is holding in her hands the first ebony tree that was produced entirely from tissues. This is unique in Africa.
在雅文手中的是第一株完全从组织培育出来的黑檀木。这在非洲是独一无二的。
We can now show that you can produce African timber from different plant tissues -- leaves, stems, roots
现在我们能够从不同的植物组织培育出非洲的树木，用叶、茎、根，
in addition from generating them from seeds, which is a very difficult task.
而不只是从种子来培育，这是个非常艰难的任务。
So other students will take the varieties of ebony which Arvin identifies in our lab, graft them to produce saplings,
其他的学生将用雅文在我们实验室所鉴定的黑檀木品种接枝成树苗，
and work with local communities to co-produce ebony with local fruit tree species in their various farms using our own tree farm approach,
并与当地小区合作生产黑檀木和当地种类的水果，种在各地的农场里，用我们自己的种树农法，
whereby we invite all the farmers to choose their own tree species they want in their farms.
我们藉此邀请所有的农夫，选择他们想种在自己农场的树种。
So in addition to the ebony, the species which the farmers choose themselves
所以，除了黑檀木，农夫们自己选择树种，
will be produced using our modern techniques and incorporated into their land-use systems,
也能用我们的现代技术培育，整合到他们的土地使用系统中，
so that they start benefiting from these products while waiting for the ebony to mature.
这样他们就能开始从这些产物获利，同时等候黑檀木成熟。
Today we are planting 15,000 ebony trees in Cameroon,
现今，我们在喀麦隆种植了一万五千株黑檀木，
and for the first time, ebony won't be harvested from the middle of a pristine forest.
这是头一回黑檀木不是从原始森林中取得的。
This is the model for our African hardwoods,
这是为我们的非洲硬木所做的模型，
and we are extending this to include sapele and bubinga, other highly prized hardwoods.
我们延伸模型，纳入萨佩莱木和古夷苏木都，这些都是高价格的硬木。
So if these examples existed when I was 18, I would never have left,
如果我十八岁时已有这些例子，我就不会离开非洲了，
but because of initiatives by the Congo Basin Institute, I am coming back, but I'm not coming back alone.
但因为刚果盆地学院的计划，我回来了，但我并非独自归来。
I'm bringing with me Western scientists, entrepreneurs and students,
我还带着西方的科学家、企业家和学生，
the best science from the best universities in the world, to work and to live in Africa.
以及世界顶尖大学的顶尖科研成果，来非洲工作和居住。
But we all need to scale up this local, powerful and empowering approach.
我们得再发扬光大这本土化、强大又赋能的方法。
So far we have half a dozen universities and NGOs as partners.
目前，我们的合作伙伴包括六间大学和非政府组织。
We are planning to build a green facility that will expand on our existing laboratory space
我们打算要建立一间绿色机构，从我们既有的实验室空间来扩充，
and add more housing and conference facilities to promote a long-term disciplinary approach.
再加上更多的住房以及会议设施，来推动长期的学科研究。
I want it to offer more opportunities to young African scholars,
我希望它能给年轻非洲学者提供更多机会，
and would scale it up by leveraging the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture's existing network of 17 research stations across sub-Saharan Africa.
并通过在撒哈拉以南非洲拥有十七个研究站的国际热带农业研究所的既存网络扩大规模。
The tables are starting to turn ... and I hope they keep turning,
形势开始被翻转了，我希望能继续翻转下去，
to reach several African nations like Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania and Senegal,
希望能延伸到数个非洲国家，像是科特迪瓦、坦桑尼亚与塞内加尔，
among the top fastest growing economies that can attract several opportunities for private-sector investment.
这些都是最快速成长的经济体，能吸引不少私营部门投资的机会。
We want to give more opportunities to African scholars,
我们希望能给非洲学者更多机会，
and I long to see a day when the most intelligent Africans will stay on this continent
我渴望能看见有一天最聪明的非洲人会待在这块大陆上，
and receive high-quality education through initiatives like the Congo Basin Institute,
并能透过像刚果盆地学院这类计划，接受到高质量的教育，
and when that happens, Africa will be on the way to solving Africa's problems.
当这点能够实现时，非洲将会朝向解决非洲自身问题的方向迈进。
And in 50 years, I hope someone will be giving a TED Talk
我希望五十年后会有人来TED 演讲，
on how to stop the brain drain of Westerners leaving your homes to work and live in Africa. Thank you.
谈如何阻止西方人离开家乡的人才外流，到非洲工作并居住。谢谢你们。