Delegates from around the world meet to explore ways to boost forest education.

22 June 2021, Rome – Today sees the start of the International Conference on Forest Education – a three-day event to shine a light on the important role forest education plays in maximizing the contributions of forests and trees to the Sustainable Development Goals and in overcoming the growing disconnect between people, nature and forests.

Over a thousand experts are attending the conference, which is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Tropical Timber Organizations (ITTO) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), CIFOR-ICRAF and the Secretariats of the UN Forum on Forests and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, with support from Germany.

The results of a global survey on forest education at all levels – from primary schools to universities – will be announced at the conference, which builds on a year-long effort by the FAO-ITTO-IUFRO Global Forest Education Project to collect, synthesise and verify the status of forest education.

"Forests are vital for combatting climate change, for the livelihoods of forest-dependent people, and for providing a secure future for generations to come," said FAO Deputy-Director General Maria-Helena Semedo. "Yet around the world, the environmental, societal and economic importance of forests is being overlooked. We urgently need to revitalize forest education so more people come to value forests for the vital natural resource they are."

The conference aims to help chart a path forward for forest education globally. Delegates including policy-makers, forest educators and forestry students will review the three pillars of forest education and knowledge: formal forest education; non-formal and informal education; and traditional and indigenous knowledge systems.

Themes that will be tackled include addressing gender and ethnicity in forest education; tailoring forest education to the needs of the job market; bringing forests into the lives of primary and secondary schoolchildren; improving the quality of forest education at tertiary level; redressing out-dated perceptions of forest careers through strategic communications; and tapping into digital opportunities to strengthen forest education.

New digital tools to improve forest education

Two new digital tools, which will help drive forward improvements in forest education, will also be unveiled at the conference.

forestra is a new online gateway to global forest education which has been created under the leadership of IUFRO as part of a joint project with FAO-IUFRO-ITTO. forestra will store and facilitate sharing of information on tertiary education, technical and vocational education and training (both short and long-term), and forest-related public environmental education.

"As the world becomes more digitally connected, the opportunity for online resource access grows", said IUFRO President John Parrotta. "The forestra platform has been developed to facilitate this access to knowledge and information related to forest education through an innovative user-friendly search function. It will create connections between education, training and forest-related environmental awareness initiatives at all levels around the world."

In addition, a free online course on Legal and Sustainable Supply Chains (LSSC) in the timber industry, developed under the leadership of ITTO, will help support several audiences, including businesses, to meet market requirements.

"The livelihoods of millions of people around the world depend on timber, but these are increasingly under threat from illegal and unsustainable practices," said Steve Johnson, Officer-in-charge, ITTO. "This course will help entrepreneurs, forestry professionals, government officials and students understand best practices in the timber industry while also helping to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals."

Delegates will be invited to endorse a Call to Action on Forest Education at the end of the conference that outlines key actions to strengthen forest education, training and knowledge sharing. The Call to Action will be open online for endorsement by others after the conference.

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