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In Season 3=C2=A0of Branching out: the forest podcast= , we explore how scientists in IUFRO collaborate across disciplines to tackle= emerging topics through Task Forces. We continue the Season with the Task Fo= rce on=C2=A0Post-Conflict Forest Landscape Restoration: Make "It Back Better"= and will learn about impacts of armed conflicts on fores= ts and people and major restoration challenges.

Host Gerda Wolf= rum from IUFRO Headquarters and co-host Rodrigo Mendes, = European Forest Institute (EFI), Finland, and IUFRO Communications Working Pa= rty Deputy Coordinator, spoke with Task Force co-leads Marine Elbakid= ze, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine, affiliated wit= h SLU and S=C3=B6dert=C3=B6rn University, Sweden, and Stefan Peters, Instituto Colombo-Alem=C3=A1n para la Paz (CAPAZ) and University of = Giessen, Germany.

Post-conflict forest landscape restoration is th= e process of restoring forests damaged by conflict while supporting community= recovery, resilience, reconciliation, justice, and sustainable development t= hrough a comprehensive and adaptive recovery strategy. The Task Force seeks t= o provide scientific knowledge and innovative solutions for understanding the= threats to and impacts on forest landscapes in post-conflict settings, thus = supporting decision making.=C2=A0

Marine Elbakidze,=C2=A0landscape ecologist by training, emphasized, "Whe= n we talk about restoring forests, we are not talking about restoring the tre= es alone. We are restoring the ecological functions that forests provide and = that people depend on. We are talking about resources that can contribute dir= ectly to food security, household income and rural livelihoods."
Stefan Peters=C2=A0works a lot on natural resources, on e= nvironmental peace building, and looks at the topic from the social science p= erspective. He noted, "We must take into consideration not only the mid- a= nd long-term impacts on livelihoods, but also those on cultural connections b= etween humans and nature, especially in remote areas where Indigenous Peoples= live."

A key message of the conversation is that post-conflic= t forest landscape restoration does not automatically mean making it back bet= ter. After a war, there is enormous pressure to rebuild quickly, but restorin= g quickly is not necessarily restoring well. We need to think not only about = trees but also about soil, water biodiversity and future risks, and at the sa= me time about the safe forest management and the recovery of institutions and= communities. 'Making it back better' means using restoration as an opportuni= ty to build more resilient forest landscapes, and more resilient relations be= tween forests and people.=C2=A0

Rodrigo Mendes=C2=A0concluded, "Understanding and addressing the impact of conflict on fore= st landscapes and their restoration is essential for protecting nature and en= suring that people can live and thrive in a healthy, secure and resilient env= ironment."

Tune in to=C2=A0Branching Out: the forest podcast! Lis= ten on=C2=A0Spotify=C2=A0and=C2=A0A= pple Podcasts, and don't forget to follow us!