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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 Fores= t Living Labs for Sustainable Climate Adaptation (FORLIVS) and will hear how effective solutions start with listening, collaborati= on, and knowledge sharing.=C2=A0

Host Gerda Wolfrum from IU= FRO Headquarters and co-host Ritikaa Gupta, a forest = communication consultant based in Italy=C2=A0and IUFRO Communications = Working Party Deputy Coordinator,=C2=A0spoke with Task Force co-leads = Claire Depardieu, Tree Physiologist Research Scientist at th= e Atlantic Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, and Maria Nijni= k, Principal Scientist at the Social, Economic and Geographical Scie= nces Department of the James Hutton Institute, United Kingdom.

Add= ressing climate change requires bringing together multiple forms of knowledge= and expertise. Forest living labs are collaborative, long-term research plat= forms where scientists, forest managers, landowners, indigenous communities, = policymakers, industry partners, and other stakeholders, work together to bet= ter understand and address the challenges facing forests such as climate chan= ge.=C2=A0

Claire Depardieu underlined, "Forest= living labs are not only platforms for knowledge exchange. They are spaces w= here solutions are co-designed, tested, and improved through continuous colla= boration."

Maria Nijnik,=C2=A0who also coordi= nates the IUFRO Working Party=C2=A0on=C2=A0Social Innovation and= Entrepreneurship explained, "The benefits of living labs a= re gained largely from realizing social innovations defined as the reconfigur= ation of social practices in response to societal challenges including climat= e change."=C2=A0Primary benefits are associated with strengthening the re= silience of forest social ecological systems.=C2=A0

The=C2=A0FORLIVS webinar s= eries has shown that although many regions in the world are fa= cing common challenges related to climate change, priorities and approaches c= an be very different depending on local realities. While most living lab appr= oaches in Canada, for example, are currently focused on forest ecosystems, su= stainable forest management and climate adaptation in both natural and manage= d forests, in many regions of Africa the connection between forest agricultur= e and local livelihoods is much stronger, and agroforestry is often the centr= al component of climate adaptation strategies.

"One of the most= important lessons from this conversation is that there is no-one-size-fits a= ll approach. Forest living labs help ensure that solutions are both practical= and relevant for the future and for now," Ritikaa Gupta= concluded.

Tune in to=C2=A0Branching Out: the forest podcast! Listen on=C2= =A0Spotify<= /span>=C2=A0and=C2=A0Apple Po= dcasts, and don't forget to follow us!