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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-Con= flict Forest Landscape Restoration: Make "It Back Better"= and will learn about impacts of armed conflicts on forests and people an= d major restoration challenges.

Host Gerda Wolfrum from IUF= RO Headquarters and co-host Rodrigo Mendes, European Forest = Institute (EFI), Finland, and IUFRO Communications Working Party Deputy Coord= inator, spoke with Task Force co-leads Marine Elbakidze, Iva= n Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine, affiliated with SLU and S=C3= =B6dert=C3=B6rn University, Sweden, and Stefan Peters, Insti= tuto Colombo-Alem=C3=A1n para la Paz (CAPAZ) and University of Giessen, Germa= ny.

Post-conflict forest landscape restoration is the process of r= estoring forests damaged by conflict while supporting community recovery, res= ilience, reconciliation, justice, and sustainable development through a compr= ehensive and adaptive recovery strategy. The Task Force seeks to provide scie= ntific knowledge and innovative solutions for understanding the threats to an= d impacts on forest landscapes in post-conflict settings, thus supporting dec= ision making.=C2=A0

Marine Elbakidze,=C2= =A0landscape ecologist by training, emphasized, "When we talk abo= ut restoring forests, we are not talking about restoring the trees alone. We = are restoring the ecological functions that forests provide and that people d= epend on. We are talking about resources that can contribute directly to food= security, household income and rural livelihoods."

St= efan Peters=C2=A0works a lot on natural resources, on environmental = peace building, and looks at the topic from the social science perspective. H= e noted, "We must take into consideration not only the mid- and long-term = impacts on livelihoods, but also those on cultural connections between humans= and nature, especially in remote areas where Indigenous Peoples live."
A key message of the conversation is that post-conflict forest land= scape restoration does not automatically mean making it back better. After a = war, there is enormous pressure to rebuild quickly, but restoring quickly is = not necessarily restoring well. We need to think not only about trees but als= o about soil, water biodiversity and future risks, and at the same time about= the safe forest management and the recovery of institutions and communities.= 'Making it back better' means using restoration as an opportunity to build m= ore resilient forest landscapes, and more resilient relations between forests= and people.=C2=A0

Rodrigo Mendes=C2=A0concluded,= "Understanding and addressing the impact of conflict on forest landscapes= and their restoration is essential for protecting nature and ensuring that p= eople can live and thrive in a healthy, secure and resilient environment."

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