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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=C2=A0Task Force on Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Forest-Relate= d Sectors - ForGEDI.

Host Gerda Wolfrum from IUFRO = Headquarters and co-host Bashir Isiya,=C2=A0Nigeria, from the Internat= ional Forestry Students' Association (IFSA), spoke with Task Force co-leads <= i>Todora Rogelja from the University of Padova, Italy, and Rattiya Lip= pe from the Thuenen Institute of Forestry, Germany.=C2=A0

The = conversation highlighted entrenched power and governance structures that determine who is excluded from participation and denied rights, = including access to forest resources. Globally, there are many examples of wo= men, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, youth, and other groups that have= managed forests well yet remain underrepresented in decision-making.=C2=A0
"Without including the perspectives of those who directly depend= on the forest and who nurture the forest the most, policy decisions are inco= mplete and often ineffective and reinforce already existing inequalities,"=C2=A0said Todora Rogelja.
There are also many success stories about how GEDI can be integrated into = forest-related decision making. Rattiya Lippe refers = to a book titled=C2=A0Women as stewards of forests (Tropenbos I= nternational, Tropical Forest Issues, edited by Todora Rogelja and Luca Kroes= e). She highlights the story of an Indonesian woman called Westhi Wigaring= tyas or Wiga who helped to significantly increase women's particip= ation in decision making and forest management.=C2=A0

In the end, = as Rattiya put it, "advancing gender equity, diver= sity and inclusion is not just about inviting more people to the table or rep= resenting diversity symbolically. What is required is transforming the cultur= e and structure of the forest sector to make participation generally meaningf= ul."

In this episode you will also learn about the successful = ForGEDI Massive Open Online Course (ForGEDI MOOC), abo= ut research publications and major upcoming meetings involving the Task Force= , and about the plans for a ForGEDI Photo Exhibition and Contest at the 2029 IUFRO World Congress in Nairobi, Kenya.

W= hat is a main takeaway? If forests are to sustain life on earth in t= his era of multiple crises, the systems that are governing forests need to re= flect the diversity of those who depend on forests, and who understand and st= eward them. After all, "GEDI is not a moral add-on", Todora=C2=A0stated. "It's not a badge that we put onto our suit. It is the= precondition for legitimacy, resilience, effective action and a regenerative= society."

Tune in to=C2=A0Branc= hing Out: the forest podcast! Listen on=C2=A0Spotify=C2= =A0and=C2=A0Apple Podcasts, and don't = forget to follow us!