Fwd: New study: Forests are still underrated as allies to curb rural poverty
by Sheila Ward
Dear Meliaceae Working party:
Below is a communication from IUFRO that might be of interest.
Regards, <https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/>
Sheila Ward
Deputy Coordinator
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 9:03 PM
Subject: New study: Forests are still underrated as allies to curb rural
poverty
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
<https://www.iufro.org/>
* International Union of Forest Research Organizations *
New study: Forests are still underrated as allies to curb rural poverty
[image: Photo showing Harvesting acai (Euterpe oleracea) in the state of
Amapá, Brazil (Photo Reem Hajjar)]
Harvesting acai (Euterpe oleracea) in the state of Amapá, Brazil (Photo
Reem Hajjar)
- *In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and the mounting threat of
climate change, forests and trees are vital for the rural poor in countries
around the world*
- *However, the poor are rarely able to capture the bulk of benefits
from forests*
- *A global science assessment analyses how forests can realize their
potential to reduce poverty in a fair and lasting manner*
(Vienna, 15 October 2020) Poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing
humanity. Globally, one out of every 10 people lives in extreme poverty,
defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 per day. Many of
them live in rural areas where the poverty rate is 17.2 per cent - more
than three times higher than in urban areas. If current trends continue,
the number of hungry people will reach 840 million or one ninth of the
world’s population by 2030 according to the World Food Programme.
Poverty eradication has therefore found a place at the top of the United
Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. *"End poverty in all its
forms everywhere" *is the first Goal of this Agenda, which is supported by
all 193 UN member states. The international community is now stepping up
efforts to achieve this goal, especially in response to the severe setback
caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The zoonotic nature of the Covid-19 virus
has also illustrated the urgency to reduce human pressure on nature.
One way to relieve this pressure and alleviate poverty is to recognize and
further optimize the critical role of forests and trees as allies in the
fight against poverty. In the long run, losing forests means losing this
fight. This is the central finding of a *new global assessment report
entitled **“Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and
Limitations”. *
The report will be launched *online on Thursday, 15 October 2020, at 4-5:30
pm CEST*, two days ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty, one day ahead of World Food Day, and on the International Day of
Rural Women. All these official days underscore the urgent need for action.
The study consolidates available scientific evidence on the wide range of
contributions forests and trees outside forests make to curbing poverty and
on the effectiveness of diverse forest management policies, programs,
technologies and strategies. It does so based on an understanding of
poverty not only in terms of money but also as an obstacle that keeps
people from attaining a certain level of well-being and participating fully
in society.
“This global assessment comes at a critical time. More extreme weather
events associated with climate change, widening inequality, and the spread
of infectious diseases, among others, are making an already insecure
situation worse for the poor. It is therefore essential to review the role
of forests in development in general, and in achieving poverty eradication,
in particular.” says Hiroto Mitsugi, Assistant Director-General, FAO, and
Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
A core group of 21 internationally renowned expertsfrom different parts of
the world and different scientific backgrounds have worked together for
almost two years on the Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) on Forests and
Poverty. The Panel, chaired by Professor Daniel C. Miller of the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States, and led by the
International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), is an
initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) chaired by the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Professor Miller says, “Forests and trees are critical to the well-being of
many of the world’s poor people who have been able to harness the goods and
services they provide to manage and mitigate risk, especially in the face
of crises. To secure and improve this important function, we need to
adequately protect, manage and restore forests and to make forests and
trees more central in policy decisionmaking.”
“Our global assessment examines a variety of policy and management measures
implemented by governments, civil society organizations, and the private
sector for their potential and limitations to alleviate poverty. While
there is no one size fits all solution, we have found that some of the
strongest evidence for poverty reduction comes from agroforestry systems,
community forest management, ecotourism, and forest producer organisations,
among others,” Professor Miller explains.
However, benefits and costs from forests and trees to human well-being are
unevenly distributed. In many forest and wildlife-rich countries in Africa,
for example, timber and tourismare major contributors to national economic
accounts, but the benefits may not accrue at the local level - and, worse,
local communities may bear the cost of these activities through
environmental degradation and restricted access to protected areas.
There are several studies that show that protected areas can reduce
poverty, particularly where ecotourism opportunities exist (e.g. in Costa
Rica and Thailand) and where local people are involved as stakeholders.
However, it is often those who are better off who are more likely to
benefit, thus exacerbating local income inequalities.
Much case study evidence also points to clear benefits for the poor derived
fromcommunity forestry management(CFM), although its potential has not been
realised in most countries. Nepal is an exception as its CFM program is
considered one of the most successful of its kind in the world. And yet,
even there the benefits of CFM are unequally distributed among households,
with poor and low caste households benefitting less than more well-off
households.
Producer organisations are another relatively successful option to help
forest producers overcome challenges such as market access. For example, in
Burkina Faso’s largely female-dominated shea nut value chain 76% of
surveyed women noted improvements in their financial situation as a result
of their participation in shea producer groups. A shea union has helped to
build many members’ social capital and strengthen cohesion even as social
divisions along lines of gender, age and ethnicity still affect processes
of inclusion and exclusion along this important forest product value chain.
Vanilla production in Madagascar is an example of how agroforestry can
provide a pathway out of poverty.Approximately 80% of the world’s vanilla
is produced in Madagascar, largely in the north-eastern Sava region. There,
agroforestry systems focusing on vanilla have become the main source of
income for many farmers. However, benefits generally arise from contracts
with vanilla exporters or collectors and thus are concentrated among
smallholders able to obtain those contracts. Female-headed households, for
example, are much less likely to get contracts because of their significant
social disadvantages.
Thus, a key finding of the global assessment is that the poor are rarely
able to capture the bulk of benefits from forests even as forest and trees
are often vital in terms of subsistence. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic
has driven thousands of people back to rural areas and has cut remittances.
The full range of its effects on forests and rural livelihoods remains to
be seen.
###
*Online study launch – program and registration: *
https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/gfep-initiative/panel-on-forests-and-pov…
*The report and policy brief are available electronically at:*
https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/gfep-initiative/panel-on-forests-and-pov…
The *International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)* is a
world-wide organization devoted to forest research and related sciences.
Its members are research institutions, universities, and individual
scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other stakeholders
with a focus on forests and trees. https://www.iufro.org/
The IUFRO-led *Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP)* initiative
https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/gfep-initiative/ of the *Collaborative
Partnership on Forests (CPF)* http://www.cpfweb.org/en/ established the
Expert Panel on “Forests and Poverty” to provide policymakers with a
stronger scientific basis for their decisions and policies related to the
contributions of forests to poverty alleviation.
For more information, please contact: Gerda Wolfrum at +43-1-8770151-17 or
wolfrum(a)iufro.org
---------------------------------------
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lists. **If you wish to unsubscribe from **IUFRO mailings, please email us
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https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> - Email: office(a)iufro.org
<office(a)iufro.org>*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/ <https://www.iufro.org/legal/>*
3 years, 6 months
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Fwd: IUFRO NEWS 9, 2020
by Sheila Ward
Dear Meliaceae E-list:
Below is the IUFRO Newsletter Issue 9 2020. Past editions of the newsletter
can be found at: https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
Deputy Coordinator
IUFRO WP 1.02.04
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Wed, Sep 30, 2020 at 1:18 PM
Subject: IUFRO NEWS 9, 2020
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO News]
Issue 9, 2020
IUFRO NEWS 9, 2020
Dear IUFRO Officeholder:
We are happy to present to you issue 9 of IUFRO News 2020, volume 49.
Although many IUFRO activities and events scheduled for 2020 had to be
postponed to 2021 or even cancelled, we are encouraged by the extraordinary
level of communication that continues among IUFRO units via email, social
media and online conferencing.
These activities, along with your continued communications with IUFRO
Headquarters, keep our global network thriving despite the uncertainties of
these times. For this, we are most grateful.
IUFRO News Issue 9 is also available for download as a PDF or Word file at:
https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/
*You are welcome to share this newsletter with your colleagues and publish
the link on your organization's website!*
Best wishes,
Alexander Buck
*IUFRO Executive Director*
______________________________________________
*To find out more about IUFRO, just visit* https://www.iufro.org and
follow our blog https://blog.iufro.org/, Twitter: @iufro
<https://twitter.com/IUFRO>, IUFRO Facebook entries
<https://www.facebook.com/iufro> and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/iufro_media/>.
*IUFRO News is widely distributed among IUFRO Members, officeholders and
other interested groups. If you would like to publish in IUFRO News,
contribute to the IUFRO website content or promote a publication via IUFRO
Spotlight, do not hesitate to contact us at IUFRO Headquarters:
office(a)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org>*
Forest Science for a Healthier World
[image: Photo showing Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) in Glen Ellen, Sonoma
County, California. Sadly, stands like this have been destroyed by the
historic ongoing forest fires on the US West Coast. Photo by J. Parrotta.]
*A Message from IUFRO President John Parrotta: *
As the world struggles to contain and address the staggering human costs of
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are forcefully reminded of the
indispensable value of science, international scientific collaboration, and
the importance of timely and effective communication of scientific
knowledge to the public and decision-makers. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31305>…*
Share Your Views on Forest Education!
Do you have a moment? Then take the EFI-IFSA-IUFRO Student survey to
provide insight into the future labor market; and-or the FAO-ITTO-IUFRO
global survey to determine the status of forest education. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31304>…*
Making Forest Research More Visible - the Communication Challenge
Knowing the influence that media coverage has on shaping opinions and
policies, it is important for a more balanced coverage to provide the media
with reliable sources and robust facts based on scientific findings. Two
IUFRO Working Parties focus on science communication and forests in the
media. Read this interview with their Coordinators! *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31303>…*
Production Tables as a Tool to Support the Management of Maritime Pine
[image: Photo showing Maritime pine stands (Tâmega’s Valley, Portugal).
Photo by Teresa Fonseca]
A total of 108 participants from Portugal, Spain, UK, Brazil and India met
virtually on on 21 July 2020 to discuss “The production tables as a tool to
support the management of maritime pine”. The webcast was supported by
IUFRO Working Party 1.01.10 Ecology and Silviculture of Pine. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31302>…*
News from IUFRO HQ
IUFRO Directors' Forum
[image: Photo showing Alexander Buck (left) and Peter Mayer after signing
the agreement (Photo IUFRO)]
The IUFRO Directors’ Forum (DF) discusses management related issues of
IUFRO member organizations. We are happy to announce that a cooperation
agreement between IUFRO and the Austrian Research Centre for Forests in
support of the Directors’ Forum has been signed in September 2020. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31300>…*
Bidding Adieu to Renate Prueller
[image: Photo showing Renate Prüller. Photo IUFRO]
On 30 September 2020 Renate will retire from her position as Senior Officer
at IUFRO Headquarters and start a new chapter of her life. The manifold
ways and means in which she has contributed to IUFRO and supported our
collective work will be there for many years to come. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31299>…*
News from IUFRO Members
Embrapa Florestas, Brazil: Young scientist develops low-cost dressing made
from pine nanocellulose
[image: Photo showing artifial skin produced from pine nanocellulose. Photo
by Katia Pichelli]
Young scientist develops low-cost dressing made from pine nanocellulose.
With her projcect, a chemist from Paraná, is one of the four finalists
nominated by Brazil for the “Young Innovator of the BRICS” award. *More*
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31297>*…*
U.S. Forest Service R&D News: Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change
[image: Photo showing forest and sign announcing the Adaptive Silviculture
for Climate Change (ASCC) project. Photo credit: Molly Roske]
The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project is a
collaborative effort to establish a series of experimental silvicultural
trials across a network of different forest ecosystem types. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31308>…*
Publications
Join the Online Launch of the Global Assessment Report "Forests, Trees and
the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations"
[image: Photo showing Malawi forest landscape. Photo by Jennifer Zavaleta
Cheek]
A new and most comprehensive scientific assessment presented by the Global
Forest Experts Panel (GFEP) on Forests and Poverty reveals critical links
between forests, trees and poverty alleviation. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31295>*…
IUFRO Spotlight #81: Developing evidence-based cases for planted forests
[image: Photo showing a forest in sunlight. Photo IEFC]
Plantation forests get a bad rap. That’s the assessment of Christophe
Orazio, who is Coordinator of the IUFRO Task Force on Resilient Planted
Forests Serving Society and Bioeconomy. But is this negative reputation
justified? *More* <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31294>*…*
IUFRO Spotlight #82: More local involvement one key to FLR success
[image: Photo showing young people working on the ground. Photo Michael
Kleine]
A recent survey paper: Forest Landscape Restoration – What Generates
Failure and Success, shows that failing to involve local stakeholders
and-or a mismatch between goals of local communities and restoration
managers can be major obstacles to success. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31293>…*
Hot off the Press: Division 6 Newsletter
[image: Photo showing logo of the new IUFRO Division 6 newsletter]
Read a message from the Coordinator Cecil C. Konijnendijk van den Bosch,
learn about D6 activities, discussions during the 59th Enlarged IUFRO Board
Meeting and more <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31292>!
Poplars and Willows - Science Briefs
[image: Photo from Science Brief showing Harvested hybrid poplars grown for
biomass production]
IUFRO Working Party 2.08.04 Poplars and willows started an exemplary series
of science briefs, which are two-page summaries of recent research
activities. Two of these briefs have already been published, more are in
the pipeline. *More <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31291>…*
Masculinities in Forests: Representations of Diversity
[image: Photo showing cover of book: Masculinities in Forests:
Representations of Diversity]
The book by Carol Colfer demonstrates the wide variability in ideas about,
and practice of, masculinity in different forests, and how these relate to
forest management. *More <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31290>…*
Post Paris Navigator Special Report Focus on Forests – Showcases, Success
Factors & Policy Recommendations
[image: Photo showing cover of publication: "Post Paris Navigator Special
Report Focus on Forests – Showcases, Success Factors & Policy
Recommendations"]
In the context of the Post Paris Navigator initiative of the Schwarzenegger
Climate Initiative, supported by the Austrian Development Agency, projects
were collected which benefit both climate and people in developing and
emerging countries. One of these projects is the WWF-Mondi Water
Stewardship Partnership.*More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31309>…*
MSU Researcher Poses the Question – What is the Future of the Amazon
Forest?
[image: Photo showing a forest canopy. Photo IUFRO]
"Reframing tropical savannization: linking changes in canopy structure to
energy balance alterations that impact climate" is the title of a study
published in *Ecosphere *by a researcher atMichigan State University's
Department of Forestry (IUFRO Member Organization) together with together
with a Brazilian and international team. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31310>…*
IUFRO Conference Proceedings
[image: Photo showing the cover of the conference proceedings: "Casuarinas
for green economy and environmental sustainability"]
Sixth International Casuarina Workshop: Casuarinas for green economy and
environmental sustainability, 21-25 October 2019, Krabi, Thailand,
organized by IUFRO WP 2.08.02 and the Task Force Forest Biomass Network. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31311>…*
Journals and Paper Invitations
[image: Photo showing yellow autumn leaves. Photo by Susanne Jutzeler on
Pixabay]
Read about the ranking of the journal *Forest Policy and Economics*, and
find out about a series of possibilities to contribute to special issues of
*Forests* and a *Frontiers Research Topic. **More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31312>…*
Awards
Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award 2021 – Deadline Extended to 15
October 2020
[image: Photo showing logo of Wangari Maathai Award]
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) is awarding one
extraordinary individual for improving our forests and the lives of people
who depend on them! Nominate your candidate by October 15! *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31288>*...
More Awards
Nominate GLF Landscape Heroes by 5 October! Find out about Climate 2021
Travel Awards! Keep your fingers crossed for BOKU scientist and IUFRO
coordinator to become “Austrian of the year” in the category entitled
“Climate Initiative”! *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31287>…*
Obituary
[image: Photo showing deceased IUFRO Board member and winner of IUFRO
Distinguished Service Award Hans-Friedrich Joachim. Photo source: IUFRO DSA
publication]
We are sad to inform you that Prof. Hans-Friedrich Joachim passed away at
the age of 95. Professor Joachim, was a Member of the IUFRO Board from 1991
to 1995: He received the IUFRO Distinguished Service Award for his
outstanding contributions to IUFRO activities, in particular to the IUFRO
Centennial Meeting in Eberswalde. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31285>…*
Positions
Post-doctoral Researcher for Functional Genomics of Forest Trees / Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistantship in Forest Management and Economics /
Postdoctoral Researcher in Modeling Impacts of Catastrophic Wind
Disturbances / Find out *more
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31284>…*
Webinars and Online Courses
Online Lecture Series on Forest Roads
[image: Photo showing truck driving on a forest road, in sunshine. Photo
from flyer]
Working Party 3.01.02 Forest Roads starts an online lecture series of
entitled ‘Regional perspectives on the state of forest road design,
construction, and maintenance’. Lectures will take place every two months
starting in September and lasting until June 2021. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31315>…*
Webinar Series on Behavioral and Chemical Ecology of Forest Insects
[image: Photo showing piece of wood affected by bark beetles. By Foto-Rabe
on Pixabay]
Recently the IUFRO Working Party 7.03.16 was launched and we announce a
webinar series to promote both the new Working Party and the importance of
the behavioral and chemical ecology of forest insects, while providing a
platform for these research communities to engage and network. *More
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31316>…*
Other Information
More Webinars and Online Courses
<https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31317>
IUFRO Meetings <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31283>
Other Meetings <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=7136#c31282>
IUFRO Website Features
IUFRO Blog <https://blog.iufro.org/>
Noticeboard <https://www.iufro.org/discover/noticeboard/>
Proceedings Archive <https://www.iufro.org/publications/proceedings/>
Scientific Summaries <https://www.iufro.org/?id=79>
RSS Feeds <https://www.iufro.org/?id=3745>
Newsletter Archive <https://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=147>
______________________________________________
*IUFRO News Issue 9*
*, 2020, published in late September 2020 by IUFRO Headquarters,
Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Available for download
at: https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/
<https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/> Contact the
editor at office(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org> or
visit https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> If you wish to
unsubscribe from IUFRO News, please reply to this newsletter by e-mail
(burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).
Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c10402
<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c10402>*
3 years, 6 months
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Fwd: IUFRO Spotlight #83 - Examining the Economic Drivers of Wildfire: Where There's Smoke, There's Finance
by Sheila Ward
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae E-list:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #83. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
Deputy Coordinator
IUFRO WP 1.02.04
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2020 at 3:58 AM
Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #83 - Examining the Economic Drivers of Wildfire:
Where There's Smoke, There's Finance
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Spotlight #83 - Examining the Economic Drivers of Wildfire: Where
There's Smoke, There's Finance
*IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion,
significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member
organizations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and
researchers. IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language,
brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with
information on where/how to access the full documents.*
*Occasionally, IUFRO Spotlight also presents special activities such as
sessions at major IUFRO congresses or the work of the IUFRO Task Forces.
These focus on emerging key issues that contribute to international
processes and activities and are of great interest to policy makers and to
groups inside and outside the forest sector. With those criteria in mind,
the Spotlights for the next several months will highlight the undertakings
and goals of the IUFRO Task Forces. The IUFRO Spotlights will be
distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.*
Examining the Economic Drivers of Wildfire: Where There's Smoke, There's
Finance
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/spotlights/spotlight8…>
[image: Photo showing Professional firefighters try to stop an advancing
fire with the help of local volunteers in Galicia, Spain. Photo by Nelson
Grima]
Professional firefighters try to stop an advancing fire with the help of
local volunteers in Galicia, Spain. Photo by Nelson Grima
"The world is ablaze. Or so it seems, and the scenario is repeating itself
every year now," says Dr. François-Nicolas Robinne, of the University of
Alberta's Department of Renewable Resources, and Coordinator of IUFRO's *Fire$:
Economic Drivers of Global Wildland Fire Activity Task Force* (TF).
"So far in 2020, the Western USA has been burning out of control, with
California experiencing its largest fire in recorded history; over 20% of
the Pantanal, one of the most biodiverse wetlands in the world, has gone up
in smoke in Brazil; and record-breaking temperatures in Siberia have been
driving massive fires far above the Arctic circle, thereby releasing
megatons of carbon into the atmosphere.
"Climate change," he says, "is an obvious and legitimate culprit for
wildfires," and along with lightning strikes and other more naturally
occurring fire drivers, bring challenges that must be addressed. "But many
other drivers influence fires, and economic ones are often overlooked.
"The majority of global fire activity is human-caused and often linked to
land degradation for the production of goods traded on the international
market.
"The reality is that, in many parts of the world, fire activity and its
aftermath can be linked to economic forces: the trade market, subsidies,
insurance premiums, taxes, or something as simple – yet critical – as daily
subsistence."
His TF is looking into the nexus between the economic level of local
populations, fire activity and effects on the provision of ecosystem
services and the global appetite for international commodities (e.g. oil
palm in Indonesia or beef from Brazil).
There is no comprehensive assessment at this time of the economic drivers
of global fire activity – either as direct drivers linked to capital market
systems/cash economies, or as indirect drivers linked to the production of
non-market values from ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration.
"So, gathering this type of information into one robust and informative
product is one of the fundamental reasons for the TF."
He explains that the TF wants to depict the variety of fire activity and
fire use around the world, and to show that in many cases it can be a
vector of landscape conservation, risk reduction, and economic development
all at the same time.
"There is an annoying tendency to put all fires in the same basket, even
after all these years of research showing the importance of flames for many
ecosystems and historical landscapes, including in the wet tropics," Dr.
Robinne says.
"Tropical forests for instance, concentrate the essence of the problem the
TF would like to tackle: Indigenous communities living off the land, using
fire with parsimony and ancestral knowledge, who have been fighting
multinational corporations that take and burn the land," he says.
"We would like to provide a comprehensive review of the economic drivers of
fire activity across the world, from local issues (e.g., use of fire in
traditional agriculture) to planetary markets (e.g., trade of goods coming
from fire-degraded lands). Hopefully, this work can lead to better
education and – one can dream – to concrete action to act on some of these
main drivers," Dr. Robinne says.
Fire, he says, "triggers a strong emotional response – especially in the
Western psyche – and since fire is often human-caused and linked to land
degradation, by explaining to people that the goods they are buying come
from a fire-degraded area, perhaps the emotional response will kick in and
help build environmental awareness.
"Then too, one must think of firefighting expenditures," he adds. "Fuel
overloads are linked to fire suppression for timber protection. Communities
allow urban expansion in fire prone forests so they can leverage more
taxes, but they also have to think about budgets for fire mitigation
programs, insurance claims that will come to billions of dollars, and,
somewhat less obviously, foreseeable water pollution out of municipal
watersheds that will cost millions at the very least."
Dr. Robinne says most people realize that relying on warlike, full-scale
firefighting is not economically sustainable and that extreme wildfire
events seem to be taking an increasing economic toll on societies.
"We know of efficient alternative paths to learning to live with wildfires
and-or to reduce global wildfire activity, yet we still need to show that
these paths are economically viable and socially acceptable," he says.
*IUFRO Task Force Fire$: Economic Drivers of Global Wildland Fire
Activity: *
https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/global-wildland-fire-activity/
*Further reading: IUFRO Occasional Paper 32 - Global Fire Challenges in a
Warming World: *
https://www.iufro.org/news/article/2019/01/23/occasional-paper-32-global-fi…
*The IUFRO Task Forces are established on a temporary basis during each
5-year IUFRO Board term and focus on emerging key forest-related issues.
The nine current TFs will run till 2024 at which time their relevance will
be assessed in relation to the forest issues of the day.*
*________________________________*
The findings reported in *IUFRO Spotlight* are submitted by IUFRO
officeholders and member organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and
circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as
a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility
of the member organization and the authors.
Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO
Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have
policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you
would like to have a publication highlighted by Spotlight, contact: Gerda
Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org>.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: https://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO Spotlight #83, published in October 2020*
*by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Available for
download at: **https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> You are receiving this
message, because you are an IUFRO member or officeholder or have registered
for one of our web-based email distribution lists. If you wish to
unsubscribe from IUFRO Spotlight publications, please send us a short note
by e-mail (burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
3 years, 6 months
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Fwd: IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success
by Sheila Ward
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae E-list:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #82. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
Deputy Coordinator
IUFRO WP 1.02.04
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Mon, Sep 28, 2020 at 10:54 AM
Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success
*IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion,
significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member
organizations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and
researchers. IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language,
brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with
information on where/how to access the full documents.*
*Occasionally, IUFRO Spotlight also presents special activities such as
sessions at major IUFRO congresses or the work of the IUFRO Task Forces.
These focus on emerging key issues that contribute to international
processes and activities and are of great interest to policy makers and to
groups inside and outside the forest sector. With those criteria in mind,
the Spotlights for the next several months will highlight the undertakings
and goals of the IUFRO Task Forces. The IUFRO Spotlights will be
distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.*
Developing evidence-based cases for planted forests
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/spotlights/spotlight8…>
[image: Photo showing Involvement of local people is key to successful
forest landscape restoration (example from India). Photo credit: Michael
Kleine, IUFRO.]
Involvement of local people is key to successful forest landscape
restoration (example from India). Photo credit: Michael Kleine, IUFRO.
"What we've got here is failure to communicate."
That classic line from the Paul Newman movie, *Cool Hand Luke*, has since
become a catch phrase to describe situations – some comical, others quite
serious – that go awry when people aren't on the same page.
Used in its more serious sense, that phrase can explain the failure of many
Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) projects.
A recent survey paper: *Forest Landscape Restoration – What Generates
Failure and Success*, shows that failing to involve local stakeholders
and-or a mismatch between goals of local communities and restoration
managers, as well as environmental, anthropogenic and technical barriers to
tree regeneration can be major obstacles to success.
Several members of an IUFRO Task Force (TF) entitled *Transforming Forest
Landscapes for Future Climates and Human Well-being* developed the paper.
It summarizes the information provided in a global online survey on
experiences with forest restoration and adaptation.
There are nine TFs currently operating under the IUFRO umbrella and
exploring a number of forest-related challenges across the globe. This
particular TF is dedicated to providing the scientific basis for
transforming forest landscapes to climate-resilient land-use systems that
fulfil the complete spectrum of ecosystem service requirements of current
and future societies.
The survey paper highlights various problems and success factors with FLR
projects on a global scale and notes that "there are high hopes for Forest
and Landscape Restoration to regain ecosystem integrity and enhance human
well-being in deforested and degraded areas."
But, as Markus Hoehl, of Germany's Thuenen Institute, and the main author
of the paper, points out, "when local communities, their goals and needs,
are disregarded in project planning and implementation, as reported from
various cases in our survey, there is a risk of project failure."
The paper warns that "failed projects and disappointed stakeholders, as
well as discouraged funders and policy-makers, could lessen the momentum of
global forest restoration ambitions."
FLR has been described as "more than just planting trees – it is restoring
a whole landscape to meet present and future needs and to offer multiple
benefits and land uses over time."
The paper describes the general results obtained in the survey and
highlights particular problems and possible solutions described by the
respondents. The identified issues are then discussed with respect to the
related literature to provide a current overview of the global challenges
and facilitating factors experienced during the practical implementations
of forest restoration.
Published tools to overcome common restoration obstacles are presented to
provide a solution-oriented reference for forestry experts.
All problems included in the paper were described by more than one
respondent. There was no single cause but several factors that contributed
to project failure for many unsuccessful projects.
Moreover, the problems were interrelated, and the participation of the
local community, or the lack thereof, was an overarching topic found in the
survey responses that connects to all other topics presented.
In identifying common obstacles and success factors for the implementation
of forest restoration, the paper notes that the majority of respondents
reported successful projects though some others reported drastic problems
and failed projects.
"While (many) promising FLR success stories are being prominently
showcased, many restoration projects fail to meet their expectations.
Success stories can provide lessons for future restoration projects and can
undoubtedly be necessary to convince potential FLR investors or
policy-makers," the paper notes.
However, it goes on to say, restoration failures are much more rarely
communicated and so the helpful lessons that could be learned from them,
such as avoidance of common mistakes, are not readily available.
The paper aims to share practical experiences – good and bad – in forest
restoration among the FLR community and beyond.
Among its conclusions, the paper notes: "Research is needed to gain a
better understanding of the perception of local communities towards
restoration activities. Further studies on the implementation of forest
restoration at the intersection of environmental factors, socioeconomic
conditions, forest regeneration/silviculture, and nursery production are
needed."
*The full paper can be found at: *https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/9/938
*About the IUFRO Task Force: *
https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/transforming-forest-landscapes/
*________________________________*
The findings reported in *IUFRO Spotlight* are submitted by IUFRO
officeholders and member organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and
circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as
a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility
of the member organization and the authors.
Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO
Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have
policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you
would like to have a publication highlighted by Spotlight, contact: Gerda
Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org>.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: https://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO Spotlight #82, published in September 2020*
*by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Available for
download at: **https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> You are receiving this
message, because you are an IUFRO member or officeholder or have registered
for one of our web-based email distribution lists. If you wish to
unsubscribe from IUFRO Spotlight publications, please send us a short note
by e-mail (burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
3 years, 6 months
- 1
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Fwd: [IUFRO Div 1] Join Online Launch of Global Forests & Poverty Assessment on 15 October
by Sheila Ward
Dear Meliaceae Working Party:
This announcement from IUFRO might be of interest.
Regards,
Sheila Ward
1.02.04 Deputy Coordinator
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM
Subject: [IUFRO Div 1] Join Online Launch of Global Forests & Poverty
Assessment on 15 October
To: Dear Reader of IUFRO News <div1(a)lists.iufro.org>
<https://www.iufro.org/>
* International Union of Forest Research Organizations *
Join Online Launch of Global Forests & Poverty Assessment on 15 October
Dear colleagues,
A new and most comprehensive scientific assessment presented by the Global
Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) on Forests and Poverty reveals critical links
between forests, trees and poverty alleviation.
The report entitled *“Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty:
Potential and Limitations”* and edited by Daniel C Miller, Stephanie
Mansourian and Christoph Wildburger will be presented online:
Date: *Thursday, 15 October 2020*
Time: *4-5:30 pm CEST, Vienna, Austria*
Language: *English*
Register here: *https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/9045009670393049104
<https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/9045009670393049104>*
The report makes a valuable contribution to achieving the first and
foremost of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aimed at
ending poverty. This is even more important in light of the current
pandemic under which efforts to fight poverty have suffered a severe
setback.
Join the launch event to learn more about the key findings and discuss with
the authors!
*Please see the attached program and-or go to*:
*https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/gfep-initiative/panel-on-forests-and-poverty/
<https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/gfep-initiative/panel-on-forests-and-pov…>*
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Gerda Wolfrum
*IUFRO & GFEP Communications*
---------------------------------------
*You are receiving this message, because you are an IUFRO member or
officeholder or have registered for one of our web-based email distribution
lists. **If you wish to unsubscribe from **IUFRO mailings, please email us
by replying to this message to burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>.*
*IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Website:
https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/> - Email: office(a)iufro.org
<office(a)iufro.org>*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/ <https://www.iufro.org/legal/>*
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To post a message to all list members, send email to: div1(a)lists.iufro.org
List info and Archive:
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3 years, 6 months
- 1
- 0