4:57 a.m.
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae E-list:
IUFRO Spotlight #51 may be of interest. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 1:46 AM
Subject: IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #51: Pooling resources to
meet sub-Saharan forest challenges
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #51: Pooling resources to meet
sub-Saharan forest challenges
*The 125th Anniversary Congress on 18-22 September 2017 in Freiburg,
Germany, will offer a wide selection of scientific sessions highlighting
innovative research and interdisciplinary research approaches of relevance
to forests, and focus on the transfer of scientific knowledge on critical
global forest-related challenges to national and international political
agendas. In a series of "Congress Spotlight" articles individual sessions
shall be showcased to give a foretaste of the richness and scope of
research findings that will be presented at the Congress. Keep updated at:
http://iufro2017.com/ <http://iufro2017.com/>*
*Pooling resources to meet sub-Saharan forest challenges*
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/download/file/27092/6527/anniversary-congress-spotlight51-subsaharan-africa-th1_pdf/>
*Training workshops for early and mid-career forest scientists across
FORNESSA countries contribute to enhancing research competence and
networking. (Photo by Michael Kleine, IUFRO)*
Collaboration and cooperation are the keys to facilitating learning and
making better use of research outcomes in sub-Saharan African countries
facing severe forestry challenges.
That's the philosophy behind Dr. Joseph Cobbinah's upcoming session on
the *impact
of forestry research on policy, livelihoods and economic development in
sub-Saharan Africa*. The session will take place at the IUFRO 125th
Congress in Freiburg in September.
Dr. Cobbinah, of the CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, is also
coordinator of the session. The session will provide a platform for
sharing knowledge and experience on common challenges and for discussing
measures and approaches to accelerate cooperation. It will allow
researchers from member institutions to present research outcomes that have
impacted policy, livelihoods and economic development in the region, he
said.
"Forest research, when properly designed managed and utilized, can play a
vital role in the formulation and implementation of SFM policies, improve
livelihoods and contribute to national GDPs," Dr. Cobbinah said.
In the sub-Saharan region of Africa in recent years, climate change has
caused specific, noticeable challenges, he said. "Due largely to erratic
rainfall patterns, soil moisture deficits have had major negative impacts
on forests and people in terms of forest growth, pests and diseases, food
security and basic health."
He went on to emphasize the importance of cooperation. "Ecological zones
often cut across national boundaries. Different countries may have common
ecological challenges. The rain forests of Central Africa, as an example,
are shared by a number of countries, as is the Miombo forest of the South
Eastern Region of Africa.
"Countries within these specific enclaves tend to have similar ecological,
social and economic challenges. In a region where institutions are
generally under-resourced, networking and cooperation allow for focusing
the minds of a critical mass of experts on common problems. It can avoid
duplication of efforts, act as a catalyst for the generation of knowledge,
facilitate collective learning, and allow the sharing of technology
development costs," he added.
Dr. Cobbinah says to make the most of the situation, there is a need to
change the way research is conducted. He feels that currently there is
often a lack of connection between the researchers, forest managers and
policy makers and the local communities, which are the direct beneficiaries
of the research.
He is hopeful his session will provide a pathway to better understand how
forest research results feed into policy decisions, contribute to economic
development and affect livelihoods in the region and also help rejuvenate
the FORNESSA (Forest Research Network for Sub-Saharan Africa) network.
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=18504&md5=0e4707733325e62cc0e2820382e2634576bace93¶meters%5B0%5D=YTo0OntzOjU6IndpZHRoIjtzOjQ6IjgwMG0iO3M6NjoiaGVpZ2h0IjtzOjQ6IjYw¶meters%5B1%5D=MG0iO3M6NzoiYm9keVRhZyI7czoyMjoiPGJvZHkgYmdjb2xvcj0iYmxhY2siPiI7¶meters%5B2%5D=czo0OiJ3cmFwIjtzOjM3OiI8YSBocmVmPSJqYXZhc2NyaXB0OmNsb3NlKCk7Ij4g¶meters%5B3%5D=fCA8L2E%2BIjt9>
*Meeting of Directors of FORNESSA institutions to discuss strategic issues
of research priorities, collaboration and funding. (Photo by FRIM, Malawi)*
The network, a non-profit, non-governmental scientific organization, aims
to support and strengthen forestry research in order to improve the
conservation, sustainable management and utilization of forest resources
throughout the region.
Several issues have, in Dr. Cobbinah's opinion, hampered the network's
progress. Among them, he mentions a weak to non-existent IT infrastructure
in some institutions; uneven institutional development (many forest
researchers operate within agricultural institutes where their activities
are overshadowed by agriculture research); funding support that is weak in
some areas; and also language issues involved in dealing with scientists
from different colonial (Anglophone, Francophone and Portuguese)
backgrounds.
While he does not view the IUFRO Congress as a panacea, "it should help us
identify areas for collaboration and cooperation, allow us to share
information and be a step toward reinvigorating our network," Dr. Cobbinah
said.
*________________________________*
*The September 18-22 Congress in Freiburg will celebrate IUFRO's 125th
anniversary. Founded in 1892 in Eberswalde Germany, IUFRO has grown to
unite more than 15,000 scientists (who cooperate in IUFRO on a voluntary
basis) in almost 700 member organizations in more than 120 countries.IUFRO
promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the
understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and
trees. It disseminates scientific knowledge to stakeholders and
decision-makers and contributes to forest policy and on-the-ground forest
management.About 2000 scientists from 89 countries are expected to attend
the Congress. The sub-Saharan Africa session in Freiburg will be one of 172
scientific sessions that will cover a wide array of topics dealing with
various aspects of forest research.See you at the IUFRO 125th Anniversary
Congress in Freiburg, Germany!Look out for #IUFRO2017
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/iufro2017?f=tweets&vertical=default&src=hash>
on Twitter and @iufro2017 <https://www.facebook.com/iufro2017> on Facebook!*
*________________________________*
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: http://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #51, published in August 2017by
IUFRO Headquarters, Vienna, Austria.Available for download at:
**http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
http://www.iufro.org/ <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=104>*
If you do not wish to receive *IUFRO Spotlight* publications, please email
us at: office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org>
*Imprint: http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
