3:36 p.m.
Dear IUFR Working Party on Resource Data in the Tropics:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #91. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
Associate Coordinator
IUFRO WP 1.02.04
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Wed, Dec 15, 2021 at 11:14 AM
Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #91 - Forests and Water
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Spotlight #91 - Forests and Water
*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. The *IUFRO Spotlight* findings will
be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.
Forests and Water
*Science-Policy-Practice Interface for Managing Forest and Water
Interactions under a Changing Environment*
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/spotlights/spotlight91-forests-water-2021.pdf>
[image: Photo showing a forest behind a lake. Photo: Kalexander73 on
Pixabay.]
Kalexander73 on Pixabay
Water is fundamental to life on earth. What may not be quite so obvious is
that forests are equally vital resources for life on the planet.
And the two – water and forests – are inseparable in the pursuit of a
sustainable and sustainably developed world. Therefore, forests and water
resources have been identified as essential elements in adaptation to
climate change.
The IUFRO-sponsored Forests and Water science-policy forum at the IUFRO
World Day provided a platform for scientists, forest managers and
decision-makers from the Asia-Oceania region to share insights and
experiences about forest and water interactions from different perspectives.
Among the significant challenges discussed by the forum panelists were the
increasing competition for water resources, the positive and negative
impacts of carbon sequestration due to large scale afforestation and
reforestation, climate change-related shifts in rainfall patterns and
capacity building requirements among civil groups at various levels to
ensure competent engagement in forest and water management.
To address the challenges of competition for water, a range of technical,
social and political actions have been suggested – technical advancements
such as GIS, remote sensing and climate modelling to better understand the
full hydrological cycle, targeted reforestation, better integration of
planted forests in the wider landscape, good community engagement and
tighter regulatory environments
[image: Photo showing a lake surrounded by mountains, with forests. Photo:
Vandaagevenniet on Pixabay]
Vandaagevenniet on Pixabay
Integrated watershed management was also advocated as a way to deal with
the impact of changes in rainfall due to climate change. This varies across
the region; in some areas such as Japan there have been record-breaking
heavy rains, while in others there have been droughts.
Forests play a crucial role in supplying clean water, help prevent
environmental hazards such as soil erosion and flooding as well as ensuring
many other ecological functions. Any forest changes – and their
interactions with climate – can significantly affect water resources and
water-related ecological functions and services.
Therefore, managing forests for water provision is an important priority in
various international initiatives (Bonn Challenge, UN SDGs etc.). In
addition, there is an active agenda to use reforestation for landscape
restoration and to mitigate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide content.
The forum panelists also underlined that communicating and sharing
technical advances and policies must be strengthened to ensure that
research on forest and water interactions in a changing environment is
appropriately addressed.
The opening address for the forum was delivered by IUFRO Vice President *Liu
Shirong* of the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
Keynote presentations were given by *Meine van Noordwijk*, World
Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya; and by *Richard Harper* of
Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Richard Harper is also Deputy
Coordinator of IUFRO’s Task Force on Forests and Water Interactions in a
Changing Environment.
The panel discussion featured:
*Brenda Baillie*, Northland Regional Council, New Zealand;
*Mingfang Zhang*, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China;
*Kyoichi Otsuki*, Kyushu University, Japan;
*Diomedes A. Racelis*, University of the Philippines Los Baños,
Philippines; and
*Hyung Tae Choi*, National Institute of Forest Science, Republic of Korea.
The online discussion was one of three science-policy forums organized for
IUFRO World Day. (The other two – Forests and Fire and Forest-based
Bioeconomy for All – will be covered in separate Spotlights.)
Link to the forums: Science & Policy | IUFRO World Day
<https://www.iufroworldday.org/science-policy-forums>
Link to the recording: Forest-Water-Session
<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mvgx0sb8myq2tbr/AAC5IFBrbk2wWD5TO6YcG92ua/Session%20recording?dl=0&preview=zoom_0.mp4&subfolder_nav_tracking=1>
IUFRO World Day was a worldwide digital event that took place on September
28-29 in three time zones around the world. It comprised 24 hours of
forest-related research topics, networking, and emerging issues of
relevancy for global policy makers. The event was designed to showcase the
diversity of the IUFRO network, including IUFRO's scientific units and
IUFRO's member organizations, to facilitate networking, and to enhance
communication and outreach.
The World Day comprised 79 live sessions from IUFRO Units and Members –
including the three forums mentioned above – covering highly relevant
topics for policy makers as well as three central IUFRO sessions, one in
each time zone. Over 3000 participants from more than 100 countries
registered for the event. IUFRO: IUFRO World Day - Digital Forest Science
Forum 2021 / Events <https://www.iufro.org/events/iufro-world-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 #91, published in December 2021*
*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
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by e-mail (burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).*
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<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
