Interview with Professor Makoto Yokohari Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Keynote speaker at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania – Forests for Sustainable Development: The Role of Research
The Role of Forests in Urban Green Spaces
Professor Makoto Yokohari, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Professor Yokohari, landscape and urban planning, urban ecology, and ecological landscape design are at the core of your academic interests. The IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania draws attention to the particular role that forests play for the sustainable development in urban and peri-urban areas and has identified “Urban forestry for human health and community well-being” as one of its key themes.
Q: Urban green spaces have significantly gained in importance worldwide in view of rapid urbanization of society and the development of megacities. What are the major benefits of urban green spaces in general?
A: Three clusters of ecological functions, or benefits, can be listed, which are “human comfort”, “conservation of physical environment” and “conservation of biological environment”. The first cluster includes functions as landscape conservation and recreational uses, the second includes microclimate control and water retention, and the third includes conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. Read more…
Interview with Dr Elspeth MacRae, Scion, New Zealand
Keynote speaker at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania – Forests for Sustainable Development: The Role of Research
Forests and the Bioeconomy: challenges and opportunities
Dr. Elspeth MacRae. Scion Photo
Innovative technologies for bio-energy, bio-materials and other products will be one of the major themes at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania on 24-27 October 2016 in Beijing, China. Dr Elspeth MacRae leads wood and fibre processing activities, including biorefinery, biodiscovery and bioplastics at Scion, New Zealand. Her keynote speech will highlight state-of-the-art biotech research and the role of bioproducts. Read more…
Global Significance of Teak – Present and Future
Global teak support program by IUFRO, TEAKNET and FAO underway
Experts from the Asia Pacific region and from overseas convened in a side event at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, in Pampanga, Philippines, on 24 February, to discuss the way forward in promoting teak (Tectona grandis) as one of the major high-value tropical timber species. Current trends show that global demand for and importance of teak will significantly increase as a business opportunity for the private sector and as a means of income for smallholder farmers. Read more…
Understanding African forestry research
International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) President, Prof. Mike Wingfield, hosted a gathering of 20 African forestry research leaders, senior IUFRO and postgraduate student representatives during the recent 14th World Forestry Congress 2015. Read more…
Interconnecting forests, science and people
There is a great acceleration going on in the world. The challenges that we are facing – population growth, urbanization, shortage of food and clean water, climate change and many more – are growing fast.
Research networking and global collaboration across scientific disciplines have proved to be an efficient way of generating the scientific knowledge that is indispensable for finding viable solutions to these problems. Read more…
The forestry environment is changing – and research institutions need to respond
Directors of forest research institutions – mainly from Africa – discussed future management strategies in a side event entitled “Crossing science boundaries for the benefit of forests and people” organized by the IUFRO Directors’ Forum.
Forest research is critical for forestry and natural resource management. But, as a recent survey among IUFRO member organizations – universities and research centers – clearly shows, forest research can no longer be viewed in isolation. It is being more and more recognized as part of a larger context and has become increasingly cross-sectoral. Read more…
Local approach is crucial to making forest and landscape restoration a success
A 3-day training workshop on science-policy interactions for forest and landscape restoration took place on 4-6 September 2015 in Durban, South Africa, prior to the World Forestry Congress. The workshop was organized by IUFRO’s Special Programme for Development of Capacities (SPDC) in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), and brought together a group of 14 early and mid-career scientists, educators and professionals from developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. http://www.iufro.org/science/special/spdc/actproj/twdurban/ Read more…
Learning how others deal with forest & landscape restoration and applying new knowledge at home
Interview with four participants of the IUFRO-SPDC/WRI training workshop on science-policy interactions for forest and landscape restoration on 4-6 September 2015 in Durban, South Africa, prior to the World Forestry Congress: http://www.iufro.org/science/special/spdc/actproj/twdurban/
Mercedes Sá from Argentina
Mercedes Sá is a Forestry Engineer from Argentina. She works for the national government in the Directorate of Forestry. She is not a traditional scientific researcher because her every day work is related with the supervision of conservation and management plans of native forestry resources, including restoration activities, that all the provinces of Argentina approve for the compensation of environmental services under the framework of a National Law. Read more…
Spotlight #33 – Connecting the Dots among Forests, Soils and Water
When one thinks of forests, the immediate thought is most likely of trees. That makes sense.
But forests and trees don’t exist in isolation. Things that affect – and are affected by – forests range from human activities to climate; from water and soils to insects and disease and from economics to forest products, to name just a few.
Bitter Springs Mataranka, Northern Territory, Australia. Photo: markrhiggins (Fotolia)
With that in mind, the IUFRO 2015-2019 Strategy focuses on five research themes: Forests, Soil and Water Interactions; Forests for People; Forests and Climate Change; Forests and Forest-based products for a Greener Future; and Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Biological Invasions. Read more…
Investing in Knowledge Generation, Capacity Building and Education in Forestry
IUFRO fosters discussions on respective needs and benefits at a number of side events during the XIV World Forestry Congress in September in Durban, South Africa.
http://www.iufro.org/events/other-major-events/wfc-2015/
Climate change, food and water security, biodiversity conservation, and reliable, clean energy are some of the global challenges society is facing today. All have in common that they are highly interconnected and that they are all related to forests and forest management in some ways. Therefore our sustainable development will highly depend on how we manage and use forests in future and how we include forests in meeting the big challenges ahead. Read more…