Archive for April, 2010

Forest-Monitoring: Linking Science and Policy

Committing finances to something as long-term as forest monitoring can be unsettling for politicians. Their careers hinge on regular elections – at short-term intervals.

Putting money into monitoring “makes good sense… But we need to show them that it makes sense,” said Konstantin von Teuffel, of the Forest Research Institute in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. “If, for example, politicians are to decide on subsidy programs, or decide on legislation or policies on climate change, they need to know what state the forests are in. And they need to know based on sound scientific measurements taken over a reasonably lengthy period of time, not assumptions.”

Dr. von Teuffel will coordinate a session linking long-term scientific forest monitoring to political decision-making at the 2010 IUFRO World Congress in Seoul.

He plans to build on information gathered in Buenos Aires at the World Forestry Congress last fall, where politicians and decision-makers involved in forest issues were asked about their expectations in regard to monitoring activities. “That input will be presented to the scientists in Seoul and we will discuss how best to respond to the policy makers’ needs,” he said. “We must show that monitoring is connected to real world decisions.”

He sees his session helping to increase awareness of the importance of long-term monitoring – the challenges, opportunities and priorities. It will bring together people from all continents and, he anticipates, result in a catalogue of guidelines that will allow researchers to group and prioritize forest-monitoring needs and also outline some best practices.

IUFRO Podcast – Interview with IUFRO-WFSE project coordinator Gerardo Mery

Posted by theiufroblog in Interview, Podcast No Comments

In this IUFRO podcast episode, Tarun Bathija interviews Gerardo Mery who is the project coordinator of one of IUFRO’s Special Project – World Forests, Society and Environment. During the interview, Gerardo provides you with an in-depth introduction and explanation to IUFRO-WFSE’s history, the books that have been published and in which manner he believes the project contributes to today’s world.

We hope that you enjoy listening to this new episode!

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IUFRO - The International Union of Forest Research Organizations