Archive for the ‘Event’ Category

Agroforestry – Tradition and Innovation

Session B-05 (26): Approaches for Sustaining Agroforestry Systems and Practice in Asia and Oceania

Moderator: Swoyambhu Man Amatya, Coordinator IUFRO Division 1.04.00, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal
Wednesday, 26th of October 2016, 10:30-12:30 (301 B)

Find more information on the IUFRO Division 1.04.00 Agroforestry at:
http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/10400/

Agroforestry area in Laos. Photo: Renate Prüller, IUFRO Headquarters

Agroforestry area in Laos. Photo: Renate Prüller, IUFRO Headquarters

While undernourishment decreased globally, agriculture has intensified. Agroforestry systems are believed to reduce negative impacts of farming, by enhancing ecosystem services without hindering the yield of farmers. This session explored agroforestry systems currently used in Asia and Oceania as well as the potential role of agroforestry in securing food, livelihoods and mitigation of climate change effects. Read more…

Forest transition pathways in Asia

Session F-05(60)
Moderator:
Wil De Jong
Wednesday, 26 October 2016, 10:30-12:30 (Room 302B)

Terelj National Park, Mongolia. Photo: Alexander Buck, IUFRO Headquarters

Terelj National Park, Mongolia. Photo: Alexander Buck, IUFRO Headquarters

Studies presented in this session examined the dynamic interrelationship between forest transition and economic, social and political changes, and discussed the implications for forest policy.

As we entered the Anthropocene, human influence became increasingly stronger causing great forest decline, particularly from 1920 onwards. Direct drivers of forest decrease include, among others, population growth and agricultural expansion. Read more…

How far should we go “native”? Re-conceptualizing biodiversity restoration in urban forests

Keynote Speech by Professor Makoto Yokohari, The University of Tokyo, at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania

Restoring biodiversity by reforesting urban fabrics is one of common urgent tasks for cities in the world in general and in the Asia and Oceania region in particular. After all, seven of the ten largest cities in the world are in this region. One of these cities is Tokyo. It accommodates 10 million people. More than 30 million people live in the national capital region; this is one third of the total population of Japan. However, despite the high number of population in Tokyo, one third of its area is mountainous, largely covered by natural and planted forest patches.

Professor Makoto Yokohari during his keynote speech. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters

Professor Makoto Yokohari during his keynote speech. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters

We should be aware of the fact that where you find megacities you often also find high biodiversity. Consequently, when talking about biodiversity, we cannot exclude cities as they often coincide with biological hotspots. Of course, the green spaces in cities do not only serve the purpose of biodiversity but they are also used by people for recreation. Urban greens are areas of human comfort. But how to balance between human comfort and biodiversity? Read more…

Addressing the challenge of increasing dryland areas

Lu Wen Ming delivering welcome remarks at the dryland session.

Lu Wen Ming delivering welcome remarks at the dryland session. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters

Session A-05(108): Conservation, restoration and sustainable use of dryland ecosystems

There is clear evidence of the fact that the growth rate of CO2 concentration has been increasing and, together with other greenhouse gases, this increase is a main driver of global warming. Unfortunately, these gases have a relatively long lifetime – CO2, for example, has a lifetime of 200-400 years – which means that we are putting a heavy burden on future generations.

Desertification is one of the results of rising temperatures. In China there are actually 4.52 million km2 of drylands constituting 47.1% of the total landmass. Parts of these dryland areas are threatened by degradation and desertification. In Mongolia we are witnessing a marked decrease of the number and area of lakes. This is mainly due to human activities such as coal extraction and irrigation. These and other anthropogenic drivers of change in drylands intensify the pressure on land, which leads to land degradation and decreases the ecosystem value, thus affecting people’s livelihoods. Read more…

Future of forest industrial business: co-management of ecosystem services and corporate sustainability?

Session #: F-7

Session Content: The session brings together a rich collection of research-based evidence on ecosystem service management and the emerging interactions between businesses, industrial plantations and local livelihoods. Along this, the session addresses impacts from changing international trade flows and foreign investments on the sustainable future of forest industry. Key examples are drawn from the Asian context with a reference drawn from other parts of the world. An important aspect is to bridge the gap between the future of forest-based industrial business and recent UN Sustainable Development goals and their inferences on human and environmental development perspectives. Read more…

The crucial role of forests in combatting climate change

Session title: A-03 (76) Implications of the Paris Climate Change Agreement (CoP21) on Forests, Water and Soils

Moderator: Richard J. Harper, IUFRO Taskforce Coordinator “Forests, Soil and Water interactions”, Murdoch University, Australia

Tuesday, 25th of October 2016, 10:30-12-30 (306B)

Find more information on the IUFRO Task Force of Forests, Soil and Water interactions at: http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/forests-soil-water/

 

Tree at lake, Laos. Photo: all-free-download

Tree at lake, Laos. Photo: all-free-download

The Paris Agreement established the ambitious goal to limit the global rise in temperature to below 2° C. This session took a look at the impact climate change as well as mitigation measures potentially have on forests, soil conservation and carbon mitigation. Read more…

IUFRO Directors’ Forum – Management of Forest Research in Asia and Oceania

Panel discussion at the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania, moderated by Peter Mayer, Austrian Research Center for Forests (BFW) and Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Directors’ Forum

Panelists:

Panelists of Directors' Forum

Panelists at the Directors’ Forum

Haruo Sawada, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Japan
Jung-Hwan Park, National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS), Korea
Gan Kee Seng, Forest Research Institute (FRIM), Malaysia
Jerry Vanclay, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Australia

The IUFRO Directors’ Forum is one of the most important activities within IUFRO and its status of a Special Program reflects this great importance. The forum is a high-level platform for directors of forest research institutions and deans of forest faculties worldwide to debate opportunities and challenges of research management. Read more…

Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation

Session D8-03(42)
Moderator:
Xiaoquan Zhang
Tuesday, 25 October 2016, 10:30-12:30 (Room 305)

Green hotel. Photo: Vera Kratochvil

Green hotel. Photo: Vera Kratochvil

During the past 15 years, the rapid expansion of fossil fuels usage has raised global greenhouse gas emissions to the highest levels to date. This has led to a rise in surface temperatures and a significant increase in climate-related risks, including the loss of sea ice in the artic ocean, reduction of mountain glaciers, sea level rise, loss of endangered species, to name but a few.

In urban territories, solar energy and heat are absorbed to a greater extent than in rural areas, thus reducing the evapotranspiration and creating warmer environments. Consequently, the energy demand for cooling is expected to grow strongly with climate change. However, in many cities there is a potential for cooling urban microclimates through adding vegetation and trees and greening roofs and city areas. This will not only help to save energy, it will also be beneficial to the health and quality of life of city dwellers. Read more…

Research and Development for Sustainable Forest in Asia

Keynote Presentation by Don Koo Lee, Seoul National University, Korea, Tuesday 25 Oct 2016

This most inspiring talk about the important roles of trees, soil and forests for human life highlighted ways of how to achieve sustainable development and showcased success stories, especially the historic achievement of reforesting Korea.

Professor Don Koo Lee speaking about sustainable development in Asia

Professor Don Koo Lee speaking about sustainable forest management in Asia. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters.

The goods and services provided by forests are manifold and indispensable for people and the environment. Forests are crucial, among other things, for stabilizing soil, providing water resources, supporting biodiversity, protecting against natural hazards, delivering timber and non-timber products, and, quite importantly, combatting climate change. In order to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the same benefits from forests, sustainability is indispensable in the management and use of natural resources. Read more…

Invasive Species and Forest Ecosystems under Changing Climate: Ecological, Economical and Social Impacts

Session title: Invasive Species and Forest Ecosystems under Changing Climate: Ecological, Economical and Social Impacts

Moderators:
Daizy R. Batish, Deputy Coordinator IUFRO Division 8.02.04, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Shibu Jose, Coordinator IUFRO Division 8.02.04, University of Missouri, USA

Monday, 24 October 2016, 16:00-18:00 (305)

Find more information on the IUFRO Working Party 8.02.04 at: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80200/80204/


This session took a look at alien species, specifically invasive insects and plants, and their impact on the invaded ecosystems. It particularly addressed the question of how changes within ecosystems associated with climate change affect alien species. Furthermore, presentations shed light on how invasive species can impact the livelihood of people in a social, economic and ecologic level. Read more…

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