Cool insights for a hot world: Virtual symposium

Play it cool with symposium recordings

Bogor, Nairobi and Online

About
the event

Recordings from the “Cool insights for a hot world: trees and forests recycle water and modify climate” virtual symposium are now available. Watch the full video from each day, or view each speaker’s presentation separately.

The event saw 11 speakers cover topics ranging from forests in global climate policy to rainbow water and teleconnections as well as implications for forest landscape restoration, as well as opening remarks from CIFOR Director General Peter Holmgren and closing remarks from ICRAF Director General Tony Simons.

Day 1 featured opening remarks from CIFOR’s director general as well as presentations such as “Biological rainfall triggers” from Cindy Morris, “Tree rings, stable isotopes and hydroclimate” from Aster Gebrekirstos and more.

On Day 2, speakers included Douglas Sheil on the topic of “Forests for rain: new ideas, new opportunities” and Victoria Gutierrez on “Implications for forest landscape restoration”, before closing remarks from ICRAF’s director general.

The symposium, which took place on March 21-22, featured a number of the authors of the recently published Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world research paper on the linkages between forests, water and climate.

The authors suggest that the global conversation on trees, forests and climate needs to be turned on its head: the direct effects of trees on the climate via rainfall and cooling may be more important than the well-studied effects through the global carbon balance.

For more information on the symposium theme, and the relationship between trees and climate, read our blogs:

The participants and presenters also addressed numerous queries that arose in question and answer sessions. Along with the presentation recordings, the full Q&A is now available for viewing.

Those who participated noted the value of bringing together speakers to share their insights on the recent findings, which have shed new light on the role of forests and trees in the climate debate.

Agenda

Tue, 22 Jun 2021

14:00 - 15:30

OPENING PLENARY SESSION: SETTING THE SCENE

Facilitators: Vincent Gitz & XU Jianchu + (TBC)

Opening remarks:

  • Prof. SU Jianrong, Director, Research Institute of Resource Insects, Chinese Academy of Forestry
  • Prof. SUN Hang, Director, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Prof. HAO Weiping, Deputy Director, Department of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Conference Overview – Vincent Gitz, FTA Director

Keynotes:

  • Prof. LU Yuanchang, Chinese Academy of Forestry – Tree species diversity pattern in tropical mountain forests and its implications for close to nature management
  • Ms Elaine Springgay, FAO-HQ Forestry/Agroforestry Officer &
    Mr Illias Animon FAO-RAP Regional Forestry Officer Agroforestry for sustainable landscapes and livelihoods
  • Razan Al Mubarak, Managing Director, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund – Rebuilding the status of plants as a focal point for the conservation agenda
  • Robert Nasi, CIFOR Director-General – Collapse or resilience of civilization: a role for forests and trees?
15:30 - 16:00

COFFEE/TEA BREAK

16:00 - 17:30

PARALLEL SESSIONS I (THEME 1 AND THEME 2)

Theme 1: Trees for agroecology and circular agriculture
(Fergus Sinclair + Eduardo Somarriba + Dossa Gbadamassi)

  1. Conducive policy and regulatory regimes are key to the success of agroforestry in India
    A.K. Srivastava     – Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests, Noida, India
  2. Modelling Moringa oleifera distribution in support of agroforestry applications
    Sailesh Ranjitkar – Faculty of Agroforestry, Lumbini Buddhist University, Lumbini, Nepal
  3. Harnessing sericulture in agroforestry systems
    Phoebe Kirigo Mwaniki  – World Agroforestry
  4. Can rubber agroforestry improve nutrients cycling?
    Dossa Gbadamassi – CAS
  5. Amla (Phyllanthus emblica) fresh tree fruit as new feed source for sustainable dairy Production: Effect on milk production, and fatty acid profiles in lactating dairy cows
    Mekonnen Tilahun – Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science

Theme 2: Tree diversity: realizing economic and ecological value from tree genetic resources to bridge production gaps and promoter resilience
(Ramni Jamnadass + Chris Kettle + Bu Dengpan)

  1. Are seed supply systems for forest landscape restoration fit for purpose? An analysis of four Asian countries
    Ennia Bosshard – ETH Zürich
  2. Certification of Nurseries and Quality Planting Material to Accelerate Agroforestry in India
    Abhijit Ghose – Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests
  3. The Measuring of Carbon Density, Distributing and Storage of Chinese Bamboo Forest
    HU Yaping – Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, China
  4. Development of a highly efficient callus induction and plant regeneration system for Dendrocalamus sinicus using hypocotyls as explants
    CUI Kai – Research Institute of Resources Insects, CAF
  5. Genetic diversity and patterns of variation of threatened Dalbergia cultrata in China revealed by SSR markers and a strategy for restoration and conservation
    ZHENG Yongqi – Research Institute of Forestry, CAF
  6. Setting site-specific conservation and restoration priorities for valued tree species across South and Southeast Asia
    Hannes Gaisberger – The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Wed, 23 Jun 2021

09:30 - 12:00

Poster sessions (on site only)

Theme 1: Trees for agroecology and circular agriculture (Poster session facilitator: Dossa Gbadamassi, XTBG TBC)

Theme 2: Tree diversity: realizing economic and ecological value from tree genetic resources to bridge production gaps and promoter resilience (Poster session facilitator: Zhai Deli, KIB)

Theme 3: Trees in the framework of the CBD (Poster session facilitator- Fiona Worthy, KIB)

14:45 - 16:15

PARALLEL SESSIONS II (THEME 3 AND THEME 4)

Theme 3: Trees in the framework of the CBD
(Yves Laumonier + ZHOU Mi)

  1. Environmental stratification for understanding climate change impacts on biodiversity and protected areas, and the potential role for agroforestry in conservation
    Robert Zomer – KIB
  2. Climate, soil, and water benefits versus biodiversity: allies or adversaries in reforestation?
    HUA Fangyuan – Peking University
  3. Estimation of tree diversity trajectories in primary and production tropical forests in Costa Rica
    Elliot Maurent – CIRAD
  4. Trade Agreement’s Impact on Biodiversification – An example in the North America
    ZHOU Mi – Institute of American and Oceania Study, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce
  5. Tree On Farms (TonF) in Honduras – Impact pathways to improved farming and public policies
    Eduardo Somarriba – CATIE
  6. The Role of High Conservation Value Forest in Conserving Tree Species in the Oil Palm Plantation Landscape
    Rozza Tri Kwatrina – FRDC

Theme 4: Mountain ecosystems and food security
(Himlal Baral + HUA Fangyuan)

  1. Indigenous Crops and their Roles in Food and Nutritional Security in the Eastern Himalayas
    Jyoti Prakash Tamang – ICIMOD
  2. Understanding the role of soil micro-ecology in tea plantations
    GUI Heng – KIB
  3. Fungal endophytes: a potent biocontrol agent
    Saowaluck Tibpromma – KIB
  4. Livelihood improvement and landscape restoration through fruit sector development in North-Western Vietnam
    Pascal Lienhard – CIRAD
  5. Global Land Grabbing: A Critical Review of Case Studies across the World
    YANG Bin – Yunnan University
  6. The Potential Role of Forestry Interventions in Landslide Prone Areas of Cherangany Escarpment, Kenya
    Ernest Kiplangat Ronoh – Kenya Forestry Research Institute
16:15 - 16:45

COFFEE/TEA BREAK

16:45 - 18:15

PARALLEL SESSIONS III (THEME 5 AND THEME 6)

Theme 5: Assessing benefits of landscape restoration
(Peter Minang + Chris Kettle + GUO Yufu)

  1. Development of Pilot Sites for the Implementation of United Nations Forest Instrument in China
    GUO Yufu – National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China
  2. The Economics of Ecosystem Restoration (TEER) initiative
    Nathanaël Pingault – CIFOR/FTA
  3. Diversity Bears Fruit: Evaluating the Economic Potential of Undervalued Fruits for an Agroecological Restoration Approach in the Peruvian Amazon
    Elisabeth Lagneaux – Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University
  4. Toward sustainable revegetation in the Loess Plateau using coupled water and carbon management
    ZHAO Fubo  – Department of Earth & Environmental Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
  5. Super power for Robinia pseudoacacia to well grow on the bare rock slope created by bacteria
    ZHUANG Jiayao – Nanjing Forestry University
  6. Leguminous shrub-based evergreen energy systems for carbon drawdown and biodiversity conservation
    Dennis Garrity – Global EverGreening Alliance + ICRAF

Theme 6: Trees for a circular green economy
(Chris Martius + Michael Brady + Yanxia Li + Peter Mortimer)

  1. Reviewing the worlds edible mushrooms
    Peter Mortimer -KIB
  2. Alleviating forest degradation in mountain landscapes: making use of mushroom cultivation for rural development
    Asanka Bandara – KIB
  3. Establishment of Rattan Plantations
    Rene Kaam – INBAR
  4. Tree and bamboo-based circular bioeconomy for alternative biomass energy: Charcoal briquettes as a cleaner biomass energy solution
    Mary Njenga -ICRAF
  5. Feed utilization and industrial development prospect of woody plants in China
    ZHANG Yanping – Research Institute of Resources Insects, CAF
  6. 6.5 Million Ha of Natural Forest In East Kalimantan, Indonesia for Nature Capital of Green Growth Development through Emission Reduction Program
    Wayan Susi Dharmawan – Forest Research and Development Center, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia

Thu, 24 Jun 2021

09:30 - 12:00

Poster sessions (on site only)

Theme 4: Mountain ecosystems and food security (Poster session facilitator – Gui Heng, KIB)

Theme 5: Evaluation on landscape restoration of benefit (poster session facilitator – Yan Kai, YAU)

Theme 6: Trees for a circular green economy (poster session facilitator – Li Huili, KIB)

 

14:45 - 15:45

CLOSING PLENARY: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE

Introduction

Main results and recommendations by theme leaders

  1. Trees for agroecology and circular agriculture
  2. Tree diversity: realizing economic and ecological value from tree genetic resources to bridge production gaps and promote resilience
  3. Trees in the framework of the CBD
  4. Mountain ecosystems and food security
  5. Assessing benefits of landscape restoration
  6. Trees for a circular green economy

Results from the conference in the context of 2021 – From Science to Policy and Action: Recommendations and way forward

15:45 - 16:15

COFFEE/TEA BREAK

16:15 - 17:00

CLOSING REMARKS

Ranjit Barthakur – Bali Para Foundation
Wang Ren – Director General, China National Gene Bank, Shenzhen
Tony Simons – ICRAF Director General


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