Research for sustainable development: Forests, trees and agroforestry

This subplenary session, jointly organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA), aims to provide a platform for enhancing connections between forests and tree science and research, development partners, and “boundary institutions”, in the context of the implementation of the sustainable development agenda.

Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change, ensuring food security and nutrition, and preserving biodiversity will not be possible without enhancing the contribution of forests, trees and agroforestry. This requires the deployment of integrated solutions.

The international sustainable development agenda needs to be supported with suitable evidence-based, credible, legitimate and effective options based on forest, tree and agroforestry solutions. This includes generating and developing technical options as well as designing, assessing and implementing management systems and governance solutions.

But what are the key priorities when it comes to trees and forests for sustainable development? What is needed most and where should we start?

The session enables all participants to contribute to the following discussions.

• Why is forest, tree and agroforestry research important today? Raising awareness of the critical importance of research on forests, trees and agroforestry for addressing the SDGs, climate change, and food security and nutrition challenges.
• What does research need to tackle at the top of its agenda? What are the areas of emphasis (or de-emphasis)? Identifying key priority areas and research gaps in research for development, emerging from the comparison of ‘demand’ from development partners and ‘supply’ from forest and tree science and research.
• How should the research community be working with users? Building a common understanding of how to best bridge/integrate the research and development worlds for impact, as well as the role of boundary institutions and products.

Watch the livestream of this session at live.iufro2017.com, or connect on social media with the hashtag #IUFRO2017.

For more information, download the session flyer.

 

Keynote Speakers:

	Dr. Anssi Pekkarinen Senior Forestry Officer Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
	Dr. Terry Sunderland High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and Team Leader at CIFOR

 

Panelists:

	Mr. Herbert Christ International Forest Policy Programme of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Germany
	Dr. Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa Derkyi Lecturer, Department of Forest Science University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana
	Dr. Mónica Gabay School of Politics and Government National University of General San Martin, Argentina
	Prof. Dr. Glenn Galloway Director, Master of Sustainable Development Practice Program (MDP) Center for Latin American Studies/Center for African Studies University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
	Dr. Vincent Gitz FTA Director, CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia

 

Moderator:

Dr. Michael Kleine Deputy Executive Director, IUFRO, Vienna, Austria