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Forest science for the future: Back to the drawing board?

Scientists discuss best way forward at IUFRO congress
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Farming land on peatland area in Mendawai village, Katingan. Central Kalimantan. CIFOR/Nanang Sujana

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How can forest research and science — the foundations of the science of natural resource management — be renewed amid unprecedented global challenges?

At the 25th congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), in Curitiba, Brazil, the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) hosted an official side event.

The title of the session was: “Research on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry: What’s Next?

It involved six scientists from partner organizations, in addition to congress delegates, who discussed priorities for future forestry research.

The talk stirred up a wide-ranging debate among scientists on how to confront the ongoing planetary crises such as climate change, threats to biodiversity and deforestation in a unified manner.

“We could be tempted to rush to the drawing board, but before this, we need to go back to the incredible amount of former research and see whether it worked or not,” said Vincent Gitz, director of FTA, the leading international research program exploring how forests, trees and agroforestry play a central role in food security, nutrition and sustainable development through improved production systems.

Scientists recognize that efforts to reach the Paris Agreement target to keep global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels will not be met without reductions in emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation.

Reducing deforestation and restoring landscapes are on the menu for research attention.

Learn more here.

For more information on this topic, please contact Vincent Gitz at v.gitz@cgiar.org.
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