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Pre-Conference Training Workshop on:

"Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change: Working effectively at the Interface of Forest Science and Forest Policy"

Organized in conjunction with the International Conference on Adaptation of Forests and Forest Management to Climate Change with Emphasis on Forest Health: A Review of Sciences, Policies and Practices (25 to 28 August 2008).
http://www.forestadaptation2008.net/home/en/

Please click here for workshop report!

Venue: Umea, Sweden

Date: 22 to 24 August, 2008

Jointly organized by:
•    IUFRO's Special Programme for Developing Countries (IUFRO-SPDC) and
•    Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

Sponsors:
•    Swedish Ministry for Environment
•    USDA Forest Service
•    Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
•    Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water 
      Management
•    Asia-Pacific Network of Global Change Research (APN)
http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/indexe.html

Contributors:
•    "GCOE Program for Ecosystem Management Adapting to Global Change"
      Tohoku University, Japan
•    Tropical Agriculture and Higher Education Center (CATIE), Costa Rica
•    Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences, Sweden
•    Swedish Forest Research Institute, Skogforsk
•    Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Agricultural University, Bangladesh


Background and Objectives

The need for sound scientific information in the development of public environmental and forest-related policies at the local, national and international levels has grown significantly in recent years. So too has the need for such information within the private forestry sector and among non-governmental organizations, whose role in the development, sustainable management and conservation of forest resources in all regions of the world is steadily increasing in importance. Although it is commonly accepted that scientific information is indispensable for policy and management, linking substantive knowledge and authoritative political decision making is a chronically difficult task.

Therefore, the training workshop will provide concepts and methods to researchers on how to plan, conduct, and organise research activities so that research results can more quickly and easily be transformed into usable information for problem-solving and policy-making. The participants will learn about key aspects of science-policy interactions, and best practices for work at the science-policy interface in the context of international, national and local policy processes. Besides presentations of these best practices, a wide range of case studies mainly dealing with forest-related climate change research from Africa, Asia, and Latin America will be discussed. Hands-on exercises in working groups with focus on the formulation of research processes that adequately incorporate elements of science-policy interfacing will complement the programme. 

The training is based on the work of international experts convened by IUFRO in its Task Force on Science-Policy Interface. In addition, resource persons from various national and international research institutions will share their experiences with working on science-policy interactions. Results of similar IUFRO-SPDC science-policy workshops held in various regions over the past three years will also be presented.


Target Audience

The training workshop has brought together early- and mid-career scientists from developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America wishing to increase the impact of their scientific work on policy making (i.e., research, advocacy, supervision etc.) through adequate contribution of research results and scientific knowledge to policy-making processes, addressing broader environmental and socio-economic issues. 22 participants from 16 countries were accepted in the training workshop.


Workshop Organization

•    Venue: The workshop took place at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umea, Sweden.

Time Schedule

21 August, 2008

Arrival of participants in Umea

22 to 24 August, 2008

IUFRO-SPDC Training Workshop "Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change: Working effectively at the Interface of Forest Science and Forest Policy"

25 to 28 August, 2008

International Conference on “Adaptation of Forests and Forest  Management to Climate Change with Emphasis on Forest Health: A Review of Sciences, Policies and Practices

29 August, 2008

Field Trip

30 August, 2008

Departure of participants from Umea


Workshop Language
English

Workshop Programme
For Workshop Programmeplease click here.

Scientist Assistance Programme
Scientists from developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America involved in research on forests and climate change were encouraged to register for both the training workshop and conference. An accepted paper or poster for the conference was a pre-requisite for an invitation and sponsorship to attend the workshop!