Foresight for Forest Sector Planning
TF Foresight for Forest Sector Planning
Jerry Vanclay, Australia
Rationale, goals, and objectives of the Task Force
IUFRO's new Strategy for 2015-2019, adopted at the 24th World Congress, included the goal to strive for research excellence through the establishment of a foresight mechanism. IUFRO Headquarters convened a meeting of experts in February to discuss the scope and Terms of Reference of a Forest Foresight Advisory Group. The expert group envisaged that the Forest Foresight Advisory Group should (i) design a method for conducting foresight on issues that are likely to have a future impact on forests globally and in different regions; and (ii) advise IUFRO on the application of this method to inform its future strategies, especially the IUFRO Strategy 2019-2024, and its activities at the science-policy interface. Outcomes of the scoping meeting were presented at the Round Table of Divisions at the April EB in Vienna, and will guide the conduct of the taskforce. The Task Force will outline emerging developments in forestry, as well as affecting broader society, to provide a context to assist Divisions and IUFRO as a whole, to maintain relevance and maximize impacts.