Are you a forest practitioner or land-use manager attending the IUCN World Conservation Congress? From 2-5 September, participate in a series of workshops geared at training you to design robust and holistic forest conservation projects.
Photo: Hawai'i State Department of Land and Natural Resources
Designed as part of the Forest Journey, the Science and Evidence to Enhance Forest Knowledge theme will showcase tools and practical approaches to forest management. Here’s a quick overview:
September 2
The day begins with a session by IUCN and the World Resources Institute (WRI) on the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM). ROAM, now used in 23 countries, helps governments identify the potential for forest landscape restoration (FLR) and provides them with the tools needed to plan and implement projects. During this interactive session, GFCCP and WRI experts will present results from ROAM assessments in five continents to show you how the methodology can be utilised in varying contexts.
A key benefit of the FLR approach is its potential to improve human well-being in forested areas. Join CIFOR, IUCN and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for an early afternoon session on measuring the impact forest conservation can have on human welfare.
This event is followed by an interactive session with experts from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which is launching a new initiative to measure the carbon, biodiversity and water benefits flowing from certified working forests in North America. SFI is looking for inputs from participants for this project.
In the evening, visit the Pavilion to learn how you can apply an ecosystem services approach to FLR projects. Experts from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US), IUCN, Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment will show participants how to use various tools such as the Restoration Opportunity Optimization Tool (ROOT) and lead a discussion on mapping and modeling ecosystem services. Stay for a learning exchange on ROAM in South America and swap experiences with practitioners from the region.
In a parallel session at the Knowledge Café, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) will lead a discussion on best practices for forest management certification schemes. Experts from WWF-US, the Sierra Club, CIFOR, University of Wageningen, TNC and other organisations will weigh in with experiences from their projects in this area.
September 3
Paul Trianosky, Chief Conservation Officer, SFI, and Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Nepal Department of Forests and Ghan Shyam Pandey, Green Foundation Nepal, will lead an interactive workshop on forest certification. Participants will work together to identify how certification schemes can be effectively utilised with Trianosky and Dhungana providing perspectives from projects in North America and Nepal.
Move to the Knowledge Café for a panel discussion with CIFOR and partners on pro-poor approaches to REDD+. The event will highlight the role of tropical forests in rural livelihoods and the socio-economic impacts of conservation projects.
September 4
Join this Greenpeace-led session to learn about the No Deforestation initiative – a collaboration between businesses and NGOs to protect tropical forests by cleaning up supply chains using the High Carbon Stock (HCS), High Conservation Value (HCV) and Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) approaches.
That evening, the World Bank will explain its Forest Action Plan and lay out the way forward as well as the tools needed to achieve its objectives.
September 5
Join FSC and experts from Forest Trends and CIFOR for a two-part workshop showcasing conservation outcomes from projects using finance for ecosystem service markets and brainstorm on the potential to catalyse new projects while ensuring environmental and social safeguards are followed.
The Science and Evidence to Enhance Forest Knowledge theme is one of four streams under the Forest Journey at Congress. For a complete listing of forest-related events, click here.
