Mon, August 16, 2021 4:00 PM - Wed, August 18, 2021, 4:00 PM See description. The Commonwealth Forestry Conference is an international forum for foresters, and all those with an interest in the forestry sector to exchange knowledge and experience. It is organized by the Standing Committee on Commonwealth Forestry and occurs every 4 – 5 years. The Conference relates to general aspects of forest management and governance and has a focus on the changing priorities of the forestry sector.
A hundred years ago, the Conference was the precursor of many global meetings on forestry, aiming to bring awareness of the forest resource around the globe, and introduce strategies for its use and long-term sustainability. Today, the Conference keeps a reputation of a global forestry event that brings together a wide representation of forest practitioners and natural resources managers, scholars, decision-makers, and change influencers.
The forest sector is emerging globally as a leader in sustainability, diversification, and innovation. Forests and forestry are supporting countries to achieve global development, contribute incrementally to the climate crisis agendas and advance the broader goals of a cleaner, low-carbon future.
The last Commonwealth Forestry Conference (held in Dehradun, India in 2017) recognized that the world’s forest cover continues to decrease as forest land is converted to agriculture and other uses. Concerted efforts by governments, communities, and NGOs have slowed down the rate of net global deforestation by over 50% in the past 25 years. However, the growing world population and ever-increasing societal demands put enormous pressure on scarce forest resources, particularly in the tropics and developing countries, which continue to experience a decline of forests and depletion of the goods and services that they used to offer.
This conference will generate discussion, from research, governance, and sustainability viewpoints, on the future of the forest sector, while learning from the past. We expect this conference to engage members of the Commonwealth as well as the general world forest community, regardless of their professional affiliation – working for governments, the industry, or other civil and environmental organizations. Such engagement is essential as integrating and coordinating national policies for natural resources management takes collective action across the institutions and sectors.