FOREST EUROPE 2023 High-Level Policy Dialogue: a view from EUFORGEN
At FOREST EUROPE's High Level Policy Dialogue on "How can sustainable forest management (SFM) increase resilience?" held in Berlin in November, guest speakers called for more cross-border collaboration and transparent dialogues to address climate and biodiversity challenges and increase the resilience of our forests and our society.
A central focus of the discussion was the need to join efforts even when considering a variety of challenges as countries face different environmental threats at different times and risk management priorities differ. However, climate change and biodiversity loss do not respect borders, and, as "one size does not fit all", locally tailored solutions need to be developed with the transparent participation of different stakeholders.
During the event, Þröstur Eysteinsson, collaborator of EUFORGEN and Director of the Icelandic Forest Service, gave a talk during the session "Future-proofing SFM and resilience: experts’ perspectives on status quo and linkages" addressing forest restoration practices to strengthen forest resilience, where he debunked the myth that only local species are the best option. He stressed the importance of letting science, not ideology, drive our choices for resilient forests as forests recover from disturbances at different rates and sometimes need support, including the introduction of species better adapted to new conditions than native species. Today, practitioners can choose from a wide range of high-quality species and provenances.
The Forest Europe's High Level Policy Dialogue was attended by EUFORGEN coordinator Michele Bozzano, and proved to be a great opportunity to disseminate materials and resources such as the Forest Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe as well as the latest policy brief produced by the EUFORGEN Secretariat on Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) and its vital importance in securing Europe's Forests.
The event helped pave the way for further research on the relationship and possible synergies between the two concepts of sustainable forest management and building forest resilience.
