FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference “The Future We Want: The Forests We Need”
The Eighth FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference — “The Future We Want: The Forests We Need” —takes place virtually on 14 and 15 April 2021 in Bratislava, Slovakia. This intergovernmental summit addresses issues of the highest political relevance regarding the current challenges that face European forests and the forest sector, including their role in climate change adaptation.
The conference endorsed political commitments by countries in Europe and the European Union on sustainable forest management in Europe for the coming decade. The Signatory States have adopted the “Bratislava Declaration”, a new milestone in this 30-year process. The declaration sets out a vision for European forests and a series of goals and actions to realise the vision. That includes recognition of the importance and relevance of EUFORGEN.
EUFORGEN was established as an implementation mechanism of the FOREST EUROPE process by the 1st Ministerial Conference in Strasbourg in 1990, and has been endorsed and strengthened in subsequent meetings. At this latest meeting, signatories will reiterate their commitment to EUFORGEN’s work. Item 30 of the Declaration reads:
“To recognise the need for dynamic conservation and utilization of forest tree genetic resources and management of forest tree species populations
for production of forest reproductive material13 and continue pan-European collaboration on forest genetic resources through the EUFORGEN”.
Crucially, footnote 13 adds “As reflected in the updated pan-European indicator for sustainable forest management 4.6 Genetic Resources.”
This is an extremely important change that will permit the use of the updated and more detailed indicator for forest genetic resources (FGR). Previously, Indicator 4.6 referred only to the area managed for conservation and seed production. The revision of Indicator 4.6 focusses on the dynamic processes that are the foundation of the conservation and use of genetic resources. It is now more informative about the conservation of genetic diversity and is standardised across countries.
The revised indicator was developed by a EUFORGEN working group and reflects the evolution of a greater understanding of forest genetic resources (FGR) and our capacity to assess FGR conservation in Europe. These have developed over the past two decades thanks to mutual capacity building among countries and the creation of a common understanding among scientists.
Recognition in the Declaration is clear support for the revised indicator and EUFORGEN’s role in bringing it about.
