SciPol

About SciPol

The Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) of IUFRO provides a mechanism for effectively mobilizing scientific expertise and information to equip governments, intergovernmental processes, and other decision makers with solid knowledge for making decisions that affect forests, trees, and land use regionally and globally.

Policymakers need objective and coherent scientific information to better understand and evaluate the contribution of forests and trees to the achievement of global policy goals, including the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. #ScienceAndTreesForSDGs 

 

The Science-Policy Programme (SciPol)

  • facilitates IUFRO’s input and representation in regional and global science-policy forums
  • follows the activities of the international policy processes most relevant to forests and trees
  • consolidates relevant scientific knowledge to contribute to these processes
  • prepares independent, peer-reviewed scientific assessments and policy briefs

 

Projects Our Team Flyer

Programme components

 

IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme consolidates available information and expertise on key forest-related issues, supporting more informed decision-making. This information is communicated through peer-reviewed scientific assessments, policy briefs and stakeholder events. The Programme consists of different work streams, including the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative, follow-up studies, regional activities and the Regional Science-Policy Networks.

Global Assessments

Global assessments of key issues of high global concern, conducted by interdisciplinary Panels uniting leading scientists from around the world are the foundation of the GFEP initiative.

Regional Activities

One work area of the SciPol Programme are regional activities to promote reliable scientific information also in regional decision-making processes and in regional development projects.

Follow-up Studies

Follow-up studies review previously published global assessments and publish illustrating new data and developments, bringing together leading scientists from around the globe and representing a diversity and balance of research foci, geographical representation and gender.

Regional Science-Policy Networks

The Regional Science-Policy Networks bring together heads of forest research institutes and deans of forest faculties and provides a platform for the exchange and development of views on the management of forest research and strategic research priorities.

SciPol news

IUFRO
Units
05 Dec 2024

Strengthening Regional Science-Policy Networks

Building on the experience of the former IUFRO Special Programme Directors’ Forum, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) has initiated a co-development process

IUFRO
Units
18 Nov 2024

Welcoming Mirjana Volarev, a new colleague with new tasks, at IUFRO Headquarters

Mirjana Volarev joined the IUFRO HQ team on November 18th as a Project Manager within the Science-Policy Programme. In this role, she will support the

IUFRO delegation in Baku (from left): Alexander Buck, Carola Egger, Nelson Grima IUFRO
Units
16 Nov 2024

Emphasizing the Role of Forests in Tackling Climate Change

IUFRO at the COP29 Forest PavilionThis year's UN Climate Change Summit COP29 from November 11 to 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan, set out on delivering more

IUFRO
Units
16 Nov 2024

Who decides on forest matters?

The key messages of SciPol’s latest assessment on International Forest Governance were brought up in an interview at the Forest Pavilion during UNFCCC COP29.IUFRO’s Science-Policy

Christoph Wildburger, Viola Belohrad, Nelson Grima (from left) IUFRO
Units
23 Oct 2024

Reflecting on the Human-Environment Relationship: Highlights from IUFRO's participation at CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia

IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) participated in the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16), held from 21 October to 1 November

IUFRO
Units
07 Oct 2024

Progress on the GFEP Assessment on Forests for Social and Economic Resilience

Report by Viola Belohrad, IUFRO Sci-PolGiven the increasingly rapid, unpredictable, and unprecedented global changes linked to the twin climate change and biodiversity crises, IUFRO´s Science-Policy

IUFRO
Units
16 Jul 2024

New SciPol Coordinator: Nelson Grima follows Christoph Wildburger

After more than 13 years heading first the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme and then its successor, the Science-Policy Programme, Christoph Wildburger steps down

SciPol projects

The core activity of SciPol are global reports and accompanying policy briefs on key issues that reflect state-of-the-art understanding of the subject matter. They are written in a comprehensible way for policy makers, stakeholders and the interested broader public. The publications are prepared by thematic Expert Panels consisting of internationally recognized scientific experts in their fields. All global studies undergo rigorous peer review. The authors and reviewers of the studies are selected by the IUFRO coordination team. Topics are chosen based on the information needs of intergovernmental processes and institutions.

Global Assessment

Forests for Social and Economic Resilience 

2025
Follow-up Study

International Forest Governance 

2024
Regional Activity

Forests for Human Health in Asia

2023
Global Assessment

Forests and Human Health

2023
Follow-up Study

Biodiversity, Forest Management, and REDD+

2021
Regional Activity

Forests, Trees and Poverty Alleviation in Africa

2020
Global Assessment

Forests and Poverty

2020
Global Assessment

Forests and Water

2018
Global Assessment

  Illegal Timber Trade

2016
Global Assessment

Forests and Food Security

2015
Global Assessment

Biodiversity, Forest Management and REDD+

2012
Global Assessment

International Forest Regime 

2011
Regional Activity

Making African Forests fit for Climate Change

2010
Global Assessment

Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change

2009

Our team

Nelson Grima
Science-Policy Programme Coordinator
Viola Stella Belohrad
Science-Policy Programme Project Manager
Eva-Maria Schimpf
Project Management and Translation Services
Christoph Wildburger
Science-Policy Programme Advisor
Gerda Wolfrum
Coordinator PR and Communication, Publications and Translation

Donors and partners

 

The Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) were launched in April 2007, as a joint initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). Since then, the initiative has grown into the Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) and is led and coordinated by IUFRO. It builds on the political recognition provided by the United Nations Forum on Forests in the ECOSOC Resolution 2006/49. SciPol started as "Joint CPF initiative on Forest Science and Technology" and was later renamed.