SPDC Thematic Networking

About IUFRO-SPDC's Thematic Networking

Thematic networking strengthens collaboration among scientists and forest experts across countries and continents, and thus also enhances the role of science in shaping forest policy and management.

IUFRO-SPDC’s networking projects are especially targeted at forest science and the forest science community in developing countries and are committed to adding value to research with a view to maximizing its output and impact on policy and on the ground forest management. This is achieved by synthesizing globally available scientific information, knowledge and expertise, publication of synthesis reports and policy briefs, as well as through knowledge-sharing workshops.

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)

IUFRO’s thematic networking strengthens collaboration among scientists and forest experts across countries and continents, and mobilises funding streams supporting the forest science community in economically disadvantaged countries. By strengthening the forest science community and enhancing the role of science in shaping forest policy and management, IUFRO - through SPDC - aims to contribute to achieving broader economic, environmental and social development objectives, such as poverty alleviation, improvement in the wellbeing of rural people and their access to resources, environmental protection and the conservation and sustainable utilisation of forest resources. IUFRO is an active member of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) and as such contributes to the partnership with scientific expertise, thematic networking and capacity development.
 

FLR is a process that aims to regain ecological functionality and enhance human well-being in deforested or degraded landscapes. Forests can then co-exist together with other land uses. These restored forests may also form mosaics with various objectives and functions depending on the landscape, sites, and people living there. For example, some parts may protect watersheds, soils, livestock or crops; others produce timber or firewood, while others restore habitats for other plants and animals.

Want to learn more? Read the Implementing FLR Practitioner’s Guide.

Capacity Building for Forest Landscape Restoration Implementation in Malawi and Sri Lanka

Type of project: Hands-on Training of Forest Landscape Restoration PractitionersWhere: Malawi, Sri Lanka The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) implemented a two-year project aiming to address the current shortage of trained forest landscape restoration practitioners in Malawi and Sri Lanka. As in-country partners for the implementation of the project

Forest Landscape Restoration Project - Inspire, Support and Mobilize FLR

IUFRO has implemented a component of “Inspire, Support and Mobilize FLR” a four-year project aimed to combat land degradation with the goal of initiating at least 10 million ha of restoration in 5 countries by 2017 as a contribution to The Bonn Challenge.The four-year projec - funded by the German

Forest Landscape Restoration Implementation: Progress on the Ground

This project aims at an independent scientific exploration of efforts contributing to forest landscape restoration (FLR) in selected landscapes in nine Bonn Challenge countries, three each in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Within those landscapes, a series of questions was addressed, thus providing a snapshot on the current state: who

GLFX Lilongwe

As a charter member of the Global Landscapes Forum IUFRO is proud to support the establishment of GLFx Lilongwe in partnership with the Centre for Applied Systems Analysis (CASA) and with generous funding from the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). GLFx Lilongwe is coordinated by CASA,

GLFX South Coast Guatemala

The GLFx South Coast Guatemala chapter aims to promote forest landscape restoration in the pacific lowlands of Guatemala and enable exchange of experiences regionally and globally. It is an initiative of the Private Institute for Research on Climate Change (ICC), the National Forests Institute (INAB) and the International Union of Forest

ITTO-IUFRO Learning Modules on Forest Landscape Restoration

The new learning modules developed by ITTO and IUFRO have been crafted to raise awareness among the next generation of professionals, policy- and decision-makers of the vital role that FLR will play in restoring degraded landscapes and contain the latest knowledge on FLR.FLR is about using holistic approaches to restore

Resilient Future Forest Lab

The Resilient Future Forests Lab (RFFL) is a global network of demonstration and research plots that cover large gradients of climatic and socio-economic condition. The RFFL network provides the foundation for transforming forests, landscapes, and land use to enhance provision of ecosystem services while providing greater resilience and adaptation under future conditions.

The RFFL is a vehicle for science-society and science-practice interactions to promote more productive and sustainable forms of landscape management, by engaging with stakeholders from the forestry and agriculture sectors, land managers and investors, as well as government decision-makers.

Resilient Future Forests Lab

The Resilient Future Forests Lab (RFFL) will provide science-based but operationally realistic methods, sensitive to local context, for adapting forest ecosystems to emerging climatic and social conditions. RFFL informs society, landowners, land managers, and policy-makers of the consequences of choosing between alternative objectives and strategies for managing forested landscapes. More

RFFL Guide

IUFRO's Occasional Paper No. 37 - The Resilient Future Forest Laboratory Guidebook provides guidance on establishing and maintaining an RFFL Project, collecting data, and sharing results. This Guide is intended primarily for anyone directly involved in proposing and establishing an RFFL Location. Scientists, practitioners, consultants/advisors, and landowners (individuals or organizations

Global Teak Resources

Teak (Tectona grandis), the timber of kings, grows in some 80 countries in the tropics. In many of these it is considered a priority species for large-scale cultivation, and a valuable, fast-growing hardwood that offers the best opportunity to produce quality timber and provide a good livelihood for forest-dependent communities. As a result, planted teak forests have attracted significant investment from the corporate sector. 

Global Teak Resources and Market Assessment 2022

Carried out with the support of IUFRO's network of scientists and TEAKNET experts, the Assessment shows that since the last FAO study in 2010, the area of natural and planted teak forests and the harvest of teak logs have increased and teak's share of the global timber market is growing. 

Teak Evaluation

IUFRO-SPDC together with FAO and TEAKNET lead an evaluation and assessment of the global situation on Teak with respect to its conservation and sustainable management. A global study report has been compiled and published in early 2017 as IUFRO World Series Vol. 36 "The Global Teak Study. Analysis, Evaluation and

Other Projects

IUFRO-EFI Young Scientists Initiative

The IUFRO-EFI Young Scientists Initiative (YSI) was a collaboration between IUFRO and the European Forest Institute (EFI) and offered a limited number of grants of up to EUR 5 000 annually for Short Scientific Visits specifically for Early Career Scientists. These Visits provided a unique opportunity for young scientists from Africa, Asia

EcoAdapt: “Ecosystem-based strategies and innovations in governance networks for adaptation to climate change in Latin American Landscapes”

The project was initiated in January 2012 and financed by the European Union for a period of four years. The project’s overall objective was to develop ecosystem-based strategies of adaption to climate change in three model forests in Latin America: Chiquitano in Bolivia, Jujuy in Argentina, and Araucarias de Alto

Strengthening the Capacity of ITTO Producer Countries in Africa in Generating and Disseminating Scientific Information on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services from Forests

2-Year Cooperation between ITTO and IUFROThis project was about supporting ITTO producer countries in Africa to dealing with the challenges of reducing deforestation and enhancing the rehabilitation of degraded tropical forests given that in many African countries there is a strong connection between forest degradation and the inability by decision-makers

Regional Policy Brief "Making African Forests Fit for Climate Change"

The IUFRO Special Programme for Development of Capacities (IUFRO-SPDC) and GFEP initiated in autumn 2009 the preparation of a regional policy brief "Making African Forests Fit for Climate Change" in collaboration with the thematic group "Forest and climate change” of the Forestry Research Network for Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA). The policy