About the Task Force

Forest landscapes (FLs), dominated by forests and often embedded with other land uses, contribute to many sustainable development goals (SDGs) and provide multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). These include provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. In particular, for rural populations, FLs are often the basis for the local economy and social identity. However, FLs are under pressure from the loss and degradation of forest area and conversion to other land uses, as well as environmental and climate change. As a result, societies worldwide may face diminishing levels of ecosystem services from FLs on a global scale. Combined strategies for FL preservation, restoration and adaptive management are needed to prevent significant losses of FL ecosystems and their benefits.

In the face of these challenges, the new IUFRO Task Force is dedicated to providing the scientific basis for transforming FLs to climate-resilient land-use systems that fulfil the complete spectrum of ecosystem service (ES) requirements of current and future societies. This includes the following activities in collaboration with local professionals and stakeholders:

  • Designs of scenarios and projections for future FL development under climate change scenarios and varying societal requirements for different regions of the globe,
  • Explore best practice approaches (BPA) covering the sociopolitical, ecological and economic dimensions of landscape transitions, and
  • Develop suitable FL outreach and education materials as well as Research and Development (R&D) schemes to be implemented on the ground and addressing the needs of different stakeholder groups.

The TF will include and continue major elements and achievement of the former TF on ‘Forest Adaptation and Restoration under Global Change’. This includes

Task Force Representatives

Task Force Coordinator
Task Force Deputy Coordinator
Switzerland
Task Force Deputy Coordinator
Ghana
Task Force Deputy Coordinator
Denmark
Task Force Deputy Coordinator
Denmark

Task Force Activities

IUFRO

Mixed active and passive forest restoration facilitates plant diversity recovery in southern Ethiopia

Global deforestation and forest degradation threaten the sustainability of natural and human systems. Forest landscape restoration, through active approaches such as plantations, woodlots, boundary planting,

Past Task Force Events

Webinar

Monthly Forest Restoration Talks: Human Dimensions of Forest Landscape Restoration

Targeting researchers, practitioners, NGOs, policymakers and other interested stakeholders, the IUFRO/SUPERB Monthly Forest Restoration Talks investigate forest restoration questions from diverse scientific perspectives, with alternating

Seminar

Monthly Forest Restoration Talks: Forest resources and disturbance projections, and implications for biodiversity restoration

The Forest Restoration Talks organized jointly by SUPERB and IUFRO‘s Task Force ‘Transforming Forest Landscapes for Future Climates and Human Well-Being’ investigate forest restoration questions

Meeting

Monthly Forest Restoration Talks: Perspectives on EU soil protection

SpeakersProf. Karen Vankampenhout (KU Leuven) and Dr. Rainer Baritz (European Environment Agency).Watch the video recording of the webinar at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZfKSFHq7og 

Task Force Resources

Occasional Papers

Occasional Paper No. 36 - Forest Related Nature-Based Approaches - Review of Terms and Concepts – from Afforestation to Forest Landscape Restoration

Nature-based concepts have been embraced by different scientific disciplines and operationalized by practitioners in different ecological, social and historic contexts. Rewilding and Forest Landscape Restoration

Joint Publications

Enabling Factors to Scale Up Forest Landscape Restoration

Full Report with Case StudiesWWF and IUFRO have come together to push the forest restoration agenda forward using our combined scientific, policy and field implementation

IUFRO Spotlights

IUFRO Spotlight #82 - More local involvement one key to FLR success

Recent survey paper "Forest Landscape Restoration – What Generates Failure and Success" highlights various problems and success factors with FLR projects on a global scale.Several

IUFRO Spotlights

IUFRO Spotlight #76 - Transforming Forest Landscapes to Meet Current and Future Needs and Challenges

Read about how this IUFRO Task Force provides and communicates the scientific basis for transforming forest landscapes to climate-resilient land use systems!"Forest landscapes (FLs) are