12 September 2011 | General
Calling for a bottom-up approach towards a global forest governance
At a high level conference in the European Parliament - celebrating the 2011 International Year of Forests - distinguished speakers such as H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Chris Vanden Bilcke, Head of UNEP Brussels and Dr Sjur Baardsen, Chair of the COST FPS Domain focused on sustainable management, conservation and development of forests in Europe and worldwide against climate change.
With the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people depending on forests and an estimated EUR 1.75 to EUR 3 trillion a year lost to deforestation and forest degradation, it stood clear to the speakers and participants of this two-day conference, hosted by MEP Gaston Franco, that urgent action is needed to protect forest values that sustain local livelihoods in the face of climate change.
Dr Sjur Baardsen, Chair of the FPS Domain Committee presented the importance of knowledge sharing in this context. He explained how COST Actions promote knowledge production and knowledge sharing between research and industry at large. He showed how this ultimately benefits society in terms of policy-making while the private sector benefits from the industrial applications that arise from COST Actions such as forest product industries.
The conference was organised by the European Parliament Intergroup “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” run jointly by the European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) involved many partners and brought together more than 250 participants.
Information
Official Press Release - 8 September 2011
Calling for a bottom-up approach towards a global forest governance (PDF, 436 kB)
COST event page
Dr Sjur Baardsen's presentation
Event organisers - EBCD
For additional presentations and the conclusions
