Global Forum for Food and Agriculture and International Green Week Berlin 2023
with a subsequent participation in the
DAAD SDG Alumni Training Seminar on
Multifunctional Forest Management as Active Climate Protection
January 18th - 21st 2023 in Berlin, Germany
January, 17th, 2023: Arrival date in Germany
January, 22nd, 2023: Transfer from Berlin to Göttingen
January 23rd - 27th, 2023: Seminar in Göttingen
January, 28th, 2023: Departure date from Germany
Programme
Fotos by Victor Avila Akerberg.
Above: Meeting of all Alumni groups and the DAAD team in Berlin for the International Green Week.
Below: Alumni Seminar in Göttingen.
SEMINAR AIMS
Forests contribute to the human well-being worldwide. They play a fundamental role in fighting rural poverty, ensuring food security and providing adequate livelihoods. They offer promising green growth opportunities and important long-term ecosystem services such as clean air and water, protection of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change.
Forests in Germany are managed according to the integrative principle of sustainable, multifunctional forest management. The existing conflicts of use and climatic changes result in challenges for forest owners in trading wood and planning forest conversion schemes.
Customers, businesses and market partners often expect proof of sustainable production when buying wood and for that certification systems like PEFC and FSC are frequently used. For smallholders and communities, particularly in tropical countries, conformity with certification requirements is still a great challenge and involves a large investment compared to the economic benefit that certification can offer.
The related policies to promote sustainable forest management at the national level are also relevant internationally through global climate agreements and global timber trade. In Germany, the Forest Strategy 2050 has been drafted to strengthen the sustainable use of forests to allow for long-term use, but will it be sufficient? We would like to discuss these topics with 20 alumni in an open and inspiring atmosphere.
The alumni seminar aimed at training in three selected topics (1) forest assessment, (2) certification, and (3) forest policy. It will present current concepts and methods in a combination of expert lectures, discussions, project presentations, and visits to forests and companies, as well as highlighting options for action. The Georg-August University of Göttingen has a forestry faculty, international forestry study programmes, and alumni active in forestry practice, wood processing, and forest policy.
The seminar and fair visit have been offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the framework of the program Alumni Special Projects (www.daad.de/alumni-special-projects). The International DAAD Alumni Seminar was organized and hosted by the University of Göttingen. The costs were mainly covered by funds from the DAAD provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).