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Daily Web Coverage
IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced daily web coverage and a summary report from the Congress. To download our report, click the HTML or PDF icons below. |
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Daily web coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)
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Summary Highlights
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| Highlights for Tuesday, 26 June 2012 |
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The First IUFRO-FORNESSA Regional Congress opened on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Forestry Research Network of Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA), with support from a number of donor organizations and institutions, the Congress focuses on the theme, “Forests and Trees: Serving the People of Africa and the World.”
The Congress opened on Tuesday morning with an opening ceremony featuring a performance by the Kenya Forest Service choir. Participants then heard welcome remarks from: Ben Chikamai, Director, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI); Victor Agyeman, FORNESSA Chairman; Tony Simons, ICRAF Director General; Niels Elers Koch, IUFRO President; and Noah Wekesa, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Kenya. Subsequently, Tony Simons addressed participants on landscape approaches to future forest and tree resources management.
In the afternoon and evening, participants gathered in breakout technical sessions on: climate change; agroforestry; forest health; forest plantations development; forest products industry and trade; forest hydrology and ecosystem services; REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable use of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks) and restoration activities in Africa; the Meliaceae working group; community-based resource management; and multipurpose forest tree species management.
Tuesday concluded with a welcome reception for participants, hosted by ICRAF. |
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| Highlights for Wednesday, 27 June 2012 |
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On Wednesday morning, participants continued discussions in breakout technical sessions. During the session on national scale monitoring systems, participants heard presentations about various monitoring systems, including both traditional and new systems, such as the measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) tool for carbon management of forests, allometric equations for measuring carbon, functional branch analysis, and models for simulating large-scale changes in plantation forests.
In the session on invasive alien species, participants heard presentations on: the distribution, impacts and control strategies in Ghana of Broussonetia papyrifera, the deciduous Paper Mulberry tree, which when introduced to non-native areas, can become invasive and disrupt the natural habitat; the threat of Castilla elastic, the non-native Panama Rubber Tree, to the lowland tropical rainforest of Tanzania; options for managing the winter bronze bug in Africa; the rescue of timber forests in Cameroon from Chromolaena odorata, commonly known as Siam weed; the structure and composition of the riparian forest in the University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria; and the effects of Prosopis litter on the occurrence of Acacia in Northern Kenya.
Discussions during the session on on-farm trees in traditional land use systems in tropical Africa, focused on multiple use resource management in the context of woodlands and the ethnobotany of Shea tree conservation and harvesting.
During the session on forests, trees and livelihoods, presentations were made on: tree planting strategies in Ethiopia’s highlands; economic contributions by forests to Senegal’s national income; the ecological and socio-economic importance of a drought-resistant Balanites aegyptiaca (desert date) species in Niger’s Tahoua region; improved harvesting strategies of Eru tree species in Cameroon; and accounting the value of forest ecosystem services.
The technical sessions were followed by a presentation in plenary, by Emmanuel Chidumayo, African Forest Forum (AFF), who addressed participants on forest conservation in the light of climate change.
Wednesday concluded with a field trip to the Karura Forest Reserve. |
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| Highlights for Thursday, 28 June 2012 |
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The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)/African Forest Forum (AFF) Forest Policy Day was held on Thursday. Held in conjunction with the IUFRO-FORNESSA Regional Congress, the Forest Policy Day was held on the theme “the policy-science interface for sustainable forest management in Africa.”
Keynote addresses were given on: the influence of academic and research institutions on African forestry; factors that shape forest management in Africa; and the generation and communication of science information to support forestry policy and decision-making. In the afternoon, discussions continued on policies and governance in the African forestry sector, as well as on the food-fiber-fuel nexus in Africa. The Forest Policy Day concluded with the launch of two books that aim to inform forestry policymakers, titled “World Atlas of Mangroves” and “Climate Change and African Forest And Wildlife Resources.”
In addition, the Congress continued discussions in technical breakout sessions. In the session on sustainable development of non-wood forest products for rural livelihood and forest conservation on Thursday morning, participants explored treatment technologies that can increase the service life of products. They discussed implications for reducing pressure on timber species and thus supporting the sustainable management and conservation of forests.
During the session on education, training and capacity building on Thursday morning, participants focused on how to improve forestry education in Africa. They heard presentations on: the reality, challenges and opportunities of forestry education and research; the dynamics of tertiary forestry education; unlocking the potentials of plant resources; fostering the research agenda on plant resources; and enhancing capacity to manage forest genetic resources.
On Thursday afternoon, participants gathered in a technical session on “silvicultural systems: effect of logging on forest regrowth.” In this session, speakers presented the results of a variety of studies, including on: vegetation carbon stock recovery after selective logging; tree community recovery after anthropogenic disturbances; effect of stand regime on the population structure of two plant species; effect of logging on forest regeneration and on forest canopy change; and natural regeneration of timber species following selective logging.
Discussions during the session on assessment of forest resources of conservation value focused on the value, use, and management of non-timber forest resources such as resins, gums, and fungi. They also discussed the value of trees in urban environments in Togo and factors that determined whether households planted and maintained agroforestry species in the Lake Victoria watershed. |
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| Highlights for Friday, 29 June 2012 |
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The IUFRO-FORNESSA Regional Congress convened for its final day on Friday. The Nairobi Resolution, which contains key needs for enhancing goods and services from forests and trees in African landscapes, and among other things, calls on African Union Heads of State and Government to devote at least 1% of GDP to research and development, was presented to Congress members.
In the morning and afternoon, discussions continued in technical breakout sessions on: climate change mitigation and adaptation; traditional knowledge and spiritual values in forest conservation; genetics and molecular technology applications in forest management; models for forest planning and management; tenure and gender issues in forest management; forest policies and sustainable forest management; forest and human health; forest-based enterprises; and wildlife ecology and management.
Participants also gathered in a plenary session, during which they were addressed by Jerry Vanclay, Australia, and Humphrey Mwaniki Ngibuini, Tanzania, on incentives for small- and large-scale forests to empower commercial forestry, from the global and African perspectives, respectively.
On Friday evening, the Congress convened in a closing ceremony, during which Joe Cobbinah, Chair, Congress Scientific Committee, presented the Nairobi Resolution. The ceremony also included an award presentation, conducted by Alexander Buck, Executive Director, IUFRO, during which he handed out the Distinguished Service Award to Joe Cobbinah. Niels Elers Koch, IUFRO Chair, then handed out certificates and gifts to individuals and organizations that have contributed to the success of the Congress. Participants heard closing remarks from Ben Chikamai, Director, KEFRI, and Josphat Nanok, Assistant Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Kenya.
The Congress closed at 5:20pm. |
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Daily web coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)
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Congress resources
 Official website
Congress programme
Pre-Congress training workshops
Post-Congress tours
IISD RS resources
IISD RS coverage of the Third Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the zero draft of outcome document of the UNCSD, 29 May - 2 June 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of the Second Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the zero draft of outcome document of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 23 April - 4 May 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of Selected Side Events at the Second Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the zero draft of outcome document of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 23 April - 4 May 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of the First Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the zero draft of the outcome document and Third Intersessional Meeting of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 19-23 and 26-27 March 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of Selected Side Events at the First Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the zero draft of the outcome document and Third Intersessional Meeting of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 19-23 and 26-27 March 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of the Initial Discussions on the “zero draft” of the outcome document for the UNCSD or Rio+20, 25-27 January 2012, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS coverage of the Second Intersessional Meeting of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 15-16 December 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS summary report of the Economic Commission for Europe’s Regional Preparatory Meeting for the UNCSD or Rio+20, 1-2 December 2011, Geneva, Switzerland (HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary report of the UNCSD or Rio+20 African Regional Preparatory Process, 20-25 October 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary report of the UNCSD or Rio+20) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Asia Pacific Region, 19-20 October 2011, Seoul, Republic of Korea (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS coverage of the UNCSD or Rio+20) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Arab Region, 16-17 October 2011, Cairo, Egypt
IISD RS coverage of the Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference, 21-23 September 2011, Astana, Kazakhstan
IISD RS coverage of the UNCSD or Rio+20 Regional Preparatory Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean, 7-9 September 2011, Santiago, Chile
IISD RS summary report of the UNCSD or Rio+20 Subregional Preparatory Committee for the Pacific Countries, 21-22 July 2011, Apia, Samoa (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary report of the UNCSD or Rio+20 Subregional Preparatory Committee for the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea Countries, 7-8 July 2011, Mahé, Seychelles (HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary report of the UNCSD or Rio+20 Subregional Preparatory Meeting for the Caribbean, 20 June 2011, Georgetown, Guyana (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary report of the Keeping the Green Economy Blue: A Workshop in Preparation for the UNCSD or Rio+20, 29 April 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary and analysis of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UNCSD or Rio+20, 7-8 March 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary and analysis of the First Intersessional Meeting of the UNCSD or Rio+20, 10-11 January 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS summary and analysis of the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UNCSD or Rio+20, 17-19 May 2010, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS coverage of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), 26 August - 4 September 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa
IISD RS coverage of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, 3-14 June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
IISD RS archive of forestry meetings and backgrounder
Global forest policy backgrounder
Forests-L - A news and announcement list on forest policy issues
Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Preparing for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Sustainable Energy Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of Sustainable Energy Activities
SIDS Policy and Practice - A Knowledgebase on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
Biodiversity Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing International Biodiversity Policy
Climate Change Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing Global Climate Change Policy
Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
African Regional Coverage
Latin America and Caribbean Regional Coverage |
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