A new report, outlining the key priorities and recommended actions for the Ukrainian forest sector, was launched earlier this week. The report summarizes the key recommendations and takeaways from the Forum on Ukraine Forest Science and Education: Needs and Priorities for Collaboration, organized by IIASA and partners in November 2023.
Ukraine's forest sector is facing unprecedented challenges. War has impacted both forests and forestry, devastating forest areas and limiting the country's capacity to respond to associated problems. Additional pressures are posed by factors such as climate change, forest health dynamics, wildfires, and a decrease in forest productivity. To discuss the current challenges and propose solutions, the two-day Forum on Ukraine Forest Science and Education: Needs and Priorities for Collaboration was held in November 2023 at IIASA Headquarters in Laxenburg, Austria and online.
© IIASABased on the outcomes of the forum, a new report, prepared by IIASA scientists and their colleagues from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), was launched at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)'s Support for Recovery of Forestry Sector in Ukraine International Donor and Stakeholders Conference that took place at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague from 26-27 March 2024.
This international conference was organized to raise awareness and mobilize the international community to support urgent needs and recovery of the forestry sector in Ukraine. During the conference, an overview of the identified priority needs was shared by the government of Ukraine, and discussions were held to identify concrete actions and investments that can be mobilized during the coming year. As part of, and also as important input to this discussion, the conclusions and main findings of the Forum on Ukraine Forest Science and Education, which are also summarized in the new report, were presented by Alexander Buck, Executive Director of IUFRO.
The primary aim of the report is to provide input on potential ways to respond to the challenges currently facing the forest sector in Ukraine, in line with the Forest Support Strategy for Ukraine prepared by FAO and endorsed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
The proposed priorities for action cover international organizations, research networks and institutes, student organizations, and funding agencies. These priorities are grouped into three main areas: forest science for strategy, developing Ukraine's forest research capacity, output, and interface with policy; innovation in forest education, to prevent 'brain drain', attract new students, and develop Ukraine's forestry research capacity; and better coordination and collaboration, to ensure sharing of knowledge and resources among Ukraine's scientists, institutions, and across national and international networks.
The wide spectrum of actions suggested in the report is subdivided according to their urgency and priority, focusing on immediate actions, short-term actions, medium-term actions, or long-term actions. These are complemented by the potential ways in which these actions can be supported from within the country, as well as by the international community.
