Bridging science, policy and practice with Integrative Forest Management
On 19 September, the European Forest Institute (EFI) hosted the EFI Scientific Seminar in Bonn, where the concept of Integrative Forest Management (IFM) was explored in depth. This approach is central to our TRANSFORMIT project, focusing on balancing forests’ roles as vital resources for a climate-neutral bioeconomy and providers of essential ecosystem services. Several members from our project, including our project coordinator, Bernhard Wolfslehner, participated in the seminar.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bauhus from the University of Freiburg highlighted IFM’s potential to safeguard biodiversity by combining natural, multifunctional, and plantation forests. He noted that IFM fosters dialogue and cooperation among diverse stakeholders, echoing our TRANSFORMIT’s mission to promote cross-sectoral collaboration.
The first panel discussion addressed IFM’s role in mitigating forest disturbances, noting that while disturbances can’t be avoided, diverse forest structures across scales can reduce the risk of large-scale failure. The panel also emphasized the value of Europe’s diverse forest management traditions and the need to learn from different regions, aligning with our TRANSFORMIT’s commitment to knowledge sharing.
In the second panel, Maria Patek, former Austrian Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, stressed the importance of engaging forest owners and other stakeholders in policy discussions. The panelists called for coherent policies and collaboration with often-overlooked stakeholders, including rural businesses and industry, and stressed the need for incentives to shift forest management practices.
The afternoon sessions focused on practice, starting with a “Couch Talk” featuring artist Evgenia Emets, who explored how collaboration between forest art, science, and practice can enhance engagement, especially with younger generations. The panel discussion afterwards brought together practices examples from across Europe, reflecting the need for interaction between practitioners, science, and policy, which is key to creating a shared vision and a “community of change”.
The final panel discussed networks for knowledge exchange, such as the Integrate network and ProSilva. Panelists, echoing conclusions from our Network of the Networks meeting on 18 September, agreed that these networks are crucial for sharing experiences and motivating active forest management in uncertain times. Building a family of biodiversity-friendly concepts was seen as more important than creating individual bubbles.
Watch the recording of the EFI Scientific Seminar here:
This article is adapted from the European Forest Institute’s (EFI)’s news report Bridging science, policy and practice with Integrative Forest Management.
Photos: Rosa Castañeda, EFI