IUFRO-APFISN
Asia and the Pacific Forest Health Workshop –
Forest Health in a Changing World
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1–3 December 2008
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
Increased trade and international travel have resulted in significantly increased risks to forest health through the inadvertent entry of invasive pests and diseases. Similarly, growing trends in urban greening and landscape beautification often include imports of exotic plants. This has contributed to rapid increase in the international movement of plant materials including young seedlings. Many previously unreported or unknown pests and diseases, brought in by these movements of planting materials, have surfaced in these countries; further aggravating the threat that has already multiplied by increased trade including, especially, of wood and non-wood forest products. The Asian long-horned beetle, which attacks hardwood trees, for example, is indigenous to China and Korea, but was introduced to the United States most probably in the 1980s, on wooden packaging material. This pest is a serious threat to the multi-million dollar hardwood industry in North America. Similarly, Eucalyptus rust, mahogany shoot borer and leaf blight in many of the Asian countries were probably introduced to Asia via exotic planting materials for forest plantations. Other species that have been introduced deliberately have later emerged as serious invasive pests. For example, fishes and frogs introduced for human consumption have out-populated local species, weeds for erosion control have invaded agricultural lands, and even species brought in for biological control have spread out of control.
Alongside these issues, there has emerged a growing awareness of the importance of healthy forests in providing various environmental services. Policies and strategies to strengthen the capability and sustain the capacity of the forests in providing these services are increasingly being debated as important parts of forest management in many countries, and also at many international and regional forums.
All of these concerns are captured in the scope of forest health which encompasses factors such as the forest’s age, structure, composition, functions, vigour, presence of unusual levels of insects or disease, and resilience to disturbances. The perception and interpretation of forest health are influenced by individual and cultural viewpoints, land management objectives, spatial and temporal scales, the relative health of the stands that comprise the forest, and the appearance of the forest at a particular point in time. Technical capacity in dealing with these issues is generally weak and disorganized in many of the countries in the region. Bureaucratic rivalries and lack of coordination further hamper the efficiency and effectiveness of tackling forest health issues. At the regional level, there is little collaboration on many aspects of forest health, as these topics are traditionally handled by agencies of different disciplines. For example, pests and diseases problems are often viewed as principally the territories of agricultural institutions, and environmental issues are handled by the meteorological or environmental agencies; the capability and capacity to deal with these issues are either poor, or totally lacking, in most forestry agencies. These issues collectively create major challenges in developing a holistic approach towards forest health in most of the countries in the region.
Purpose of the workshop
The main objective of the workshop is to provide a forum for linking various international, regional and national agencies and institutions dealing with forest health issues, and to share strategies, experiences and knowledge, related to forest health. The workshop will provide an opportunity for individuals and their associated agencies, organizations and networks to build collaborative linkages and better align programmes to capture synergies. Special emphasis will be given to plant pests and diseases, as well as environmental services of the forests. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for various organizations – including IUFRO and APFISN – to assess capacity-building needs in terms of research and extension related to forest health in the Asia-Pacific region.
Who should attend?
The workshop is open to all interested participants. It will be of particular relevance to representatives of international and regional organizations, programmes, networks and projects dealing with invasive species and forest health. Individuals working in policy, research and operations related to forest pests and diseases, environmental services, and forest management will find the workshop especially useful. A wide range of government officials, scientists, industry representatives and private sector officials, from across the Asia-Pacific region are expected to attend.
Programme
The workshop will encompass two phases. The first (one day) will bring together international agencies/programmes/projects to share their strategies, knowledge and experiences, and to present a holistic picture/strategy for addressing forest health issues in Asia and the Pacific. The second phase (two days) will include overarching plenary sessions, followed by several technical sessions for country representatives to share their experiences and knowledge. The themes to be addressed by the technical sessions are:
1. Current forest health practices in Asia and the Pacific
a. Capacities needs to underpin forest health
b. Regional initiatives – networks and forums
c. Forest health management strategies and activities
d. Legal, institutional and economic frameworks for protection of forest health
2. Linkages between forest health and:
a. Sustainable forest management -criteria and indicators
b. Biological diversity
c. Pest management activities in non-forest sectors
d. Soil and water
e. Disturbances (biotic and abiotic, including fire)
f. Climate change mitigation and adaptation
g. Biofuels
The working language of the workshop will be English.
If you wish to present a paper, or exhibit a poster, send your abstract of 300–500 words to Sim Heok-Choh (simhc@frim.gov.my; sim@apafri.org). Abstracts should include the full names, addresses of authors, and e-mail address for the corresponding author.
Deadlines: Submissions of abstracts – 30 September 2008
Notification of acceptance – 15 October 2008
Final Papers/Presentations – 15 November 2008
Sources of Funding
Participants should seek their own resources to attend the workshop. Efforts are being made to mobilize resources to support a limited number of invited participants, especially from developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. Those who are interested in participating in the workshop, but do not have their own funding, are still encouraged to register. The workshop organizers will attempt to provide partial support.
Organization
The workshop is an initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO) and the Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network (APFISN). It is being organized by the Asia-Pacific Association of Forest Research Institutions (APAFRI) in technical collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), and the Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI).
Registration
The deadline for registrations for the workshop is 31 October 2008.
Contact for Enquiries
Sim Heok-Choh
Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions
c/o Forest Research Institute Malaysia
Kepong 52109 Kepong
Selangor, Malaysia
Fax: 60 3 6277 3249 E-mail: simhc@frim.gov.my
KV Sankaran
Coordinator
Asia Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network
c/o Kerala Forest Research Institute
Peechi 680653 Kerala, India
Fax: 91 487 2699249 E-mail: Sankaran@kfri.org
Download Registration form : PDF
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