Durban welcomed delegates arriving this weekend for the XIV World Forestry Congress with a number of pre-Congress events heralding a busy week ahead. 

The African Forest Forum presented a two-day workshop entitled Forests, people and environment: some perspectives from Africa, which presented important trends in the African forest sector including the rehabilitation of degraded land using trees and managing forests in the context of climate change.

A research symposium sponsored by the International Union of Forest Research Organisations and the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research showcased the depth and breadth of forestry research across South Africa, discussing the sustainability of tree plantations in Southern Africa.

And at the #Forests2015 Social Media Boot Camp, 50 communication professionals and foresters took part in a three-day capacity building social media training course, honing their Twitter and blogging skills. You can follow their work over the next five days as they put their training into practice throughout Congress week - follow the #Forests2015 hashtag and visit the #Forests2015 blog.

In focus

High-level CPF dialogue: Towards a vision on forests in the post-2015 era 

Forests have an important role to play in the future of sustainable development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said here today. The Director-General made his remarks during a high-level event of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). Leaders of the CPF’s 14 member organizations met to define their vision for forests and forestry in the post-2015 era, ahead of the XIV World Forestry Congress that starts tomorrow in Durban.

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Building momentum for community-based forestry, forest and farm organizations 

Community-based forest and farm producer organizations called for greater investment in forest peoples ahead of the XIV World Forestry Congress. More than 125 participants from 39 countries attended the pre-Congress event agreed on a global declaration asserting that the solution to a sustainable future for forests lies in investing in forest peoples themselves.

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Video

It's all systems go for the XIV World Forestry Congress' opening ceremony in Durban, South Africa, on Monday. Congress Secretary-General Trevor Abrahams and Associate Secretary-General Tiina Vahanen explain the aims of the Congress.