| Forest education is fundamental to achieving sustainable forest management. Forest education must keep pace with changing societal demands on forests and the increasing pressures on forest resources. Concern has recently been expressed in international fora that forest education is insufficient, outdated and deteriorating in many places. Without a cadre of well-trained forest managers and policy makers, it will be impossible to maximize the contributions of forests and trees to sustainable development. The future of forests depends on attracting talented students to forest programmes and equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Expanding continuing education and informal training opportunities for forest professionals, members of forest communities, private forest owners and the private sector is also crucially important. Providing easy access to information on forest education and to learning materials, including through web-based platforms, will expand the opportunities of forest-related learning to a far wider audience. Complementary efforts to raise the profile of forestry professions in educational curricula and within the general public are important to increase awareness and understanding of forests and of forest-related professions. The Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Tropical Timber Organization and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations are the lead partners in a project entitled “Creation of a Global Forest Education Platform and Launch of a Joint Initiative under the Aegis of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests”. The project is financed by the Germany Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). It is operational from November 2019 through June 2021. The goal of the project is to catalyze, accelerate and enhance broad efforts in forest education at national and local levels in developing countries and to counteract the considerable deficiencies in forest education in many parts of the world. The project is designed to prepare the foundation for a longer-term effort in forest education, envisaged as a Joint Initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. Six regional assessments based on the survey results and information from a literature search and from forest education experts were completed. These reports were synthesized in a global report on the status of forest education. |
Related links
|
Providing students with a foundation to better understand the vital role of forests is a critical step to safeguarding natural resources for future generations. Raising awareness among today’s children about sustainable use and conservation encourages the young adults of tomorrow to make responsible decisions about the environment.