Voluntary Papers
The organisers of the 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference were delighted with the response to the call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations based around the central theme of Restoring the Commonwealth’s Forests: Tackling Climate Change. The deadline for these abstract submissions has now passed, and the Programme Committee has reviewed all the abstracts received, invited a selection for oral and poster presentation, and notified all the authors.
Important dates
The following dates are important for those authors accepted for poster presentation:
| Key Dates | |
Early Registration at Venue |
27 June 2010 |
Commonwealth Forestry Conference starts |
28 June 2010 |
Full Papers and abstracts published on CD and available on Conference website |
September 2010 |
Poster Presentation
If your paper has been selected for poster presentation, the following information will help guide you through the next steps towards preparing your poster and presenting this at the Conference.
Important dates
The following dates are important for those authors accepted for poster presentation:
| Key Dates | |
Early Registration at Venue |
27 June 2010 |
Posters presented during Commonwealth Forestry Conference |
28 June to 1 July 2010 |
Full Papers and abstracts published on CD and available on Conference website |
September 2010 |
Important information
Posters will be on display throughout the Conference and there will also be dedicated poster sessions where authors will have the opportunity to present their posters in person. Throughout the Conference, space and time will be dedicated during breaks and poster sessions to showcasing the wide variety of forest restoration projects taking place across the Commonwealth, as well as other information related to the Conference theme.
Poster boards are 1m wide by 2m high (portrait style). It is recommended that displays do not exceed 1.5m in height. Please note that a supply of Velcro tabs will be available at the venue. No screws or double-sided adhesive tape will be allowed as they damage the boards.
Please note that all presenters must register as delegates for the Conference by 4 June 2010. Where a team is jointly preparing a poster, at least one author is required to register for the whole Conference.
Background
Conference theme
Authors should bear in mind that the Conference views the term ‘forest restoration’ in its broadest sense, in that it is neither simply about re-planting an area where forest cover has been lost or degraded, nor about re-establishing pristine forests. Forest restoration aims to restore ecological integrity and the productivity and economic value of deforested or degraded land. It affects the people living in and around a forest area as much as the environment itself and can help provide food, fuel, building materials and sustainable employment to many local and poor communities around the world. It therefore provides or improves the key goods and services upon which people living in or around forests depend for their livelihoods.
Forest restoration benefits people and nature and it contributes directly to achieving the Millennium Development Goals related to poverty reduction, access to clean drinking water and environmental sustainability. It also contributes to conserving biological diversity, combating desertification as well as adapting to and mitigating climate change. The restoration of forests must be integrated with national development processes in other sectors.
Whilst the technical knowledge and experience of forest restoration projects around the Commonwealth will be included in the Conference programme, we will also be exploring the current gaps in the Commonwealth’s collective knowledge on, for example, finance, monitoring, a supportive policy environment, stakeholder engagement and public participation.
Conference Sub-themes
Within the central theme of Restoring the Commonwealth’s Forests: Tackling Climate Change, papers and posters are required to address one or more of the following four sub-themes. Under each we have included a number of possible topics. These will not be the titles of specific sessions, but at the moment indicate possible topics to address under each sub-theme:
1. Forest restoration and climate change
• What contribution can forest restoration make to tackling climate change, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation?
• How can forest restoration help a region/location mitigate against the effects of climate change?
• Actual and potential forest resource assessment
• Forest restoration in the context of any future climate change agreement
2. Forest restoration and communities
• Public participation in forest restoration
• Forest restoration and poverty alleviation
• Financially sustainable projects
3. Forestry institutions and the future
• Identifying, supporting and promoting the ‘next generation’ of foresters and forestry institutions in their future work
• The role of professionalism in forestry
• International Institutional Reform and the influence of the Commonwealth
4. Knowledge and capacity
• Knowledge transfer and capacity building around the Commonwealth
• Financial mechanisms and models for supporting forest restoration around the Commonwealth
• Where are the gaps in the capacity of Commonwealth countries to develop forest policy and how can these be filled?
Further Information
If you have any queries, or require assistance, please contact:
Montserrat Capón Regal
Assistant Event Planner
CFC 2010 Secretariat
c/o In Conference Ltd
4-6 Oak Lane
Edinburgh, EH12 6XH
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 131 339 9235
Fax: +44 (0) 131 339 9798
Email: montserrat@in-conference.org.uk