Northern Network on Forest Policy Science
Coordinator: Maria Brockhaus, Helsinki University, maria.brockhaus(a)helsinki.fi
5th International Forest Policy Meeting – A Political Forest
Forests, trees, and forested lands are claimed for many purposes. They provide for materials such as timber, pulp and non-timber products; and also for carbon, for biodiversity, for soil and water protection; as well as for energy and rural development. They provide space for recreation, eco-tourism and socio-cultural and spiritual values in the global North and South alike.
Many of these interests are interconnected, and they entail critical cross-sectoral and transboundary interdependencies. In these highly contested and connected spaces with a myriad of powerful (and less powerful) interests at play, policies related to forests and forest lands shape and are shaped by the outcomes of actors’ negotiations and impositions of their interests. These interests reflect underlying institutional histories, discourses, and information at various levels, domestically, regionally (e.g., the EU), and internationally.
Science and research, and especially social sciences, is required to unpack and critically examine forest policy, decision making and implementation processes and practice, and assess its implications for people (including historically underrepresented groups, women, and youth) and planet.
The 5th IFPM, part of a series of events supported by SNS over the past two decades, is bringing together more than 150 forest policy experts from the Global North and South. It is organised as an in-person event and aims to provide an open environment to present, interact and critically discuss new insights to wicked problems.
Overall long-term goals for the network
- to bring together scientists dealing with forest policy issues from a social science perspective;
- to inform and renew our research agenda in the light of new global, regional and domestic challenges for effective, efficient and equitable forest policy;
- to internationalize the Scandinavian perspective on forest policy science; and
- to support young scholars in this research area.
Goals for 2024
A large value of the network is its vitality, being able to organize events recurrently and building on (and showcasing) success of the earlier networking meetings, rather than having different Nordic organisations relevant to forest policy coming up with events and meetings in isolation.
The 2024 meeting will emphasize in particular :
- the interconnectedness of the forest with other sectors, and
- the cross-sectoral and transboundary interdependencies, e.g. along the forest-water-energy nexus,
- the trade-offs and opportunities among different interests and policy objectives (for example, within an EU-context).
In addition, the 2024 meeting will pay attention to
- the connectedness of forests and forest lands within and between localities in the Global North and South, across and within societies and societal groups.
Finally, one of the major purposes of the meetings of the Nordic Network on Forest Policy Science in general and of the IFPM5 in Helsinki specifically is to facilitate networking and dialogue and creating a safe and nurturing atmosphere for young researchers to present and discuss their work.
Activities in 2024
The conference of 2024 will be organised in Helsinki, Finland, from the 10-12 April, as a 3-day in-person meeting. This event is much longed for, as forest policy scientists will meet again in person for the first time since 2018. We have learned during and after COVID that online conferences have limitations regarding communication and that meeting in person often creates more effective opportunities for networking and scientific exchange, as well as for targeted science-policy interaction. During the three days in Helsinki, we will have more than 30 panel discussions and interactive sessions with more than 100 presentations.