At UN Climate Change COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (11-19 November), the global conference had its first ever Forest Pavilion to highlight forests as cornerstone of climate solutions. And TEAMING UP 4 FORESTS participated in the day themed Forests Forward: Harnessing Science, Technology, and Innovation for Climate Finance & Action, organised by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF).
TEAMING UP 4 FORESTS showcased its achievements in bridging research and practice to support sustainable forest management and wood-based value chains, critical for meeting global sustainability targets. In a session titled Driving sustainable development through collaboration, Carola Egger, partnership manager, highlighted the platform’s success in uniting scientists, businesses, and stakeholders over three years. “When science and business collaborate, we tackle UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as Climate Action (13), Life on Land (15), Responsable Consumption and Production (12), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), and on top of that Partnerships (17). ” she said. Egger also presented the recent Europe’s wood supply in disruptive times report.
Following Egger, Maja Radosavljevic, partnership manager, presented the shared vision of the science-business partnership moving forward. She emphasised opportunities for joint action on key issues such as climate change impacts, forest management, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, wood sourcing and forest-related value chains. “While we can all agree that scientific research provides crucial knowledge for sustainable practices, implementing insights and knowledge can be challenging in real life, and through our activities we can identify what barriers the industry faces when trying to implement knowledge”, she said. The partnership aims at involving additional industry partners in the next phase starting in 2025 and encourages the engagement of a variety of stakeholder perspectives.
The session concluded with a lively audience discussion, underscoring the key role of science-business exchange in the forest sector.
The team announced a Think Tank Meeting on April 1-2, 2025, focusing on biodiversity conservation, wood production, and sustainable forest management. Scientists, industry leaders, and stakeholders are invited to find innovative solutions to urgent challenges in the sector. Interested participants are encourage to contact with the partnership managers.
At COP29, TEAMING UP 4 FORESTS reaffirmed the central role of forests in climate action. Moving forward, the initiative will focus on deeper collaboration between science and business to support sustainable practices, contributing to environmental, social and economic goals.
Watch the presentation here.
