TEAMING UP 4 FORESTS hosted a Think Tank Meeting on 1–2 April 2025 in Vienna, bringing together over 40 leading voices from science, industry, and policy. The event aimed to catalyze actionable strategies for integrating biodiversity into forest management, while ensuring the resilience and productivity of forest ecosystems.
Building on earlier dialogues, including the workshop on the role of forests and wood products in decarbonizing European economies (February 2025), this Think Tank marked a crucial step toward a more structured and interdisciplinary exchange. It underscored the urgent need to foster joint problem-solving across sectors.
Scientific insights were presented by Florian Kraxner and Andrey Krasovskiy (IIASA), who discussed the effectiveness of current forest governance in addressing biodiversity and climate challenges; Michael Kleine (IUFRO), who shared lessons from recent dialogues on the role of forests in Europe’s decarbonization efforts; Andreea Spînu (University of Freiburg), who highlighted the importance of retention forestry in conserving biodiversity within integrated forest management; and Metodi Sotirov (University of Freiburg), who explored societal perceptions of forest management among various stakeholders.
After statements from policy and industry representatives, participants engaged in World Café discussions exploring the tensions and synergies between biodiversity conservation and wood production.
Day 2 focused on identifying knowledge gaps and the specific evidence needs of the forest-based industry. Nelson Grima, TU4F and Science-Policy Programme Coordinator, summarized key insights and encouraged continued collaboration, while Alexander Buck highlighted the importance of co-creating solutions that serve both ecological and economic objectives.
This Think Tank underscored the urgency of integrating biodiversity into forest management and demonstrated the power of structured dialogue among diverse stakeholders. TU4F thanks all participants for their valuable contributions.
