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Introduction

This section covers the seven main themes of the World Forestry Congress. These have been divided into sub-themes that include most of the issues related to forests and the products and services they provide.
Related topics are listed under each sub-theme to facilitate the categorizing of your paper. This list should not be considered exhaustive.

1. Forests and biodiversity
 
1.1 State of the forests and assessment techniques 
State of the forests at national or regional levels.
Models of growth and yield, inventories.
Remote sensing and other techniques
 
1.2 Deforestation and forest fragmentation
Deforestation rates. Deforestation by forest type.
Endangered species.
Causes for deforestation and forest degradation; economic strategies to reduce deforestation
Sector responses, new products and services.
Fragmentation and habitat loss. Connectivity models.
Restoration, deforestation and desertification.
 
1.3 Restoration and rehabilitation of forest ecosystems
Reforestation with native species.
Restoration experiences and models, biodiversity recovery.
Landscape restoration.
 
1.4 Contribution of biodiversity
Ecologic importance.
Resilience, stability, productivity and other essential functions.
Economic aspects and benefit sharing.
 
1.5 Management for the conservation of forests
Protected areas.
Management strategies in protected areas. Trends.
Conservation for development.
Conservation corridors.
Intangibility.
Management practices of flora and fauna.
Protected areas and community development.
Impact of herbivores on the forests conservation and sustainability.
 
1.6 Wildlife associated with forests 
Illegal trade and derived products
Management practices for wildlife
Relations between wildlife and communities (wild meat, conflicts)
Breeding of wild animals
Hunting tourism and its effects on forests
 
1.7 Genetic diversity
Genetic variation in relation to use.
Variation and environmental gradients or evolutive processes.
Conservation of variation and its strategic use.
Strategies for conservation and management of genetic diversity.
 
 
2. Producing for development
 
2.1 Forest management and dynamics 
Forest structure and dynamics.
Adaptive management.
Management techniques and their ecological and economic influence.
Use of a larger number of species in high diversity forests.
Sustainability indicators.
 
2.2 Planted forests
Importance of planted forests
Planted forests and their multiple relations with native forests
Trends and perspectives (global and regional) for planted forests
Sustainability indicators
Impact of planted forests (water, soils, efficiency in the use of resources, landscapes,
biodiversity)
Monospecific and multi-use planted forests
Productivity and efficiency in the use of resources
Nurseries
Establishment and management techniques
Precision management
 
2.3 Agroforestry systems
Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems.
Relations between its components. Economic, ecological, political, social and cultural influences.
Management systems and use.
 
2.4 Maintenance and increase of productive capacity of forests  
Silvicultural practices
Genetic improvement including genetic modification.
Soils conservation (fertility, adequate use).
 
2.5 Forests and energy 
Fuelwood production and use.
Industrial biofuels.
Energetic forests.
Cogeneration.
Economic aspects.
Impacts over ecosystems.
Externalities in bioenergy production.
Policies and planning.
 
2.6 Forest utilization practices
Harvesting technologies
Low impact logging.
Environmental impacts.
Engineering and transport.
Residues management
 
2.7 Non-wood forest products 
State and perspectives of NWFP.
Socio-economic impact.
Inventory methodologies.
Traditional uses.
 
2.8 Trees outside forests and other wooded land
Evaluation of trees outside forests.
Social and economic importance.
 
 
3. Forests in the service of people
 
3.1 Forests and water 
Influence of forests on water quality and quantity
Integrated watershed management
Forests, water and soil stability.
 
3.2 Forests and climate change 
Ecosystems adaptation to climate change.
Climate change mitigation. Opportunities and constraints.
Reduction of emissions from deforestation.
Forest products as carbon sinks.
Other consequences of climate change.
 
3.3 Tourism and recreation
Forest management caring for scenic value
Impact of tourism on forests and other related areas
Development opportunities for local communities
Ecotourism.
 
3.4 Urban and peri-urban forests
Impact on energetic balance.
Urban aesthetics.
Public health (pollution, noise, recreation).
Planning and management techniques.
Urban-rural relationships.

3.5 Mountain forests and livelihoods
Quality products from mountain
Balancing innovation and tradition for fighting poverty and hunger
The value chain approach
The socio-economic and environmental implications

3.6 Valuation of environmental services and benefit sharing
Methodology.
Case studies.
Innovative financial mechanisms for forest conservation and management.
Valuation and payment for environmental services
 
 
4. Caring for our forests
 
4.1 Forests and fire 
Fire management.
Fire as a natural disturbance.
Prescriptive fires.
Fire ecology.
Predictive models of fire.
Fire and climate change
 
4.2 Invasive species, pests and diseases 
Exotic species and invasion
Integrated pest management
Economic impact of pests
Invasions, health and climate change
 
4.3 Other disturbances
Floods, earthquakes, eruptions, hurricanes, landslides, others
 
 
5. Development opportunities
 
5.1 Sustainability and economic viability 
Economic viability of SFM and determining aspects.
Financial risks, evaluation and management possibilities.
Forest finance and investment frameworks.
 
5.2 Industry and forest development
Articulation of the forest chain.
Development of forest clusters.
Innovative technologies and products.
Enabling conditions for development.
Environment-industry relationship.
 
5.3 Small and medium scale forest enterprises 
Socioeconomic impact.
Integration in the production chain.
Access to credit. Micro-financing.
Networks and support platforms.
 
5.4 Forest products trade 
Trade trends and perspectives.
Trade barriers.
 
5.5 Forest certification 
Positive and negative impacts of forest certification
Impact of certification on sustainability
Credibility and perspectives
 
5.6 Forests and poverty alleviation
Socioeconomic impact of the forest sector.
 
   
6. Organizing forest development
 
6.1 International dialogue and processes and their impact
Influence on national and regional policies
Impact of international agreements over the forestry sector
Processes of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management.
Usefulness, convergence and divergence
 
6.2 Instruments for forest planning and development 
Optimization, simulation and analytical techniques and other tools
Forest promotion
The forestry sector within development policies
Forestry information
 
6.3 Institutional settings, law compliance and good governance 
Adequacy and institutional strength for development.
Illegal harvesting and trade.
Legal coherence.
Impacts of decentralization processes.
Legal safeguards.
 
6.4 Research, extension and education 
Investment in research, contribution of the public and private sectors
Contribution to the development of the forestry sector
Efficiency and development of forest extension
Knowledge integration in formal education
 
6.5 Intersectoral policies and influences 
Policy development at the intersectoral level.
Forest-agriculture interface.
Articulation in legal and political processes.
 
6.6 Contribution of the forest sector to national and local economies
Aspects regarding the forest sector contribution to the GDP.
Green accounting.
Forest development and employment generation.         
Forest-based rural development.
Contribution of the forest sector to trade. Trends. 

6.7 Forest information
Information services, libraries and networks.
Forest terminology.
Forest communication.
 
 
7. People and forests in harmony
 
7.1 Land tenure 
Land tenure regimes and its impact over forest management
Mediation in the natural resources management
 
7.2 Indigenous people, communities and institutions 
Traditional knowledge, social, cultural and spiritual values
Territorial rights of indigenous people. National and international standards
Natural resources management models
 
7.3 Participatory management and processes 
Participatory forest management
Conflict prevention
Negotiation mechanisms
 
7.4 Work in the forestry sector 
Ergonomics.
Security.
Ethics.
Social responsibility

7.5 Gender and forestry
Gender mainstreaming in forestry
Forest policy and gender
Data resources and information on gender