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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Reforestation with native species.
Restoration experiences and models, biodiversity recovery.
Landscape restoration. |
1.4 Contribution of biodiversity |
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Ecologic importance.
Resilience, stability, productivity and other essential functions.
Economic aspects and benefit sharing. |
1.5 Management for the conservation of forests |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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2. Producing for development |
2.1 Management of native forest resources and ecosystems |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Silvicultural practices
Genetic improvement including genetic modification.
Soils conservation (fertility, adequate use). |
| 2.5 Forests and energy |
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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 |
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Harvesting technologies
Low impact logging.
Environmental impacts.
Engineering and transport.
Residues management |
| 2.7 Non-wood forest products |
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State and perspectives of NWFP.
Socio-economic impact.
Inventory methodologies.
Traditional uses. |
2.8 Trees outside forests and other wooded land |
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Evaluation of trees outside forests.
Social and economic importance. |
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3. Forests in the service of people |
| 3.1 Forests and water |
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Influence of forests on water quality and quantity
Integrated watershed management
Forests, water and soil stability. |
| 3.2 Forests and climate change |
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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 |
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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 |
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Impact on energetic balance.
Urban aesthetics.
Public health (pollution, noise, recreation).
Planning and management techniques.
Urban-rural relationships. |
| 3.5 Other environmental services |
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Polinization.
Erosion control.
Nutrients cycle.
Air quality. |
3.6 Valuation of environmental services and benefit sharing |
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Methodology.
Case studies.
Innovative financial mechanisms for forest conservation and management.
Valuation and payment for environmental services |
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4. Caring for our forests |
| 4.1 Forests and fire |
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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 |
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Exotic species and invasion
Integrated pest management
Economic impact of pests
Invasions, health and climate change |
4.3 Other disturbances |
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Floods, earthquakes, eruptions, hurricanes, landslides, others |
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5. Forest sector: development opportunities |
| 5.1 Sustainability and economic viability |
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Economic viability of SFM and determining aspects.
Financial risks, evaluation and management possibilities. |
5.2 Industry and forest development |
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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 |
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Socioeconomic impact.
Integration in the production chain.
Access to credit. Micro-financing.
Networks and support platforms. |
| 5.4 Forest products trade |
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Trade trends and perspectives.
Trade barriers. |
| 5.5 Forest certification |
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Positive and negative impacts of forest certification
Impact of certification on sustainability
Credibility and perspectives |
5.6 Forests and poverty alleviation |
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Socioeconomic impact of the forest sector. |
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6. Organizing forest development |
6.1 International dialogue and processes and their impact |
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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 |
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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 |
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Adequacy and institutional strength for development.
Illegal harvesting and trade.
Legal coherence.
Impacts of decentralization processes.
Legal safeguards. |
| 6.4 Research, extension and education |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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7. People and forests in harmony |
| 7.1 Land tenure |
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Land tenure regimes and its impact over forest management
Mediation in the natural resources management |
7.2 Indigenous people, communities and institutions |
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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 |
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Participatory forest management
Conflict prevention
Negotiation mechanisms |
| 7.4 Work in the forestry sector |
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Ergonomics.
Security.
Ethics.
Social responsibility |
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