On 19 March 2021 at 12:00-16:15 UTC, EFI, the recently-merged Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF), and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, in collaboration with the Global Landscape Forum (GLF) and the Sustainable Markets Initiative Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (SMI CBA), will host the world’s first conference examining the forest-based bioeconomy with a focus on the Global South.

Forests, trees and landscapes have long played a role in economic development but now, sustainable landscapes are more important than ever in protecting the world from accelerating climate change and helping to mitigate the runaway consumption of non-renewable resources. The ecological sustainability crisis has three dimensions: climate change, nature loss and pollution, and it is threatening the foundation of our economy and our well-being.

We need a systemic change to shift our economic system to build, rather than destroy, and this means we need a systemic change towards the circular bioeconomy. The circular bioeconomy – an economy powered by nature and its sustainable resources – offers a unique opportunity to use renewable natural capital to holistically transform and manage our land, food, health and industrial systems as well as our cities. If managed sustainably for people and the planet, it has the potential to decarbonize our economy and restore biodiversity while providing jobs and achieving inclusive growth. 

The digital forum will discuss how we could use the circular bioeconomy as an effective tool for building more sustainable, more prosperous, and more inclusive societies with plenty of opportunities for new jobs and industries. Another important topic of the discussion will be: is there enough wood to support the demands of circular bioeconomy? Demand for roundwood to supply energy and materials is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades as fossil-based raw materials are replaced with forest biomass and wood products.  

Tune in on 19 March to learn what are the climate benefits of using wood- and other biobased solutions compared to fossil and non-renewable products, how financing the circular bioeconomy works, and much more!

Registration is now ongoing, more information at the event website: https://www.cifor.org/event/nature-at-the-heart-of-a-global-circular-bioeconomy/