International Symposium on Intersectoral Cooperation for Resilient Landscapes

29-30 March 2023

On a very fine morning on 29th March 2023 in the lush green campus of Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, delegates from all over India and the world gathered to complete the objective of the symposium, which is to cultivate conversations and partnerships around sustainable and resilient land use.

The symposium started with the registration processes for the delegates. The 10 young IFSA delegates were excited to be part of the dialogue. Taking inspiration from India’s culture, the session started with Lightning of the Lamp and the welcome speech.

There it was, addressed by the IUFRO President Dr. John Parrotta, introducing IUFRO and their upcoming plans. Shri Arun Singh Rawat, Directorat General of ICFRE – Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, also addressed the gathering, explaining ICFRE and India’s contribution to sustainable land management. The inaugural session was then accomplished by a beautiful group picture of delegates.

Here, we headed to Two choice-based field excursions: Rajaji National Park & Mussoorie Hills. The delegates divided into their choice of locations to see the Forest land management practices in India.

The day-long field excursions were insightful, for people to understand the ongoing project, policy, and investment protocols in Forest Landscape Restoration.

The day was accomplished by a Cultural Night event, dinner with delegates from all over the world, and an understanding of various cultural forms in India. During the symposium, we had an opportunity for birdwatching, cultural night and get-togethers along the Symposium taking in the forest and natural landscapes of the Dehradun campus.

The second day got divided into several parallel thematic sessions, where two of our delegates presented :

  1. Biodiversity/nature conservation integration in FLR

Our IFSA delegate Ms. Aditi Mishra gave an insightful presentation on Nature-Based solutions, Explaining some of the case studies from Uttarakhand India & Egypt. The other speaker Dr. C. Achalender Reddy and Dr. G.S Rawat from WII gave insightful knowledge on Forest landscape Restoration through Biodiversity enrichment.

  1. Integrated / cross-sectoral education and training

One of our panelists, Annie Biju, Coordinator of IUFRO-IFSA Joint Task Force on Forest Education, shared her views on education and lacking policy and awareness and how information is not reaching the students. She represented the student community in the dialogue alongside speakers from Wageningen University and University of Peradeniya.

 

We had a good bunch of outcomes:

  1. Proved as a forum for networking and discussion of topics linked to landscape restoration for the industries of agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, and nature preservation
  2. It was a knowledge-sharing platform on creative methods for restoring landscapes that include trees into them while boosting agricultural output and the health of soils and plants.
  3. Discussed the necessity for legislative reform, incentive structures, and benefit sharing when implementing better landscape management practices.

by Ashilisha Tanwar