18 Mar

Online

Impacts of the pandemic on forest communities and forest resource use - What do we know, what do we need to know and how to find out?

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives around the world, with significant implications for forest use and management. In many countries, sudden lockdowns spurred widespread urban to rural “reverse” migration, while negative economic impacts have brought great hardships for many rural populations. Both trends are likely to increase pressure on forests, which have long served as a critical safety net for rural populations in times of distress

At the same time, moments of great upheaval can present valuable opportunities for change, and many have argued that forests have a critical role in the “green recovery” from COVID-19 and beyond. To date, however, there is no consensus about what a green recovery might entail or about the role of forests and forest communities in realizing these objectives.

The pandemic and its direct and indirect effects are still evolving, and actors in research, policy and practice are mapping and analyzing this development to provide recommendations for short and long-term responses. In this process, dialogue and collaboration between actors working at different levels with these issues is crucial. Considering the rights of forest users and indigenous groups and including their voice is fundamental.

To facilitate a global knowledge exchange and sow the seeds for further joint action, Focali and SIANI now calls for knowledge and narratives on current developments and search for answers to questions that need more focus ahead in research, policy and practice. The incoming suggestions will serve as a basis for the first dialogue in the Focali – SIANI dialogue forum and continued exchange.

You can contribute in several ways:

1) Suggest people to involve in Focali – SIANI dialogues on these themes
2) Contribute to a narrative and knowledge collection via our survey
3) Participate in this first dialogue and share your views and suggestions for continued exchange
4) Share this invitation to actors with focus on these themes 
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Event information in Spanish available here

Registration and contribute to survey:

Register to the zoom meeting here
For registration in Spanish send your name and e-mail to maria.olund@gu.se to get the link to the meeting and information about translation to Spanish
Contribute to the narrative and knowledge mapping and suggest speakers via this survey (this survey will open shortly and be open during the spring)
 
Contact Maria Ölund Project Manager, Focali - SIANI for questions: maria.olund@gu.se
 

Programme

13:30 Welcome and introduction to first session:
What do we know about forests, livelihoods and the pandemic?

  • Speed-talks and Q&A with the speakers
  •  
Introduction of the report "Rolling back social and environmental safeguards in the time of COVID-19 - The dangers for indigenous peoples and for tropical forests", Caroline de Jong, policy advisor, Environmental Governance Programme, Forest Peoples Programme


Ricardo Camilo Niño Izquierdo,

Technical Secretary of the Indigenous Secretariat of the National Commission for Indigenous Territories of Colombia, Magister en Desarrollo Rural - Universidad Javeriana, author of the Colombia chapter in Rollback report 


Ms. Keyla Barrero, co-author of the Peru Rollback report and anthropologist from the National University of San Marcos of Peru


COVID-19 and the dynamism of policies, social protection and local communities in forestry sector in Asia, Kalpana Giri, Senior Program Officer, RECOFT and lead author of UNFF assessment for Asia - Pacific states

Open platform for sharing

What main challenges and opportunities do you see from your context on the impacts of the pandemic on forest communities and forest use?
 

14.25 Emerging lessons for community resilience and “green recovery”

Speed-talks and Q&A with the speakers

 
Reflection on behalf of Wild foods, Biodiversity and Livelihoods Network SIANI expert group, Denise Margaret Matias research scientist, unit for Biodiversity and People at ISOE
 
The Role of Forests in a “Green Recovery” from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, Alark Saxena, Assistant Professor, Human Dimensions of Forestry, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University

COVID-19 Pandemic and Agroecosystem Resilience: Early Insights for Building Better Futures, Lalisa A. Duguma, Researcher ICRAF Nairobi

Covid-19 Pandemic and community land/forest rights formalization process:  learning from community resilience strategy, Raymond Achu Samndong, Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Reporting Manager, The Tenure Facility

15:00 Break

15:10 What do we need to know and how can we collaborate to find out?

Opening conversation with speakers including: Avijit Chatterjee, Project Specialist Forest Governance, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

Group discussions (8 people/group during 25 minutes) 
Reporting back via mentimeter and sharing ides for collaboration ahead

15:55 Closing reflection

Anne Larson, Principal Scientist and Team Leader: Equity, Gender, Justice & Tenure, CIFOR-ICRAF

Moderators during the event:

Maria Ölund, Focali - SIANI Project manager at GMV
Harry Fischer, Focalimember and Associate Senior Lecturer, SLU
Jesica Lopes, Focalimember and Researcher at LU

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