The BSSS Early Career Travel Grant enabled me to attend and participate in the of the IUFRO World Congress 2024 held from 23 June – 29 June 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The IUFRO World Congress is one of the largest global forest events organised by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). The event has been held every five years since 1893 where researchers from around the world participate to present their research in the fields of ecology, forestry, soil science and allied fields. This year the IUFRO XXVI World Congress, held under the name “Forests and Society Towards 2050” brought together 4271 participants from 102 countries.
The IUFRO World Congress 2024 started with a significant tree-planting ceremony that took place at the Skansen Open-Air Museum on day one. This event represented resiliency and the enduring bond between generations and continents and is a historical tradition within IUFRO. On the second day of the congress, His Majesty the King of Sweden formally opened the World Congress and shared his thoughts regarding the importance of conducting research on forests and gathering factual information to make informed and sustainable decisions, acknowledging the ever-evolving nature of society. On the fourth day of the event, field trips were also organised. Fifteen distinct excursion groups covered practically every aspect of forest management, research, and development by visiting different locations around the Stockholm region. During the Congress, multiple sessions explored the complex interplay between forests and society, focusing on themes such as sustainable forest management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, forest biodiversity conservation, and the development of a responsible forest bioeconomy.
Discussions were held on a variety of subjects including the harnessing of forest genetic resources and the role of forests in providing ecosystem services to the challenges of forest governance, advances in understanding the interactions of forest, soil and water (quantity and quality), and their responses to forest management, issues to set a new forest soils research agenda, vegetation and ecosystems in forestry land under the stress of climate change, challenges and measures to control soil degradation and erosion, and the integration of indigenous knowledge into modern forestry practices. Rahul Yadav PhD Scholar Forest Research Institute, India IUFRO World Congress 2024 23.06.2024 to 29.06.2024 I, as the corresponding author as well as the presenter with the authors Shachi Pandey, Tara Chand and Raman Nautiyal presented a research work entitled “Role of forest cover in supporting sediment retention ecosystem service using modelling and valuation in the Himalayan watershed” in an oral-poster presentation session at the sixth day of the conference under session name “Securing multiple ecosystem services from mountain forests”. It was highly appreciated by the participants as well as by the moderator.
In addition to delivering the paper, I also attended poster presentation sessions and oral presentations, most of which were relevant to my current areas of interest. There were five themes under which discussions, presentations and posters were held during the conference. However, the theme “Forest Biodiversity and its Ecosystem Services” was of special interest to me as numerous presentations were allied to either my PhD or my future endeavours. I got a lifetime opportunity to meet many renowned scientists and researchers in the field of Forestry and Ecosystem Services, Valuation etc. and developed an understanding of the various aspects of ecosystem services that could be utilised to make my research work technically sound.
During the congress, I got exposure to various aspects of forestry which could be utilised to make my research work technically sound and develop a better understanding of the subject. All in all, the experience was a lifetime and I cherished the event as well as the venue, Stockholm, Sweden. The BSSS Early Career Travel Grant supported me in attending the conference and provided me with an international platform to share knowledge, perspectives, and get insights into the perspectives of scientists from different disciplines. Furthermore, it allowed me to engage in discourse with young individuals, policymakers, forest managers, business representatives, and civil society organisations
