From 30 July to 1 August 2018, EFI's Resilience Programme is organizing a Scientific workshop in the Białowieża Forest as part of the project Integrated Forest Management Learning Architecture (INFORMAR).
The workshop will bring together scientists working in forest ecology, disturbances, forest (biodiversity) conservation and management, socio-economic driving factors, forest history, and forest policy as well as forest governance.
The meeting fosters the collection and review of already existing interdisciplinary scientific knowledge about the Białowieża Forest in relation to the controversy about forest conservation and use in the region. Furthermore, it aims at creating a space for an open scientific discussion based on scientific evidence regarding the current and future situation in the Białowieża Forest. In this process, the participants will identify consensus and dissent points from the perspective of science, and make different viewpoints visible based on best available scientific knowledge.
The situation in the Białowieża Forest is of high interest to many national and international audiences. Hence, the workshop aims at drawing lessons and conclusions from the Bialowieza case for other areas in Europe facing similar challenges. Finally, the findings of this science dialogue will be published in a multi-author paper that is also understandable for decision makers, media and society. Thus, the initiative follows EFI’s common policy support approach aiming at providing science-based knowledge to decision-makers and enhancing science-policy dialogue.
To assure an open but protected space for scientific discussions about the controversal topics regarding the Białowieża Forest, participants can only join if invited by the organizers.
