International Forestry Students' Symposium 2008

Report on the 36^th International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) : 3^rd – 17^th August 2008 Bulgaria

By: Celia Nalwadda

      Youth Officer, Commonwealth Forestry Association.

From the 3^rd to the 17^th of August 2008, I had the privilege of attending the 36^th International Forestry Students Symposium in Bulgaria. This was on invitation from the organizing body and the host association: Students’ Club for Environmental Preservation of Bulgaria (SCEP) and International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) respectively. The symposium brings together Forestry Students (on Bachelors, Masters and PhD programs) from all over the world to share experiences and discuss ways in which they can mutually benefit from the various opportunities available to them. This 36^th Symposium was attended by 105 participants from 35 countries.

The purpose of my participation was to represent the Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA), which is a Partner Organisation (PO) with IFSA, at the IFSS 2008.

The outputs from my participation included:

1. Presentation to the participants about the CFA and the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme in Uganda.

2. Guidance to the IFSA on election of a new CFA – IFSA Liaison Officer (LO) and formulation of the new LO’s goals for the year 2008 - 2009.

3. Familiarisation with IFSA, its’ goals, structure and aspirations and finding opportunities where the CFA can assist them in achieving their objectives.

4. General interaction with the participants as well as the speakers from other POs like International Union of Forestry Research Organisation (IUFRO), European Forestry Institute (EFI), UNESCO among others.

5. Tour of Bulgarian forestry sector and learning about their various operations, challenges and successes.

My General Observations

• Knowledge of CFA among IFSA members: students were generally aware about the existence of the CFA but many did not understand how it works prior to my presentation. This, I think, can be attributed to the strong competition for their attention by other bodies, particularly the EFI. It should be noted that about 75 % of IFSA members are from Europe.

However, many members expressed interest in taking part in CFA activities like the Young Forester Award, the Young Scientist Publication Award and nominating mid-career foresters for the Queen’s Award. The dilemma was in having multiple memberships to different forestry bodies at the same time. There was a proposal that all members of IFSA be eligible to participate in these Awards. This could raise the profile of CFA among IFSA members and increase chances of IFSA members joining the CFA upon graduation.

There is a group of people called the “IFSA Alumni” who by virtue of the fact that they are no longer students cannot technically be part of IFSA but are interested in being part of an international forestry body. CFA could specifically target them for recruitment.

• Possibilities for IFSA involvement: Students were keen to take part even in small projects, for example in drafting publications like the Commonwealth Forests, students can participate through IFSA by giving an update on the state of forests in their home countries, or cross-checking the figures against the official national figures.

IFSA also welcomed the idea of CFA writing articles in the IFSA Newsletter updating them on activities taking place within the Association and vice versa. This can easily be done through the Liaison Officer and the Youth Officer. The CFA Newsletter could also be made available to IFSA members.

• Level of understanding of international forestry issues: students were very knowledgeable about forestry issues related to their regions but had very little knowledge of issues outside of this. For example, Slovaks were very conversant with Bulgarian forestry but had no knowledge of tropical forestry.

Looking at Uganda in particular, prior to my presentation, students were not even aware of which part of Africa it is located, let alone Ugandan forestry issues. By the end of the symposium, every one was better informed, and I did get some inquiries for possibilities of exchange and internship programs with Uganda.

• My take home lesson: Bulgarians attach a great deal of value to their forests mostly for conservation of biodiversity and for bequest reasons. Yet, compared to Uganda, their diversity content is very minimal. Uganda on the other hand, is very rich in biodiversity, but does not attach as much value to it.

Also, the forestry students in Uganda have probably never heard of the existence of IFSA. I have a plan of talking with the leadership of the Forestry Institutions in Uganda to organize a talk where I can address the students and other interested foresters about the benefits of being a part of international forestry bodies like CFA and IFSA; and if they are interested I could assist them in joining these bodies in any way I can.

The Results from my participation:

1. Increased awareness of CFA and SPGS among IFSA members.

2. Election of a new IFSA-CFA Liaison Officer, Ms. Michelle Freeman from Australia. Michelle has five main goals for her office in this year 2008-2009:

   • Increase awareness of CFA and it’s activities among IFSA members

   • Make CFA Newsletters available to IFSA members as agreed in the MoU

   • Attend the Governing council and AGM meeting

   • Have a CFA representative at the next IFSS in Indonesia in 2009

   • Assist IFSA members take advantage of any job/placement opportunities advertised through the CFA.

3. Better understanding of concerns of young foresters. These broadly are: the need for better communication between foresters and the general public on forestry related issues, and a concerted international approach to address the challenges affecting forestry.

4. Networking and forming new international friendships.

5. Knowledge about Bulgarian forestry.

6. Plan to work with IFSA to expand into Africa as it was under represented.

Conclusion:

“The presence of the CFA representative throughout this symposium symbolises their strong support to IFSA and will no doubt result into a very profitable relationship in this coming year.” Sylvain Dupire, France. IFSA President 2007 - 2008.

Acknowledgments:

Special thanks to the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth Forestry Association and the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme, for the financial contribution towards this trip.

I am also grateful to my hosts, IFSA and SCEP for making my stay in Bulgaria a memorable experience.