Experience of ASEAN and ROK Cooperation on Forest Education and Some Thoughts for Future

Prof. Seong-il KimSeoul National University

Presented at Forest Asia SummitMay 5, 2014

Experience of ASEAN and ROK Cooperation

AFoCO Training Program (Fund: Korea Forest Service)

• To support AFoCO procedures, AFoCO Training Program has been established from August 2011 at Seoul National University.

• The Program was initiated the AFoCO Scholarship Program to produce international experts on forest sector to promote successful establishment of AFoCO and its activities in the future.

• For 3 years

4

Output

• International Technical Workshop 3 times• Scholarship 10 students (Int’l 7, Korean 3) for degree program• Field Practice in ASEAN member states 3 times (16 students)• Internships with International Organizations 2 students (UNCCD, Parks

Victoria)• Publishing 1 book (Opportunities and Challenges of Ecotourism in ASEAN

countries)• Raising Awareness Paper Series 3 papers (Forest Land Tenure, Ecotourism,

Protected Area)

Outcome

Build a Career in forestryInspire future forestry leaders

Nurture global talentIdentify key issues for Asia Forestry

Address problems and propose solutionsShare Expertise, knowledge and experiences

Stimulate new ideas for cooperationEducate professionals and public officers

Expand the network Awareness raising on key issues

Implication

We need to• Set up a long-term/regular training program for capacity

building• Prepare evaluation criteria and indicators• Provide guidelines for individual/cooperative projects• Share knowledge, methods and experience

And maintain good relationship with Donor

Thoughts for Forest Education

Reinventing Forestry Education (2004)

• The role of the forester is changing as the forestry profession increasingly focuses on the multiple values, products and services of forests

• professional forestry education will need to be even more dynamic as the pace of change accelerates

• Professional forestry education needs to produce rounded graduates prepared for the breadth of the responsibility

Most Frequent Keywords (2011)

Conservation Industry Policy

Forest Protection Forest Product Forest Policy

Illegal Logging Energy/Fuel Demand Local Community Right

Climate change Community Poverty Forest Ownership

Forest Conversion Export and Import Forest Law

Emission Reduction Forest Plantation Expansion

Forest Governance

Forest Fire Forest Investment Forestry Institution

REDD Employment Forest Management

Deforestation/Degradation Forest Product Demand

Forests in the Broader Landscape (2013)

• The SDGs framework and focus on Forests• Cross-cutting nature of Natural Resources

Interconnectedness Different levels of development among countriesAchieving poverty eradication and food securityMuti-functional role of natural resources for economic

growth, social inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability.

IUFRO now and Unasylva 2300

IUFRO Task Forces

• International Forest Governance• Resources for the Future• Forest and Water Interactions• Biodiversity and Ecosystem

Services• Forest Bioenergy• Forests and Climate Change• Forests for People• Education in Forest Science• Traditional Forest Knowledge• Forests and Human Health

Unasylva in next 300 ys

• Increased harvest• Increased land conversion• Increased trade• Management intensification• Biodiversity/habitat loss• Increased GHG emissions• Increased vulnerability of

species and ecosystems• Increase economic activities

Landscape vs Ecosystem Services

Regulating• water regulation• pollination• erosion control• disaster risk reduction

Provisioning• food• fuel • fiber• genetic resource

Supporting• nutrient cycling• soil formation• primary productivity• water infiltration

Ecosystem Services

10ha

104ha

Forest Ecosystem Services ExamplePhysic-chemical Biological Socio-economical

Timber

Energy and Fuel

Food and Medicine

Carbon Emission Credit

Erosion and Natural Disaster Control

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Biodiversity Conservation

Combating DLDD

Recreation and Well-being

Crucial Qs by IUFRO TF (2012)

• What do our students learn?• What should they learn?• Do they learn what they will need later?• What would our graduates make successful in

their careers in the labor market?• Do the exams assess what professors intend to

teach, or what student wanted to learn, or what the labor market needs?

Need for Inventing New Forest Education

Forest Mngt Unit Forest Landscape

Re/Afforestation

Sustainability Sustainable Yield

Forest Restoration

Commodities Ecosystem Services

Paradigm Shifting

Local/National Global/International