17 September 2018 - 20 September 2018
IIASA, Schlossplatz 1, Laxenburg, Austria

IBFRA18 - Cool Forests at risk?

The theme of the Cool Forests Conference (IBFRA18) is the critical role of boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy, and climate. The event will launch an initiative to raise awareness, maintain and promote the multiple, critical values, provided by those ecosystems.

Cool Forests in the Boreal and Mountain areas cover more than one third of all global forests, forming the largest terrestrial vegetation ecosystem. They bridge from the circumpolar belt in the northern latitudes to high-elevation forests in the southern hemisphere. Forests on permafrost show high similarities both in the boreal and mountain ecozones (intra-zonal boreal forest) – especially with respect to species and growth patterns but also in response to climate exposure. 

Cool forests and their natural resources play a crucial role for the economy, the earth’s climate regime and critical socio-environmental values such as water, prevention of erosion and flood, and biodiversity. Cool Forests deliver most of the resources for the forest-based industry globally, they store as much carbon as tropical forests per hectare, they are home to unique landscape and nature diversity, and they are crucial for livelihoods of billions of people. 

If we fail to sustain the Cool Forests with their critical services and functions, an entire economic sector is at risk to collapse and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement in particular can never be achieved.  

Join the collective effort to create solutions for a sustainable future for boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy, and our climate!

Sign up to become a Cool Forest Ambassador!

We are very proud to announce that Her Excellency Elisabeth Köstinger, Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria, joins the Cool Forest Ambassador initiative: “Multifunctional boreal forests and mountain forests are among the ecosystems most affected by climate change. They play a key role in tackling climate change and achieving the Paris climate goals. I am therefore supporting the IBFRA18 Cool Forests Conference and I am delighted to be an Ambassador for Cool Forests.“ 



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1809 Cool forests at risk? IBFRA18



The "Cool Forests at risk?" event is much more than a usual conference - it is the start of a collective effort, initiated by scientists from IBFRA, PEEX, and IIASA, supported by IUFRO. The event will bring together academia, decision makers and the public to create solutions for a sustainable future. 

For the first time a bridge between boreal and mountain forest ecosystems and their people is built. This involves scientists, political decision makers, private sector, and civil society as a whole.

The conference is hosted by IIASA, in collaboration with the International Boreal Forest Research Association, the Pan-Eurasian Experiment, and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations.

Find out more and register on the IBFRA18 Conference website.


The Cool Forests Conference (IBFRA18) will be held from 17-20 September 2018, at IIASA, Austria. The theme for the Conference is: Cool Forests at Risk? The critical role of boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy, and climate.

















IIASA partners at IBFRA 2018

The International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) was formed in 1991 with the mission to promote and co-ordinate research related to boreal forests.
 

The Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) study is a multidisciplinary climate change, air quality, environment and research infrastructure program focused on the Northern Eurasian particularly arctic and boreal regions.

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the global network for forest science cooperation. It unites more than 15,000 scientists in almost 700 Member Organizations in over 110 countries, and is a member of ICSU. Scientists cooperate in IUFRO on a voluntary basis.


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Last edited: 06 November 2018

CONTACT DETAILS

Florian Kraxner

Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services Research Group - Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program

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IBFRA 2015

24 May 2015 - 29 May 2015

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313