WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESS 7-11 September 2015, Durban, South Africa

International Forests and Water Dialogue Special Event Concept Note

TITLE OF EVENT International Forests and Water Dialogue: From research to action DATE Tuesday 8th – Wednesday 9th September 2015 VENUE WFC conference centre ORGANIZERS Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Weyerhaeuser Beijing Forestry University Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) Polish Forest Research Institute (IBLES) Government of Alberta, Canada Forest Hydrology Laboratory, University of São Paulo International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Universidad Politécnica de Valencia PlanBleu Stockholm International Water Institute Swedish Water House BRIEF Forests use water, but they also provide water. The interactions between forests and water depend DESCRIPTION on a number of factors such as climatic zones, time of year, geological situation, tree species OF THE EVENT composition and forest management practices. Forests regulate surface and groundwater flows by intercepting precipitation, capturing transpiration of soil moisture, capturing evaporation from vegetative surfaces, using water through evapotranspiration and maintaining soil infiltration. They can also regulate atmospheric moisture flows, including cloud formation and precipitation. Forests contribute to maintaining high water quality by stabilizing soils, reducing surface erosion and sedimentation in water courses and filtering pollutants from upstream activities. Forests and trees also help reduce water-related risks, such as landslides, floods and droughts as well as help prevent desertification and salinization.

Worldwide, more than one in six people still do not have access to safe drinking water and approximately 80 percent of the global population lives in areas where water resources are insecure. At least one third of the world’s biggest cities such as Jakarta, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, New York, Cape Town and Madrid draw a significant portion of their drinking water from forested areas. In view of such figures, the role of forests and trees in water management becomes evident. Land managers and policy makers need to balance the trade-offs between the ecosystem services provided by forests and trees and forest-induced changes in water availability.

This two-day special event during the XIV World Forestry Congress will encourage dialogue on forest- water interactions and the integration of forest-water science, practice and policy, and launch the Five-year Forests and Water Action Plan. This Action Plan has been drafted over the year by an international expert group and partner organizations from around the world. The Action Plan embodies the transition of discourse to action, calling for tangible integration of science, policy, forest practices and economics of forests and water.

OBJECTIVES The linkages between forests and water have been receiving more and more attention in recent years and important gaps have been identified in understanding their relationship and implementing policies, economic incentives and institutional mechanisms. Participants at the event will discuss and refine the proposed International Forests and Water Agenda. In particular, the event aims to accomplish goals in three thematic areas:

Science: Increase international research and close knowledge gaps. Develop and test a cost-effective and reliable research methodology on forest / tree-water-interactions that is replicable across the globe to support forest / agroforestry-water management in different climatic contexts.

Policy: In view of the fact that the forest and the water sectors are traditionally housed in different administrative units, inspire the development of innovative institutional mechanisms and adoption of policies for forest conservation, sustainable forest management and agroforestry practices to safeguard water resources.

Forest practices and economics: Identify at least partner countries or forest management entities with whom to promote the integration of forest-water relations in forest management practices. Develop and disseminate information and training material to integrate compensation for environmental services schemes and forest hydrology in forest management plans.

It is expected that participants will join the effort and commit themselves to the implementation of the Five-year Forests and Water Action Plan. The target audience for the event are foresters, experts from the water and private sectors, and colleagues from other stakeholder groups, including civil society. The event will comprise sessions of various formats, including presentations, an exhibition, workshops and discussion fora and will get significant media attention.

After the Shiga Declaration (2002) and the Warsaw Resolution 2 (2007) on forests and water and in line with many national and international events and activities, the International Forests and Water Dialogue will be the next important step to further the international Forests and Water Agenda.

CONTEXT/ Forests USE water. And forest ecosystems PROVIDE water. This catch-22 between forests and the BACKGROUND hydrological cycle provokes global debate among scientists and policy makers. Forests play a crucial role in the hydrological cycle both at global and local levels. At the local catchment level, forests reduce the risks of erosion and landslides, prevent salinization, maintain high water quality and mitigate desertification.

Forested areas (e.g. upland watersheds) supply a high proportion of the world’s accessible fresh water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs in both upstream and downstream areas. In addition, trees and forests can trigger increased precipitation and water availability, because the atmospheric water vapor recharge from tree vegetation has high relevance as precursor of rainfall further downwind (“rainbow water”).

But forests are also important water users. The highest rates of water consumption by trees are measured during peak growth periods. At the local level, forests influence the amount of available water and the distribution of stream flow over time (high and low flows). The amount of water used by forests is influenced by climate, topography, soil, forest age, species composition and management practices. In the context of increasing water scarcity and a globally increasing demand for fresh water, a key challenge faced by land managers and policy-makers is to optimize the trade- offs between the wide range of ecosystem services provided by forests and trees and forest induced changes in water availability.

PROGRAMME A detailed programme of the event is in preparation.

Tuesday 8 September 2015 Wednesday 9 September 2015

10:00 Introduction to the “International Forests 10:00 Forests and Water in Policy. and Water Dialogue.”  Maharaj Muthoo, INBAR  Mike Wingfield, IUFRO President  Thomas Hofer, FAO 10:30 Discover Forests and Water. 10:30 Whose Policy Is It Anyway?  Irena Creed, University of Western Watch the drama and complexities of Ontario decision-makers at work. Share your  David Ellison, Future Forest observations and voice your opinions during a discussion period. 11:00 Forests and Water Network Governance Discuss the expectations on a governance network: What are the challenges? How could it influence policy? 12:00 Lunch 12:30 Lunch 13:00 “Speed-geeking”. 13:30 Dialogue in Review. Rapid-fire presentations on the latest  Tony Simons, ICRAF Director research on forests and water. Get the General answers to all your science questions during  Hans Friederich, INBAR Director a discussion period. General  Anders Malmer, SLU Global 14:30 Forests and Water in Practice. Director  Tony Simons, ICRAF Director  Irena Creed, University of Western General Ontario  Ato Sileshi, Ethiopian State Minister  Tatenda Mapeto, IFSA of Agriculture 16:00 Coffee break 15:30 Coffee break 16:30 World café. 16:00 From Discourse to Action. Visit case studies from around the world. Presentation and launch of the Five-year Discover best practices and lessons learned Forests and Water Action Plan. and share your forest-water experiences. 17:00 Forests and Water Cocktail.

Version: 3 July 2015

PARTICIPATION All individuals and institutions registered for the Congress are welcome to attend.

In particular, the event promises to draw government technicians and extension officers, policymakers, scientists, practitioners and private sector representatives from the water, forestry, agroforestry, landscape planning, economic, rural development and finance sectors.

Please indicate your interest in attending the event when registering for the Congress: http://wfc2015.org.za/

SPEAKERS • Mike Wingfield, IUFRO President • Irena Creed, University of Western Ontario • David Ellison, Future Forest • Tony Simons, ICRAF Director General

• Ato Sileshi, Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture • Maharaj Muthoo, INBAR • Hans Friederich, INBAR Director General • Anders Malmer, SLU Global Director • Tatenda Mapeto, IFSA FURTHER Forests and Water – International Momentum and Action (FAO – Synthesis report) READING (http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3129e/i3129e.pdf)

FAO Forestry Paper 155 – Forests and water (http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0410e/i0410e00.htm)

IUFRO Research Letter – Forest and Water Interactions (http://www.iufro.org/publications/iufro-research-letters/article/2014/09/15/research-letter-forest- and-water-interactions/ MULTIMEDIA Former IUFRO Task Force on Forest Water Interactions: http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/former-task-forces/forest-water-interactions/

News on expert meeting on forests and water (ForestEurope) http://www.foresteurope.org/de/node/524

Forests are very important in the water cycle (Thomas Hofer, FAO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgmebKzEiOU

IUFRO - EcoAdapt project: “Ecosystem-based strategies and innovations in water governance networks for adaptation to climate change in Latin American Landscapes” (https://sites.google.com/site/ecoadaptproject/)

“Water is a forest product”: Sustainable Forestry for a healthy planet (The Montréal Process, Christina Hendricks) (http://www.montrealprocess.org/video/MontrealProcessPSA60/MontrealProcessPSA60.shtml)

Forests And Water: The Unappreciated Link (Ecosystem Marketplace, Kelli Barrett) (http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10833§ion= news_articles&eod=1)

CONTACT Elaine Springgay INTERNATIONAL FORESTS & WATER DIALOGUE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy [email protected]