If well-managed, forests and trees in and around cities can provide a wide range of socio-economic and environmental ecosystem goods and services towards a more sustainable and resilient urban development. The recent ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of investing in green spaces and urban parks to support local communities’ health and well-being for improved physical and mental resilience.
Asia is home to more than 55% of the world’s urban population, and is projected to experience the world fastest urban growth over the coming decades with two out of three inhabitants of the region living in cities by 2050. Depletion of natural resources, quality water scarcity, increased air pollution, and adverse climate change effects are among the main issues that Asian cities are facing as a consequence of this fast urbanization process. Although a number of countries in the Region are leading the way in the implementation of national and local programmes to promote urban forestry as a tool for sustainable and resilient urban development however, the potential of urban forests and trees is still far from being fully exploited.
Innovations in terms of technologies for improving monitoring and support the early identification of needed arboriculture intervention, design and practices for the integration of trees and plants in the urban fabric, approaches for citizen engagement and participation can support countries in the development and implementation of urban green systems which can substantially improve the resilience of urban communities.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the Royal Forestry Department of the Government of Thailand are co-organizing an online event “Urban forestry innovations to transform landscapes and well-being in the post-Covid-19 era”. Aim of the event is to stimulate the exchange of policies, best practices, lessons learned and opportunities for the proper planning, design, maintenance/restoration of urban and peri-urban forests and green spaces.
The event will be held on the Zoom platform, from 19 to 21 October. It will consist of three thematic sessions of 90 minutes each with keynote presentations followed by panel discussions:
Session 1 - Key challenges and urban forestry solutions (19 October, 2.00-3.30 p.m. - Bangkok time)
Session 2 - Innovations in urban forestry and arboriculture (20 October, 2.00-3.30 p.m. - Bangkok time)
Session 3 - Turning aspirations to actions (21 October, 2.00-3.30 p.m. - Bangkok time)
Programme of the event and links to register as attendee to the different sessions are available at the link: http://www.fao.org/forestry/49903-014360167355ef14062ba408fd3a45e87.pdf
Partner Organizations
- Royal Forestry Department of the Government of Thailand
Names and Titles of Speakers
- Mr Simone Borelli, Forestry Officer, FAO-HQ
- Ms Wendy Chen, Associate Professor, University of Hong Kong
- Mr Paul Barber, Founding Director, ArborCarbon Australia
- Mr Stefano Boeri, Architect and Urban Planner, Politecnico di Milano
- Ms Cecilia Andersson, Urban Safety Expert, UN-Habitat HQ
- Mr Dan Lambe, President, Arbor Day Foundation US
File/Document Repository URL http://www.fao.org/forestry/49903-014360167355ef14062ba408fd3a45e87.pdf