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Tag: Bonn

Present your research at #IFPM4! Call for abstracts open

Dear Researcher,

We want to learn more about your expertise on forest related policy issues! The 4th International Forest Policy Meeting (IFPM4), taking place in Bonn, April 27-29, 2022, is a great opportunity to present your research. We are happy to hereby share the call for abstracts and invite you to take part in the conference!

IFPM4 is organized by European Forest Institute’s Governance Programme in collaboration with EFI’s Forest Policy Research Network coordinated by the University of Life Sciences Vienna (BoKu). The conference will focus on the science-policy and the science-media interfaces in the field of forest policy. The past months have reminded us once more that human health is closely intertwined with the well-being of our environment and further the compelling need of well-informed, science-based discussions.

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Uwe Schölmerich: a tribute by EFI Bonn

In January 2021, our esteemed colleague Uwe Schölmerich, Head of the State Forest Enterprise Rhein-Sieg-Erft from the regional forest service “Wald und Holz NRW” retired. This blogpost is a retrospective on our fruitful collaboration with a forest manager who was rightly described by his colleagues as “deeply dedicated to both the forest and people”. 

When EFI opened a new office in Bonn in 2017, the few employees had little to no affiliation to their new surroundings, let alone to the forests in that region. As the former capital of Western Germany and a bustling hub of international organisations, Bonn was a strategic location more than anything else. 

After spending the first few months in a temporary location, EFI Bonn moved to its final premises on the Platz der Vereinten Nationen in 2018. From the first floor hallway of this building, many new employees caught their first glimpse of the forest embracing the city’s Western boundaries. What initially was no more than a background scenery, quickly turned into an impactful presence in our everyday work, as EFI Bonn slowly started to spread its roots into the fertile soils of the Lower Rhine Bay and its adjacent hills. 

The forest that they saw on the western horizon, the Kottenforst, turned out to be managed by a wise, dedicated and friendly man and forester named Uwe Schölmerich.

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Daring Cities across the globe: Webinar addresses the role of local governments for Urban Forestry

European Forest Institute (EFI) Bonn was hosting the final @BonnGlobal Daring Cities webinar series on Tuesday October 27th under the motto: “Forests– Multifunctional Solutions for…

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Faktor 2,4 – Corona lässt Menschen in den Wald strömen

Försterinnen und Förster fordern Umsicht

„Unter Covid-19 haben die Besucherzahlen einen beispiellosen Boom erlebt. Der Kottenforst war vorher schon ein beliebtes Waldgebiet, über das Jahr haben wir durchschnittlich 290 Passanten am Tag gezählt. Aber die Zahl hat sich im März und April um den Faktor 2,4 gesteigert,“ zeigt sich Forscher Jakob Derks vom European Forest Institute (EFI) bei einer Freilicht-Pressekonferenz am 14. Mai 2020 im Kottenforst beeindruckt. Waren vorher morgens und abends in der Auswertung der Zählstelle klare Spitzen zu erkennen, die die Forschenden auch auf Rad-Pendlerinnen und -Pendler zurückführen, so dominieren in der Corona-Zeit nun Waldbesuche an den Nachmittagen, mit sehr hohen Besucherzahlen. Im Vergleich der Wochentage zeigt sich, dass Freitag und Samstag stark an Beliebtheit gewonnen haben und über den Tag neuerdings die höchsten Besucherzahlen verzeichnen.  

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“Ohne Bäume, keine Träume” (Without trees, no dreams)


Three days prior to the start of the UN Climate conference in Madrid, the fourth global climate strike initiated by the “Fridays for Future” movement was held on Friday 29th of November 2019, the same day as “Black Friday”. Worldwide 7 million people in 150 countries protested for more climate protection while simultaneously against excessive consumerism, as it was Black Friday.
In Germany, 630.000 people in around 520 places went on the streets to demonstrate especially under the banner “Neustart Klima” (Restart Climate) against the new German climate programme, which was under ballot in the federal council of Germany at the same time. The currently planned climate progamme is widely named in the media and by protestors “Klimapaketchen” (small climate package) as critics consider it slack and not efficient enough.

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Out of office: marteloscope training in Bonn

The network of marteloscopes, which was started during the Integrate+ project, is continuously expanding in terms of sites and users. On April 12th, Andreas Schuck from European Forest Institute led a marteloscope exercise in the Jägerhäuschen marteloscope in Kottenforst near Bonn, assisted by me. The training session was organised in cooperation with the local forest district Rhein-Sieg-Erft. Most of the twelve participants work for the BfN, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, but there were also two representatives of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

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European Forest Institute (EFI) launches Bonn Office and Resilience Research Programme

Leading European policy makers and scientists explored the future of Europe’s forests as European Forest Institute’s Bonn Office officially opened its doors. The inauguration festivities took place on the 29th of August in the Kunstmuseum Bonn auditorium.

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