Land and Forest Iceland
His Majesty the King of Sweden Addressed the IUFRO Conference in Stockholm
25th June 2024
Around 4,200 participants from all over the world will take part in the 29th IUFRO World Congress, an international consortium of forestry research institutions, which started yesterday in Stockholm. His Majesty, the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, opened the Forum and gave a rare interview on the importance of forests and forestry science, especially in the context of climate change.
The conference title is Forests and Society Towards 2050. A total of 4,200 participants are registered for the event, and people from all over the world are also registered for participation via streaming.
The conference looks specifically at the development of forests in the world and how the increased demand for services and products from forests, along with innovation and entrepreneurship, will shape the development of forests and forest science in the coming decades, especially with regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the IUFRO policy goals.
Speakers and posters are in the hundreds, but there are also a large number of seminars, tours, introductory lectures, panel discussions and more. The focus is on discussions about the future of forests and forest research, and an emphasis is placed on mobilizing young scientists and students, who will play a central role in shaping this future.
At the opening ceremony yesterday morning, His Majesty King Carl XIV Gustaf addressed the ninth conference and also gave an interview, both of which are considered rare events. At the opening ceremony, the King visited the booth of the Nordic Forest Research Association, SNS, to learn more about the work. He addressed climate issues in context with forests and forestry and noted that "research is important for everyone and means that you get a discussion based on facts".
The IUFRO conference is now being held for the 29th time. The last time it was held in Stockholm was in 1929, and it was the first conference held after the First World War. The IUFRO collaboration dates back to 1892 when three forestry science institutions were formed, one German, one Swiss and one Austrian. The number of the institutions is now more than 600 and they employ about 15,000 scientists in 126 countries. Five delegates from Land and Forest Iceland participate int he conference in Stockholm along with a few more Icelandic delegates from the University of Iceland, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU and the Nordic Council of Ministers.