The director of the IMFNS, Peter Besseau, is attending the Commonwealth Forestry Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland from June 28 – July 2, 2010. Peter will present a paper entitled: “The International Model Forest Network: The Social Science of Sustainability – Engaging Local Stakeholders.” 

This paper explores the Model Forest concept and its approach to, and experience with, partnerships to demonstrate their value across a range of SFM objectives, including in forest landscape restoration. It concludes that: “With a global network of Model Forests as ecosystem-based platforms, there is considerable scope to use the Network’s experience and talent to improve the health of our forests and positively influence policy directions in ways that will support a sustainable future for them and the communities that depend upon them.”

For more information on the Commonwealth Forestry Conference see: http://www.cfc2010.org/. Non-Commonwealth countries are also welcome to attend.