Book Description

The role of the forest in countries’ efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are widely recognized. To maximize the contribution of forests to the SDGs, a workforce trained in forestry and a broad range of other forestrelated disciplines are needed as are widespread public knowledge and understanding of forest topics. However, recent literature highlights concerns that forest education is often not meeting the fast-changing needs of the labour market and the importance of forests and of forest managers and policymakers is often under-appreciated. The scope of this report covers education and training related to forests, trees outside forests and other wooded land (i.e. natural forests, forest plantations, woodlands, agroforests and urban forests). It includes education delivered through programmes of forestry and forest sciences as well as programmes of broader scope, (e.g. natural resources management, environmental sciences). It covers all levels of formal education: primary, secondary, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and universities and colleges (UC). This report reveals awareness of some overarching actions that would benefit forest education, including ameliorating a negative public image of professional forestrelated jobs and careers; developing better collaboration between educational institutions, the forest sector (private and public) and the general public; improving demographic diversity in the post-secondary student population; and strengthening digital readiness at all levels of education. The data collected by global survey on forest education supplemented by the six regional consultations represent a wealth of current information on the status and needs in forest education.