Korea Forest Service and Forest Science Institute Host Symposium on 'Forests and Adaptation in the Era of Climate Crisis'

The Korea Forest Service and the National Institute of Forest Science held a symposium on the theme of "Forests and Adaptation in the Era of Climate Crisis."

According to the Korea Forest Service on the 26th, the symposium was organized to explore climate adaptation measures in the forestry sector by dividing into Sessions 1 and 2, in celebration of the publication of the "1st Comprehensive Report on Climate Change Impact Assessment in the Forestry Sector."

At the symposium (Session 2) held at the Forest Science Institute on the 26th, discussants are sharing their respective opinions on responding to climate change. Photo by Korea Forest Service

In particular, during Session 2, the Korea Forest Service, the Korea Meteorological Administration, and the Rural Development Administration held discussions to review trends in climate change impact and vulnerability assessments by each agency and to discuss collaboration measures.

Since 2012, these agencies have maintained mutual cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding to establish a climate change response system, discovering joint research and development projects, and holding policy cooperation meetings at the director-general level.

Kim Gwan-ho, Director of Forest Policy at the Korea Forest Service, stated, "The Korea Forest Service is promoting related policies based on enhancing climate change monitoring and forecasting, strengthening forest disaster response, and maintaining forest ecosystem stability to respond to climate change threats. It is necessary to establish a systematic national-level climate crisis response system that can adapt to any future changes."

Kim Gyu-rang, Researcher at the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, emphasized, "Monitoring data on forest ecosystem changes due to climate change are essential information used for meteorological support for forest protection and health weather forecasts that affect outdoor activities such as hiking. Inter-agency collaboration will create synergy effects that improve the quality of life and safety of the public."

Ahn Ok-seon, Head of the New Agricultural Climate Response Project Group at the Rural Development Administration, appealed, "To enhance the policy applicability of climate change surveys, it is necessary to apply standardized methods. The linkage with national climate crisis adaptation reinforcement measures should be strengthened."

Responding to the voices of each agency, Bae Jae-su, President of the National Institute of Forest Science, said, "The National Institute of Forest Science will continue to strengthen foundational research so that climate change adaptation policies can be promoted based on scientific evidence. We ask for the continued interest and participation of agencies closely related to climate change."