Conference for students titled "Sustainable Forest Management: Opportunities to Reduce Pressure on Forests and Current Challenges"

Applications for participation in the student conference under the project "Enabling Implementation of Forest Sector Reform in Georgia (ECO.Georgia)" are now being accepted by the EIEC of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. The conference aims to raise awareness among young people about sustainable forest management, its issues, and potential solutions.

Reports presented at the conference may include, but are not limited to:

• Forest sector reform, local and international mechanisms of forest management and protection;
• Forest biodiversity and the significance of forests at the local and global level;
• The role of forests in achieving sustainable development goals and mitigating climate change;
• Society's attitude and importance in the direction of forest protection;
• The connection and importance of sustainable forest management to the health of the population;
• Timber and non-timber forest resources and the need for their proper use, eco-tourism;
• Illegal forest use and existing challenges; 

• Private and municipally owned forests and their role in sustainable forest management.
• alternative fuel (briquettes, pellets, sickles, hazelnut shells, etc.) and energy-efficient stoves as a way to reduce the use of the forest as fuel;
• The role of education in introducing the principles of sustainable forest management.

Students of higher and vocational educational institutions from all over Georgia interested in studying environmental topics can take part in the student conference.

To participate in the conference, please register on the link.

In the next step, you need to submit a paper and a presentation by email.

Volume of the paper:

• Maximum 5-page report under the title of the conference, with a specific sub-heading, if any (according to the direction of the report).
• The paper should be submitted as a Word file (font: Sylfaen, font size: 11, spacing: 1.15).
• The author's name, surname, name of the university or vocational school, name of the faculty, course, author's legal address, phone number, and e-mail address should be indicated in the paper.
• The paper should include a list of used literature.
• The presentation must be presented in PowerPoint Presentation format with a maximum of 15 slides and must include the author's name, surname, and title of the report.
• Working language: Georgian

Method of submission of works:

The electronic versions of the thesis and presentation should be sent as Word and PowerPoint documents to the following addresses: info@eiec.gov.ge or natela.bliadze@eiec.gov.ge with "Student Conference" in the subject line.
The report should be presented individually (one student per topic), and the presentation time should not exceed 20 minutes. The report should focus on problematic issues, management experiences, and best practices based on the conference theme.

The commission, which will be composed of environmental specialists and subject-matter experts, will assess the submitted works and presentations in accordance with the criteria. The best report's authors will be chosen by the commission, and they will get several awards.

The contact person for the student conference is Natia Bliadze, the chief specialist of the Environmental Information Service of the EIEC (e-mail: Natela.Bliadze@eiec.gov.ge; Tel: 598 21 82 85).

The conference is organized by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Government of Georgia the project "Promotion of Forest Sector Reform in Georgia to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Caused by Forest Degradation", which was developed to support the forestry sector in Georgia, mitigate climate change, and contribute to the implementation of the ongoing forestry reform.

Through forest restoration, reduction of forest loss, sustainable forest management, and conservation, the project will contribute to the increase of forest carbon reserves, as well as the development of the market for energy-efficient and alternative fuels, the improvement of living conditions, the increase of the role of local self-government in sustainable forest management, raising awareness, improving professional skills, and relevant policies and regulations.