Join Dovetail Partners at Green Forest Jobs Workshop

Join Dovetail Partners at Green Forest Jobs Workshop

• Aug 15, 2018

Event to identify activities and guidelines for increased capacity and job creation

(Mpls, MN) - 15 Aug 2018 - The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will host an Expert Workshop on "Green Forest Jobs: Exploring opportunities and increasing the capacity of UNECE member states" from September 17-18, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland.  Kathryn Fernholz of Dovetail Partners will be a speaker at the event addressing trends in the development of green forest jobs.

Green jobs are defined as jobs that "minimize the adverse environmental impacts of enterprises and economic sectors by preserving or restoring the quality of the environment".  Following on this definition a green job in the forest sector has been defined as:

A green forest job:

·  complies with the principles of sustainable forest management,

·  contributes to the green economy, and

· is involved in the value chain of forest products and/or in the performance of forest services.      

The UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Green Jobs in the Forest Sector has identified examples of existing and future green jobs in the forest sector within 7 thematic areas: wood energy production; agroforestry and mountain forestry; social and urban development; forest management, inventory and planning; biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; health and recreation; and education and research.

The  development of green jobs has been supported by several major transformation drivers, including social, environmental, and economic conditions. Globalization, digitalization, changing requirements of society, and changing labour markets all have significant influence. With rising concerns related to climate change, there is urgency to develop environmental skills and diverse sectors of the economy, including the forest sector, that have the potential to provide solutions to reduce and mitigate atmospheric pollution and other environmental risks.

Research has shown that the forest sector offers several characteristics that support effective employment generation, including low capital requirements in many situations, a multiplier effect between direct and indirect jobs, and job diversity and flexibility that ranges from tasks that require high levels of technology to labor dependent occupations. Many quality of life considerations can be addressed through employment in forestry, including improvements to food security and nutrition, non-timber benefits, human health, and recreation. Green forest jobs are central to these opportunities because of the global distribution of forest resources and the potential for job creation in many regions, including both urban and rural populations with diverse skillsets and entrepreneurial potentials.   

Green jobs are key to supporting sustainable economic development within the goals of a green economy, where natural resources are used responsibly, and environmental degradation is avoided. There are examples from many countries of investments in forestry being a key component of economic development, including efforts in Canada, Chile, China, India, and the United States of America.  These experiences help inform the current interest in supporting the forest sector as a component of green jobs creation and sustainable development opportunities.

The workshop will identify forest related activities with the highest potential for creation of green jobs and will discuss the first draft of the Guidelines for Green Forest Jobs, which are being developed by the Joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section.  

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For more information: http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=48714