Program:

Day 1: November 4, 10:00-12:15 and 13:30-14:00

09:45-10:00 Drop-in and "corridor mingle"

We live in times of linked crises, which should be a strong wake-up call on our interdependence with nature and need for broader and stronger collaboration across geographical regions, sectors, and disciplines. This session will highlight how we can enhance the broad collaborations that are necessary, while minimizing the challenges that sometimes follow with them.
Key note: Grace Wong, Researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University: Politics, power and precarity in changing forests: Challenges for research 

- Torsten Krause,  Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies - Traditional ecological knowledge and hunting of forest fauna, why does it matter for the SDGs? Connecting the dots
 - Denise Margaret Matias, Research Scientist, Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) & Associate, Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) Asia: Forest-dependent peoples and wildlife consumption bans
Q&A

Experiences of working with interlinked challenges in multidisciplinary collaborations. Participants may also suggest how Focali could support collaboration on entangled issues that could have a greater impact “on the ground”, where challenges are not separated by disciplines. 

Moderator: Torsten Krause
 - Lan Wang Erlandsson, Researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre: Large parts of Amazon rainforest lose resilience under climate change 
 - Martin Persson, Associate Professor, Chalmers University of Technology: Reducing commodity-driven tropical deforestation -  Political feasibility and ‘theories of change’ for EU policy options
 - Paula Andre Sánchez García, Master Student, Stockholm Resilience Centre: Understanding Land Speculation as a driver of deforestation in the Northern Colombian Amazon
Q&A

Moderator: Linda Hansson
In media and on twitter, research results are often interpreted in simplified and polarized ways, as with the role of forests for the climate. In this session we will discuss how researchers can relate and engage in these debates. How can we as scientists show the importance of systemic approaches to address complex issues and how can we communicate complexity simple enough without losing credibility?
 - Lan Wang Erlandsson, Researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre
 - Malavika Vyawahare, Staff reporter Mongabay based in La Reunión
 - Stephen Woroniecki, Post-doctoral Researcher at Tema-Environmental Change, Linköping University, and Associate of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative at the University of Oxford

Moderator: Harry Fischer
 - Stephen Woroniecki, Post-doctoral Researcher at Tema-Environmental Change, Linköping University, and Associate of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative at the University of Oxford: Biodiversity and Justice - Exploring the Epistemic Tensions
 - Minda Holm, Research Assistant, Stockholm Resilience Centre: Indigenous rights, claims and contestations in the changing forest-agriculture landscapes in South-East Asia – A literature review
 - Linda Engström, Researcher and Senior environment policy adviser, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU: What are the impacts of cancelled development projects?
Q&A

Day 2: November 5, 10:00-12:15 and 13:30-14:15

09:45-10:00 Drop-in and "corridor mingle"

Key policy and practice actors will provide insights to current developments within our field, with a focus on 2021, the due to COVID-19 postponed “super year for nature and people”. Following short introductions to the biodiversity, climate, forest protection and food-system agendas ahead, the session will open up for a broad dialogue on these interlinked issues and policy processes 2021.

 - Jan Wärnbäck, Senior Policy Specialist Environment and Climate, Sida:  A new Global Biodiversity Framework and a Development Co-operation with increased focus on Biodiversity and Ecosystems.
What does the road leading up to COP 15 in Kunming, China look like and what does the Government want Sida to do in order to develop and strengthen the Agency’s work with Biodiversity and Ecosystems.
 
 - Anton Andersson, Forest Policy Advisor, Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation:
The EU and global deforestation - what to expect in 2021
The European Commission will continue to implement the European Green deal and its communication on the World´s forests. In 2021, new legislation will be proposed with the aim to minimize the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU marked.

Clarifying questions on presentations

- Southeast Asia via Denise Margaret Matias work with Indigenous and Local Knowledge engagement in IPBES and Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform in the UNFCCC.
- Amazon region via Mairon G. Bastos Lima, Post-Doc. Chalmers University of Technology and work with the Trase earth platform

Leg-stretch

IV) Launch of Focali dialogue forum in collaboration with SIANI-Sida

V) Brainstorming in groups: Providing input to dialogue forum and collaborations 2021 What can we do together in relation to these issues and related policy processes that could have an impact in policy and practice?

VI) Reporting back and closing of the session

Moderator: Hanna Sinare
 - Ylva Nyberg, Researcher, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU: Use, effectiveness and disadvantages of agroforestry – Kenyan case
 - Rosa Goodman, Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU: Value generation is the key to scaling restoration and management
Q&A

 - Harry Fischer, Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU: Effects of afforestation on rural livelihoods and land cover: Evidence from 40 years’ tree plantations in northern India
 - Dil Bahadur Khatri, Executive Director, South Asia Institute of Advanced Studies and Post-Doc Researcher Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU: Lessons from research-policy-practice lab methodology in the local water management sector in Himalayas 
Q&A

12:15 Lunch break

Additional networking session with group discussions focusing on experience sharing and finding concrete issues and activities to collaborate around, divided into three themes:

• Ecosystem restoration, climate and livelihoods
  incl. speed-talk by Gert Nyberg, SLU, on the Formas project Drylands Transform: Pathways and challenges towards a social-ecological transformation of landscapes, livestock and livelihoods.
• Tackling deforestation and biodiversity loss while ensuring livelihoods and rights
• Networking session open for other themes