In recent days, 2,500 scientists, students, and professionals linked to forest research participated in the 25th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) in Curitiba, Brazil. At the end of the event, a document containing commitments from the industry for a sustainable future was drafted.
This "Curitiba Pledge" was released on Friday, October 4, and has obtained signatures from hundreds of people from 92 countries.
The pledge recognizes that the congress was held for the first time in South America, a continent rich in forests and forest resources, but one that, like other parts of the world, faces problems related to deforestation and climate change.
In the document, scientists commit to accelerate their efforts to generate and provide knowledge and practical solutions to improve management of land, water, and wildlife, prevent deforestation, provide timber products within a smaller carbon footprint, and allow forests to meet the physical and spiritual needs of society.
The pledge also recognizes the need for scientists to improve the way they communicate with society, seeking solutions that are effective and economically viable. In this way, they can help meet calls for governments to listen to science.
A panel containing the pledge received hundreds of signatures from congress participants. Among them was Sweden’s ambassador to Brazil, Johanna Brismar Skoog. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, will host the next Congress in 2024.
IUFRO 2019 was promoted by Embrapa, the Brazilian Forest Service, and IUFRO.
  
The Curitiba Pledge
 
XXV IUFRO World Congress, Curitiba, Brazil, October 2019
Over 2500 scientists from 92 countries assembled at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations’ 25th World Congress to discuss the plight of the world's forests. This first IUFRO congress in South America allowed a specific focus on this region of the world rich in forest resources. Deforestation and climate change were identified as two of the most pressing problems worldwide.
The IUFRO World Congress offered a unique opportunity to share evidence-based knowledge across disciplines and continents, to discuss the state of the forests, the challenges and consequences, and possible solutions. As a result, we recognize urgent issues and advocate for the knowledge of forests provided by the global IUFRO network to mobilize forest science for a sustainable future.
We commit to accelerate our own efforts to provide knowledge and practical solutions;
To foster good land management for water and wildlife;
To prevent deforestation and to repair damaged landscapes;
To supply wood products that have a lower carbon footprint than alternatives; and
To enable forests to fulfill the physical and spiritual needs of society.
We reiterate the calls by the global youth to "listen to the scientists," and recognize the need for the scientific community to speak up in new ways to highlight the fundamental role science and technology must play in finding effective, economically viable solutions.