The FLARE Flyer
Volume 1, Issue 3
September 26, 2024
FLARE Annual Meeting
The FLARE Network’s 10th Anniversary meeting will take place next week in Rome. We look forward to celebrating with many of you and there is still time to register as an observer (closes October 1). For those who cannot attend, be sure to follow along on social media (#FLARE10).
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Keynote Speakers at the 10th FLARE Annual Meeting
Ms. Rukka Sombolinggi is the first female Secretary General of AMAN, the world’s largest Indigenous Peoples organization and is renowned for her passionate speeches and lifelong commitment to indigenous rights. Rukka joined AMAN in 1999 after working with JAPHAMA, a network of Indigenous Peoples’ defenders. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Hasanuddin University and a master’s degree in Political Science from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
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Dr. Melissa Leach is a renowned academic and policy leader with extensive international experience, combining thirty years of ethnographic work in West Africa with engagements and networks across Africa, South Asia, China and beyond. She has led national and international, policy-engaged programmes and consortia across the fields of global health, environment and sustainability, food systems, and social and gender equity.
FLARE is thrilled to welcome these two accomplished women as the Keynote Speakers for the 10th Annual Meeting. Look for their speeches to be posted on the FLARE website following the Annual Meeting.
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Closing Plenary Roundtable: The Future of Forest Livelihoods
An accomplished and diverse panel will discuss and debate the future of forest livelihoods to close the FLARE meeting. This roundtable and audience discussion will help set an agenda for FLARE as the Network enters its second decade.
Moderator
Reem Hajjar, Associate Professor, Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University, USA
Presenters
Jonathan Rigg, Professor and Chair in Human Geography, University of Bristol, UK
Sarobidy Rakotonarivo, Research Fellow and lead, Mitsilo Research Group, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar
Hugo Jabini, Human rights defender, Association of Saamaka Communities, Surinam
Eva Marie Garces-Foley, Student researcher and activist, University of Notre Dame, USA
James Connell, Strategy & Multilaterals, International Forests Unit, FCDO & DESNZ, U.K.
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Highlighted sessions
FLARE will again feature “Innovative Sessions” at the 10th Annual Meeting. The Organizing Committee is excited to feature sessions from organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), the Wyss Academy, The Tenure Facility any many others. Please see the Program and the Book of Abstracts for more details.
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A Global Network
The 10th Annual Meeting participants are coming from 40+ countries around the world. How many participants are coming from your home country?
FLARE-Supported Special Issues
Trends in Forest Livelihoods Research
FLARE’s latest special issue, “Trends in Forest Livelihoods Research,” has recently been published with 18 articles exploring current research at the forest-livelihoods nexus. This is an annual series organized by FLARE in partnership with the journal Forest Policy and Economics. The next issue is in process and the deadline to submit is now extended to December 31st. Submit your article for consideration today!
Stay tuned for the next call for papers in this series, including papers presented at this year’s FLARE Annual Meeting. Stay tuned also for other FLARE-supported Special Issues planned for International Journal of the Commons and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
FLARE Policy Brief Series on Forests and Livelihoods
FLARE has launched a new policy brief and video series! The goal of this series is to connect high-quality research supported by FLARE to policy discussions. The series draws upon a diverse set of expertise within the FLARE community to inform policy action on key current issues at the intersection of forests and livelihoods. Each brief seeks to distill complex research findings into accessible and actionable policy recommendations that support policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders in designing interventions that promote just and sustainable futures for people and forests.
Read and watch a short summary video about the first FLARE Policy Brief which summarizes research on the role of more secure forest-related property rights to addressing poverty. We invite you to stay tuned for upcoming briefs and share your ideas for potential future topics.
New FLARE Working Groups
Working Groups on key, pressing topics are critical to advancing FLARE’s mission. We are pleased to announce the formation of two new Working Groups: Fire, Forests, and People and Forest Livelihoods in a Changing Climate. These two complement existing Working Groups on “Forests sustaining Agriculture” and “The Future of Forest Work and Communities.” You can learn more about FLARE working groups below, on the FLARE Working Group page, and during a lunchtime plenary session at the Rome meeting on Saturday, October 5th. Please consider joining one or more FLARE Working Groups!
Fire, Forests and People
The purpose of this working group is to create a space for those working on the human dimensions of forest fires, and for those in related disciplines hoping to ground their efforts through interdisciplinary links. The group is led by Dr. Rachel Carmenta, Associate Professor of Climate Change and Global Development, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and School of Global Development at the University of East Anglia, UK. Together, we will share our knowledge, create new ideas, develop collaborations and help to increase the research effort focused on the lived experience of forest fires in new eras of flammability. The working group will contribute towards the growth of a community of researchers, practitioners and advocates who are interested in shifting the narrative of forest fires away from the present focus on carbon and biodiversity, to a narrative that extends to capture the lived experience of these changes. Our previous work shows that narratives grounded in the human dimensions may be more salient to a broader set of stakeholders with the power to improve the justice and governance of forest fires.
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Forest Livelihoods in a Changing Climate
Forests and forest-reliant communities are uniquely threatened by a changing climate. Recognizing this challenge, this working group aims to strengthen our understanding of what is needed for forest reliant communities to adapt to a changing climate while sustaining forests and the ecosystem services they provide. It is led by Dr. Karen Bailey, Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Department at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. The group plans to explore themes on understanding and operationalizing adaptive capacity for forest communities; equity and justice in climate resilience; climate adaptation finance in forests; and metrics for climate resilience and adaptation success in forests. Please join this newest FLARE working group to help shape our work moving forward.
Featured Publication
Jazmin Gonzales Tovar and Reem Hajjar. 2023. “Towards a more just approach to community forestry initiatives: Confronting contradictions, trade-offs, and threats to fairness.” Biological Conservation. Vol. 295
FLARE Membership Highlight
Robert Fitzpatrick joins FLARE as Research Assistant
Robert Fitzpatrick is a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Sociology, concentrating on International Development and Latino Studies. Much of his education has been intertwined with volunteering in South Bend and abroad, often focusing on food security and conservation. Next year, Robert will be in Panamá volunteering with the Peace Corps. He is excited to join the FLARE community because of the academic and diversity of backgrounds in the network. When not helping FLARE, Robert enjoys gardening, cooking slowly, reading slowly, and watching movies.
Opportunities
Student and Postdoctoral Opportunities
PhD in Sustainable Development
The University of Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs is launching a new PhD program in Sustainable Development, starting Fall 2025. The PhD program in Sustainable Development will train a new generation of researchers who understand the challenges of sustainable development, and know how their research can help find solutions and actively guide decision making about human-environmental interactions. Students will become expert analysts in one of three specific areas of scholarship associated with sustainable development, namely (a) Climate change mitigation and adaptation, (b) Environmental governance and (c) Development policy.
This program complements the Keough School Master of Global Affairs program in Sustainable Development.
Applications are being accepted until December 1st, 2024. Apply here.
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Job Opportunities
IUFRO
Call for Applications for a fully funded DAAD EPOS scholarship to study MSc in Tropical Forestry for the academic intake 2025-27 at the Technische Universität Dresden, Germany!
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Forest Resources Department Head (With Faculty Rank) – University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota seeks a vibrant leader for the Department of Forest Resources who will lead our department in building on our traditional strengths in silviculture, forest ecology, forest mensuration, human dimensions of natural resources, natural resource policy and economics, and remote sensing and our newer strengths in urban forestry and tribal natural resource management to grow our role as a regional, national, and international leader in research and education related to forestry, natural resources, and the environment.
Click here for more information
The priority deadline for this position is October 21, 2024.
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CIFOR-ICRAF
Check out the open vacancies at CIFOR-ICRAF in countries around the world.
Application deadlines vary from September 27th to January 1st, 2025.
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Harvard Forest – 2025-2026 Charles Bullard Fellowship in Forest Research
Now available in an additional short-term option (2-3 months). Open to a wide variety of forest-related research areas.
The deadline is October 1st, 2024.
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World Wildlife Foundation – Senior Social Scientist
The Senior Social Scientist leads scientific research to advance knowledge on the processes, conditions, and actions needed to strengthen inclusive and effective area-based conservation, focusing on the progress and challenges associated with identifying, recognizing, and reporting other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).
Click here for more information.
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Artistic Skill Opportunity
The CIFOR-ICRAF Photo Competition
Are you a professional photographer, nature enthusiast, or content creator? Here’s your chance to showcase the stunning beauty and critical importance of our planet’s #biodiversity through your lens. Capture the essential role of forests and trees in promoting biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and driving restoration efforts.
Submit your entries by 14 October for a chance to win up to USD 500 and be featured on CIFOR-ICRAF’s digital platforms!
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Grant Opportunities
Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program – U.S. only
The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants), created by the Inflation Reduction Act, offers an unprecedented $2 billion in grants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation.
Click here for more information.
Applications due November 21st, 2024.
Upcoming Conferences of Interest
World Forum on Forest Therapy 2024 – Forests for Health, Happiness and Well-being
Over the past 70 years, Korea has devoted its efforts to greening its land, achieving remarkable success. Leading the way in using lush forests as resources for health and happiness, Korea stands at the forefront. As part of these efforts, Korea strives to set a global example in legislation, policies, and realization of ‘forest welfare’.
Daejeon, Republic of Korea
28-30 October 2024
Click here for more information
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6th International Conference on Soil Bio- and Eco-engineering: The Use of Vegetation to Improve Slope Stability
This conference is the sixth in the series ‘The Use of Vegetation to Improve Slope Stability.’ Topics range from ecology and soil science to civil engineering and cover a multitude of scales from micro- to ecosystem level.
Xalapa, Mexico
30 June – 4 July 2025
Click here for more information