For Immediate Release
September 25, 2024

 

The University of Notre Dame to Convene Global Sustainability Experts in Rome

The University of Notre Dame’s Forests and Livelihoods Assessment, Research, and Engagement (FLARE) Network will gather in Rome, Italy, from October 3-7, 2024, for its 10th Annual Meeting. The 2024 FLARE Annual Meeting, hosted by the Keough School of Global Affairs, will take place at the Auditorium Antonianum and the University of Notre Dame Rome. 

The gathering will showcase the latest research at the intersection of forest landscapes and the communities whose lives and well-being rely upon them, including a special emphasis on the theme “Imagination and Innovation for Forests and Livelihoods.”  

“Forests are under strain across the globe, with devastating impacts on the surrounding communities and some of the world’s poorest people,” says Daniel C. Miller, Coordinator of the FLARE Network and Associate Professor of Environmental Policy in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. “As new and longstanding pressures intensify, we are compelled to convene leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to find innovative solutions and chart a new path toward a more just, sustainable future for both people and the planet.”

The Annual Meeting will also feature presentations and discussions on a variety of issues relating to forests and trees: just climate transition, forest governance from local to global, and data and methods for understanding forests and human well-being. The convening will draw more than 170 presenters and nearly 250 delegates from 41 countries, including participation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

Meeting attendees will connect and engage through a plenary roundtable discussion of the conference theme, keynote addresses by Professor Melissa Leach and Rukka Sombolinggi, a mixer for students and early career professionals, and other interactive sessions. 

The conference will be held in person, but videos will be available on the FLARE website and YouTube channel following the event.

For additional information about FLARE’s 10th Annual Meeting, please visit https://www.forestlivelihoods.org/annual-meeting-2024/ or contact Costanza Montanari at cmontan1@nd.edu for media opportunities.