Events

One-Day Training Module on Climate Change and Forest Transformation in the Southern Caucasus
(20 February, 2014 – Ilia State University, Block “E”, Room #206, Tbilisi, Georgia)

Introduction

WWF-Germany and its partner organizations in the South Caucasus - WWF Caucasus Programme Office (WWF-Caucasus), WWF-Armenia and WWF-Azerbaijan are involved in implementation of EU financed regional Project  on Increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems against climate change in the South Caucasus Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) through forest transformation.

As part of the Project a one day training module for forestry professionals, students and other interested parties shall be offered. Three one-day-trainings with specific local focus shall be hold in the three participating project countries Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in February 2014. The training shall give a first insight of the topic to the participants by addressing a theoretical background on climate change, transfer to the adaption in other countries with case studies and a final debating part developing commonly local-specific next steps for the region.

The module shall be conducted by Dirk Frankenhauser, an international expert and by WWF engaged consultant, who spent three weeks in the region conducting a field trips and a stakeholder-analysis in October 2013.

Objectives
Illustrate the environmental and social risks as a consequence of climate change for the forest sector in Southern Caucasus region. The participants shall be enabled to analyse their situation and develop mechanism to adapt to future challenges due to climate change for the forest sector.

Content
The training module contains five main topics, such as
1) Introduction
2) Global Situation
3) European Response
4) Current Caucasian Situation
5) Implementation options in Caucasus
These topics are divided into four key parts:

1. Introduction
The training shall be initiated with sensitising questions reflecting the opinion of the audience towards climate change. This is followed by a brief description of the scope of climate change worldwide, in Europe – and finally specifically in the Caucasus region and especially its impact on forestry.

2. Training exercises
This is the core part of the workshop. Participants are taught to identify potential environmental and socio-economical dangers due to the ongoing climate change in their local region. This should aim at very precise cases in their forest management areas.

3. Presentation of existing best practice in Europe and case studies
Participants are provided with an insider view to how other countries such as Germany have already developed policies and standard procedures to combat this risk-category, presented with examples of good practice and conducting of case studies.

4. Outlook and closing debate
At this closing stage of the training participants are invited to brainstorm of what they consider to be needed in future. Next steps shall be developed commonly in order introduce or improve forestry risk management systems.

Agenda (20 February, 2014)  

Expected Results
This training module shall enable the participants to be aware of the challenge of climate change and especially its impact on the Southern Caucasus Region. The participants shall be empowered to adapt their everyday business to the upcoming consequence of climate change such as storms, fires, etc. as well as to transform the Caucasian forest ecosystems towards more resilienced forests. The shown example of other countries shall encourage the participants how foresters elsewhere act and give the possibility to establish a network with the other Caucasian countries in order to establish tailor-made tools like e.g. a common open-source calamity-database.

Training Module Document
For more details download full version of the Training Module Document from this web-page:

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/black_sea_basin/caucasus/?215650/Managing-innovative-learning-on-adaptive-forest-management-to-climate-change

Trainer
WWF’s International Consultant Dirk Frankenhauser, PanForestal, Berlin
dfrankenhauser@gmail.com

Contact
Malkhaz Dzneladze
Regional Coordinator
EU financed project Increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems against
climate change in the Southern Caucasus through forest transformation
WWF-Caucasus
Tel.: + (995 32) 2 237 500
mdzneladze@wwfcaucasus.org