iufro.org - 2021-08-03

Interview with Professor Shirong Liu, IUFRO Vice-President for Task Forces, Special Programmes, Projects and IUFRO-led Initiatives

Dr. Liu Shirong, chief scientist in forest ecology, is the President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and Vice-President of the Chinese Society of Forestry. In IUFRO, Dr. Liu holds the position of Vice-President for Task Forces, Special Programmes, Projects and IUFRO-led Initiatives. Currently he also works as Deputy Coordinator of the Task Force on Forests and Water Interactions in a Changing Environment.

Dr. Liu, you studied forestry and then focused on ecology for your PhD. Within the field of ecology, you developed a strong interest also in forest hydrology. Why did you decide to pursue this research path?

Forestry provides a wide range of public welfare, which makes it stand out from any other industries. My personal interest in exploring multiple functions of forests, e.g., economic, ecological and social, inspired me to study forestry. I selected forest ecology for my PhD study, because it is a branch of the discipline of ecology studying the relationship between forest and its environment, which is a foundation for silviculture, forest management, conservation and restoration. It provides a knowledge base and understanding of the ecological complexity of forest ecosystems in terms of forest structures and functions and helps find wiser approaches to cope with the challenging issues facing sustainable forest management under a changing environment.

We cannot avoid considering the water factors whenever we study any one field in relation to natural resources. Water is one of the determinants that decide the growth and vitality of forests while, in turn, forests can provide a clean source of water. The interactions between forests and water are not fully known even to date, and it stays an intriguing topic for many forest ecologists and students to carry on with the research.

Both forests and water are integral parts of people’s livelihoods and sustainable development, and it is necessary to keep up with the consistent and dynamic research on their interactions under climate change, which may add varying factors to this interrelationship. From the geographical perspective, China is a country short of water resources with large parts of its land situated in arid and semi-arid areas and a larger temporal-spatial variation in precipitation across the country, resulting in droughts and floods occurring in different parts, in particular, under climate change. Research on forest hydrology can help produce scientific evidence about the forests’ role in regulating water resources. That’s why I entered into the field of forest hydrology.

As the President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry you lead a nationwide forest-related research institution. Do you still have any opportunity to do research work yourself? If so, what topics are you currently addressing in your research?

It is definitely a big challenge to keep a balance between the administration and research work. Fortunately, the Chinese Academy of Forestry is a well-established national research institution with a robust team, who can assist me in fulfilling my obligations in both administration and research. As the leader of the research institution, I must keep pace with the times and capture knowledge about the up-to-date scientific findings and research progress and development trends. To a certain degree, doing research myself can be helpful to this end. While, in turn, administration work informs me about the needs of policy making processes towards science research for the good of the public, and thus I can provide the linkage between science and policy.

Currently, my team and I are doing research on two topics, i.e., the hydrological response to forest changes and climate change, and forest-based mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The former explores the impacts of forest vegetation change (e.g., through logging, afforestation and restoration) on water resources under global climate change, and accordingly provides solutions to improving forest ecosystem services and functions.

The latter examines the improvement of the stability and resilience of forests through restoring natural forests and readjusting the composition of planted forests, the ways to increase forests’ capacity in carbon sequestration and timber production, while giving full play to their multiple functions including climate change mitigation and adaptation.

You are also a member of several national and international research organizations, one of them being IUFRO, of course. How did you learn about IUFRO and why did you get involved? Would you like to point out any highlights or achievements during your time with IUFRO so far?

IUFRO is a network of forest scientists from all over the world with the longest history in forestry, and it is well known to forest scientists and students. I have known IUFRO since I was studying at university. IUFRO’s focus on the interaction between forests and people has attracted me, and I believe also other member scientists, to join in. It has been my great privilege to work with IUFRO after I started my career at the Academy, from which I had numerous opportunities to cooperate with other forest scientists under the umbrella of IUFRO and enrich my professional knowledge and skill through participation in IUFRO meetings, seminars, workshops and congresses.

For example, on the platform provided by IUFRO, my team and I extended our collaboration with scientists from other countries in the field of forest hydrology. Together we made many scientific achievements on the interactions between forests and water, one of which is A Global Review on Hydrological Responses to Forest Change across Multiple Spatial Scales:  Importance of Scale, Climate, Forest Type and Hydrological Regime, published in the Journal of Hydrology. The article increased the understanding of hydrological responses to forest cover change at different spatial scales and provided a scientific underpinning to future watershed management in the context of climate change and increasing anthropogenic disturbances.

In addition to making use of the platforms provided by IUFRO, during my experience of working with IUFRO, we have also jointly contributed to further extend forest science communication and collaboration in Asia and Oceania. In 2016, the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania was organized by IUFRO and CAF together. It attracted over 1,200 scientists, professional foresters, policymakers and forestry students from 56 countries, and explored the role of forest-related research in pursuing sustainable development. It was the first Regional Congress held in Asia and Oceania as well as the largest international event on forest science ever held in China. The Congress successfully promoted the cooperation among forest scientists and related stakeholders in Asia and Oceania, and also enhanced their relationship with IUFRO.

As Vice-President of IUFRO you are also in charge of Task Forces, which aim to advance interdisciplinary cooperation in forest research fields and address key emerging issues. What are in your view some of the most pressing issues related to forests globally and how should IUFRO in general and the Task Forces in particular address them in future?

One of the pressing issues related to forests globally is how to increase forest carbon sinks and ensure stable water resources supply at the same time in the framework of sustainable forest management under a changing environment. In many cases, the two aspects are usually conflicting with each other; it is a kind of trade off and we must seek scientific guidance to address this. IUFRO Task Forces need to give full play to their role in solving such problems, which requires a multidisciplinary approach. It is only with the joint scientific research and robust collaboration among global forest scientists – and this is what IUFRO is doing – that we could successfully reach a synergy between the forest carbon sequestration and forest water supply and achieve the goals of enhancing forests’ resilience and ecosystem services under global change.

Your portfolio in IUFRO also comprises Special Programmes, Projects and Initiatives. They help to translate forest-related research to policy makers, practitioners and other stakeholder groups, and also contribute effectively to capacity building and networking especially in economically disadvantaged regions. How do you see their role in IUFRO today and in the years to come?

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Michael Kleine, IUFRO Deputy Executive Director, for his hard work and outstanding contribution to the Special Programmes, Projects and Initiatives. These Programmes, Projects and Initiatives are all cross-regional and cross-disciplinary while they connect the science community with multiple stakeholders including forest practitioners and decision makers, in which way IUFRO has become a platform for much broader participation and collaboration. What’s more important is that through these Programmes, Projects and Initiatives, IUFRO improves the equity in access to scientific knowledge and gender balance and helps to build up research capacities of early-career scientists, which enriches the unique characteristics of IUFRO.

The IUFRO World Day digital event on 28 and 29 September 2021 will also include three science policy forums on topical forest-related issues, one for Africa and Europe, one for the Americas, and one for Asia and Oceania. You have kindly taken the lead in developing the latter together with Murdoch University, Australia. Can you give us a short sneak preview of what this forum will be about?

The Asia-Oceania Science-Policy Forum will be held at 15:00-16:30 (UTC+8), on 29 September 2021 and it is intended to explore the science-policy-practice interface for managing forests and water under climate change. The 1.5-hour virtual forum will provide a platform for multiple stakeholders to communicate and share innovative perspectives towards the important roles played by forests and water in the achievement of SDGs under climate change and offer an opportunity for them to start new collaborations.

Two keynote speeches from both scientific and political perspectives will be given and panelists from different countries and genders will share their opinions on the optimal interface among science, policy and practice related to forests and water. As the event is drawing near, I would like to cordially invite all the friends interested in this topic, no matter you are forest scientists, policy makers, students or working in any other fields, to join our discussion at the forum. More information will soon be available on the IUFRO World Day webpages!

Thank you very much for the interview!