Reforestation for Biodiversity, Carbon Capture and Livelihoods
This online conference will create a global hub of expertise and new ideas on reforestation.

DATE AND TIME
24 – 26 February 2021
LOCATION
Online – Worldwide
Day 1 and Day 2 videos: Available soon
Watch: Day 3 livestream on YouTube (begins 12pm UTC Friday 26 February)
Programme and speaker details
Day 1 – Wednesday 24 February 2021
View programme – Day 1
View speaker details – Day 1
View abstracts – Day 1
Day 2 – Thursday 25 February 2021
View programme – Day 2
View speaker details – Day 2
View abstracts – Day 2
Day 3 – Friday 26 February 2021
View programme – Day 3
View speaker details – Day 3
View abstracts – Day 3
Follow @KewScience on Twitter for updates and join the conversation using #ReforestationConference
If you have any queries, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or email reforestationconference@kew.org
Tree planting dominates political and popular agendas, often portrayed as an easy answer to the climate crisis and effective mitigation for corporate carbon emissions.
But it is not a simple solution and planting the wrong trees in the wrong place can cause considerably more damage than benefits, failing to benefit either people or nature.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) will jointly convene three days of online discussion and debate on best practice and policy, underpinned by scientific evidence, to go beyond the headlines and find ways of raising the standard of global reforestation.
The conference will create a global hub of expertise and innovative thinking to ensure that reforestation delivers benefits, not just for carbon capture but also for biodiversity and human wellbeing.
We will focus on finding workable, evidence-based solutions for reforestation to benefit biodiversity, carbon capture and livelihoods – questioning assumptions, showcasing success stories, identifying challenges and encouraging new, integrative approaches.
Ahead of this conference, Kew, BGCI and international partners have highlighted the environmental risks of large-scale tree planting schemes, in a review published in the journal Global Change Biology.
Within the review we propose “ten golden rules” for reforestation, based on the latest scientific evidence, to maximise benefits for people and the planet.

Who is this conference for?
The conference is aimed at policymakers, funders, practitioners, researchers, and anyone interested in reforestation. The language used will be suitable for a broad audience, with no requirements for previous knowledge or expertise.
Informing policy and practice
Discussions during the conference will lead to the development of a ‘conference declaration’ which will aim to inform policies for protecting and restoring the world’s forests. Delegates will have the opportunity to contribute to the declaration and sign up to support it afterwards.
It is hoped that the discussions will also influence and support initiatives arising from COP15 in China and COP26 in Glasgow later this year.
Headline sponsor

Supporting sponsor

Collaborating partner
