Recently, the 6th IUFRO International Conference on "Forests and Water in a Changing Environment" was successfully held at BFU. Zhang Zhiqiang, Vice President of the university and Co-Chair of the conference, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Cui Lijuan, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, was also in attendance.

The event gathered leading scholars and authoritative experts from around the world, including Academician Xia Jun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Co-Chair Academician Liu Shirong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Andre Purret, IUFRO Deputy Executive Director; and Alexia Stokes, IUFRO Division 8 Coordinator. Leading experts from the United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and other countries gathered at BFU for in-depth discussions on the theme "Forests and Water in a Changing Environment".

ZHANG highlighted BFU's profound accumulation in related fields and emphasized that international cooperation is key to addressing global ecological challenges. This conference, he noted, serves as a valuable platform for global scholars to share new knowledge and build consensus, and strongly contributed to the building a Beautiful China. CUI emphasized that tackling global environmental change necessitates strengthening scientific research and international cooperation on the synergistic relationship between forests and water, using technological innovation to safeguard the global community of life on Earth. Andre Purret stated that forest-and-water is a crucial issue with long-term and strategic significance, highlighting the need to encourage broad community participation and actively play its significant role.

This seminar featured six thematic sessions. Academician Xia Jun analyzed water security challenges in the Yangtze River Basin and shared his team's research findings. Academician Liu Shirong noted the regional variations in the water resource impacts of China's large-scale afforestation, calling for a shift in forest management from area expansion to quality improvement.

Professor Silvio Ferraz from the University of São Paulo, Dr. Liu Ning from CSIRO Canberra, Australia, and Professors Kevin Bishop and David Ellison from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences presented the latest advancements in forest-water relationship research. Furthermore, experts and scholars discussed topics including the hydrology of forest restoration and forest-climate-water interactions, providing new insights for the development of related fields.

Launched in 2006, this conference series offered a significant platform for BFU to advance international collaboration in support of China's ecological civilization goals. Building on this foundation, the university is committed to intensifying its research and educational initiatives, thereby contributing to ecological governance both domestically and worldwide.

Written by Chen Lixin
Translated by Zhang Lezi
Edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang