After the the success of the international conferences SWC2007, SWC2008 and SWC2009 which Sylva-World organized in Morocco, respectively in 2007, 2008 and 2009, it is my great pleasure to invite you, on behalf of Sylva-World Managing Board, and the Organizing Committee, to welcome you to to the international Conference on «PEOPLE, FORESTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: COEXISTING IN HARMONY» to be held in Casablanca, Morocco, from 25 to 27, May 2010.
People, Nature and the Environment are interrelated and interdependent. Well-being, prosperity, health, drinking water supply, food security, provision of energy, social cohesion and alike are all characterized by the interaction of social and environmental dimensions. People in their numbers, distribution and practices can have both positive and irreversible negative impacts on the environment and other species.
Human gains have often been at the cost of environmental degradation (soil erosion, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, loss of fisheries, degradation of ecosystem services, climate change, etc.). Furthermore, all these problems are long-term issues that require decades rather than months or years to be tackled. Therefore, they pose particular challenges to decision-making processes in the political and economic realm.
This conference will explore this conflicting relationship, approaching long-term problems and their governance challenge from different angles, towards a coexistence in harmony between people, forests and the environment, at local, regional and global level.
The conference will draw prominent professionals and expert scientists in different fields, such as forestry, agriculture, environment, socioeconomics, energy, water resources, from all over the world. Leading speakers representing government policy makers, academic scholars, researchers from universities and institutions, NGOs, private sector and community leaders will discuss the latest developments on various themes, such as forest and local development, forest and climate change, forest environmental services, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, man-made plantations, the forecasting of needs and resources, people and forest coexistence in harmony, education and knowledge systems for sustainability, among others.
We have designed a broad scientific program, which includes a number of plenary, technical and poster sessions, as well as other fascinating events.
We invite you to join us and look forward to welcoming you all to this exciting meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, in May 2010.
Dr. Mohammed Ellatifi
(Conference Chairman)
