Institutional information

Presentation

The Latin American Network for Forestry Education (RELAFOR) was established in 2008 during the 1st Workshop on Forestry Education in Latin America, which was held as part of the 4th Latin American Forestry Congress in Mérida, Venezuela.

This important initiative led to several significant agreements being made, including those to promote academic mobility within the region, implement inter-institutional undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, develop shared curriculum strategies, foster collaboration to strengthen forestry education institutions, encourage the formation of a permanent communication system between participating institutions, create a plan to reinforce research and technology transfer, and develop relationships with similar networks worldwide.

The founding agreement was signed by representatives of 27 forestry education institutions from 14 countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina.

Two further workshops were subsequently held: one in 2009 at the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences at the University of La Plata in Argentina, and the last one in 2011 at the Universidad Agraria La Molina in Peru, in conjunction with the 5th Latin American Forestry Congress. The RELAFOR Statutes were drafted at this final workshop, with key themes including a basic curriculum for the Latin American region, institutional internationalisation of forestry education and research, mechanisms for recognising and accrediting programmes and courses, and strategies for technical and academic exchange.

Members were urged to be more active in carrying out the agreed tasks at this final workshop; however, for various reasons, this did not result in the desired response. Consequently, RELAFOR’s activities failed to achieve the intended continuity.

During the 8th Latin American Forestry Congress and the 5th Argentine Forestry Congress, which took place in Mendoza, Argentina, at the end of March 2023, professionals from Argentina, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia concluded that it was essential to reactivate the network. The Coordinator of the Working Group on Forestry Education of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) enthusiastically supported the initiative on that occasion.

Objectives

• To consolidate RELAFOR’s position in Latin America by taking concrete action.

• Establish RELAFOR as a leading centre for university-level forestry education in the region.

Actions

With regard to the first objective, the following actions are being undertaken:

• Providing RELAFOR with a basic operational structure comprising an executive committee and essential departments such as Communications, Inter-institutional Relations, Technical Affairs and Fund Management.

• Contact is being established with forestry organisations that have educational divisions within their structure.

• We are planning the preparation of documents and the teams to draft them, so that the Network can contribute its own output to various regional and global discussion forums, as well as share it at a national level.

With regard to the second objective, the planned actions for the second and third years of operation include the following:

• Develop programmes that encourage active engagement with graduates.

From the outset, these programmes must include the tools needed to locate, contact and find out about the current situation of each graduate. Based on this foundation, the aim is to devise and develop collaborative initiatives that enable interested graduates to interact openly. These interactions could facilitate the creation of job boards, the design of highly effective course programmes on various sector-related issues with graduate participation, internship and work placement opportunities, and joint research, outreach and development projects for productive, social, cultural and environmental sectors. Funding for these projects could come from the graduates' own workplaces, among many other possible sources.

• Develop arrangements to facilitate the mobility of teachers and students.

This task requires a concerted effort to identify funding mechanisms. However, we should view this as the norm: mobility among both students and staff should be highly dynamic and the natural state of affairs. If the Network can play a significant role in this, it will enable it to grow stronger and gain prominence in the region.

• Organise events such as conferences, workshops and symposia, either independently or in collaboration with other regional or global networks and institutions.

This initiative will become indispensable in the medium term, naturally becoming established once the Network's activities gain prominence and influence within the region.