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Why is this a priority? Because the ability to interact with colleagues in their own and related disciplines and across national boundaries is vital to the intellectual growth of research scientists. Often, however, scientific meetings are held in countries far away, and they normally require a significant outlay for registration fees, air travel, and accommodation and meals. Thus, too few scientists, especially young scientists, from developing and economically disadvantaged countries are able to attend.
Although money is severely limited, application is easy. All it takes is a letter to the SPDC describing the date and location of the meeting, how the applicant will benefit, and the extent of need. There is no deadline, and funding decisions are made quickly.
Scientists receiving travel grants to attend meetings are normally asked to furnish a trip report or a copy of their paper to the SPDC. These may be published, in whole or in part, in the Information Bulletin for Developing Countries so that others may share some of the benefits of this activity.
For 1995, the SPDC was able to allocate nearly $50,000 for travel grants to the 20th IUFRO World Congress. These funds have been combined with those of other donors to support some 230 participants. This is the largest number of scientists from developing and disadvantaged countries ever to attend a IUFRO Congress.
Too little money is available to the SPDC for scientist assistance. Even though this activity is little known and is not available to scientists outside of IUFRO, the program receives many more requests than can be funded. One effort to help is the IUFRO Development Fund, which is attempting to raise considerably larger sums of money (see related entry).
In recent years, these have given way to training workshops and meetings on specific subjects. For example, in June, 1994, the SPDC helped to organize a conference "Economic and Legal Aspects of Forest Management" in Pushkino, Russia. This was in cooperation with the Russian and U.S. Forest Services, IUFRO's Division 6, and representatives of member institutions from Russia, Western Europe, and North America.
Another example was the "Workshop on Barriers to the Application of Forestry Research Results" held October 24-28, 1994, in Bangkok, Thailand. This was attended by some 40 invited participants, representing forestry research, management, industry, farmers, environmental groups, and international organizations, mainly from the Asia-Pacific region. The SPDC was the primary sponsor of this workshop, with the majority of funds coming from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Cosponsors were the Forestry Support Programme for Asia and the Pacific (FORSPA), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), and the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/RAPA).
A third example was the "Meeting of Experts on Bio- Reafforestation in the Asian-Pacific Region", held in Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia, November 28 - December 1, 1994. This meeting was organized by the Japanese sub- unit of the SPDC known as BIO-REFOR, in cooperation with the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), with major financial support from the Japanese Government.
One possibility is to participate with others to develop research networks. In December, 1993, and June, 1994, the SPDC participated in meetings in Burkina Faso and Kenya, to help launch a regional forestry research network for Africa. These discussions are continuing under the leadership of FAO. Other regional and international organizations involved are the African Academy of Science (AAS), CAB International, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Center for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), and the International Foundation for Science (IFS).
In an effort to further explore the subject of twinning and networking, among institutions, the SPDC will conduct a session at the 20th IUFRO World Congress: "Inter-Institute Cooperation for Strengthening Forestry Research in Developing and Disadvantaged Countries". Examples will be presented from Africa, Asia, and Latin America of successful partnerships, some of which involve outside funding, and others which are self- supporting. The meeting is open to anyone interested. A lively discussion is anticipated.
The SPDC intends to continue its cooperation with others. There is simply too great a need for strengthening forestry research in developing and disadvantaged countries for any one organization to attempt to go it alone. Suggestions or requests for such cooperation are always welcome.