he UN Climate Change COP (Conference of the Parties) 29 gathering in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November featured its first-ever Forest Pavilion highlighting forests as the cornerstone of climate solutions. 

Teaming Up 4 Forests participated in the Forests Forward: Harnessing Science, Technology, and Innovation for Climate Finance & Action, a day organised by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Center for International Forestry Research – World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF).

Teaming Up 4 Forests is a partnership initiated by IUFRO and Mondi in 2021. It aims to integrate new industry partners in the future to gain new insights, expand the network and broaden its reach in the forest-based sector.

The organisation showcased its achievements in bridging research and practice to support sustainable forest management and wood-based value chains, which are critical for meeting global sustainability targets. 

In a session on driving sustainable development through collaboration, Carola Egger, partnership manager, highlighted the platform's success in uniting scientists, businesses, and stakeholders over three years. 

"When science and business collaborate, we tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Climate action (13), Life on land (15), Responsible consumption and production (12), Decent work and economic growth (8), and Partnerships (17)", Egger said. 

Maja Radosavljevic, partnership manager, presented the shared vision of the science-business partnership. She emphasised opportunities for joint action on critical issues such as climate change impacts, forest management, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, wood sourcing and forest-related value chains. 

"While we can all agree that scientific research provides crucial knowledge for sustainable practices, implementing insights and knowledge can be challenging in real life. Through our activities, we can identify the industry's barriers to implementing knowledge", she said. 

Think tank in April

The team announced a Think Tank Meeting on 1 – 2 April 2025, focusing on biodiversity conservation, wood production, and sustainable forest management. Scientists, industry leaders, and stakeholders are invited to find innovative solutions to urgent challenges in the sector.