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Episode 1: Breaking down silos
169 Plays1 month ago
Season 3 of Branching Out: the forest podcast, hosted by Gerda Wolfrum from IUFRO HQ, aims to explore how scientists in IUFRO work across disciplines to tackle emerging topics. This work takes place in Task Forces, and the first episode talks about bioeconomy and how to build an integrated vision of the forest-based sector within a bioeconomy. It features Ivana Živojinović, a senior scientist at Boku University in Vienna, Austria, and Ricardo Vargas Carpintero, based in Colombia, who recently obtained his PhD from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, along with co-host Fernanda Gonzalez from IUFRO HQ.
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Podcast website: https://www.iufro.org/podcast
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Transcript
Introduction to Bioeconomic Transition
00:00:00
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Bio-economic transition as such will be successful only if it's coherent and inclusive and really grounded in diversity. So this silo thinking, I think, would not help much.
00:00:17
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Hello everyone, I'm your host Gerda Wolfrum from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, IUFRO, the global network for forest science collaboration. I have taken over this role of host from Jose Bolaños for this year.
00:00:32
Speaker
You're listening to the first episode of season three of Branching Out, the forest podcast. It's great to have you with us as we explore more
Meet the Hosts: Gerda and Fernanda
00:00:40
Speaker
Forest science. In this new season, we will find out how scientists in IUFRO work across disciplines to tackle emerging topics. This work takes place in our 13 task forces. And today we will look at the Bioeconomy Task Force and how we can build an integrated vision of the forest-based sector within a bioeconomy.
00:01:02
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And here's my co-host Fernanda Gonzalez, my colleague at IUFRO Headquarters. Fernanda, please introduce yourself. Hello
Ivana Sivuginovic's Role in Bioeconomy
00:01:10
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everyone, I'm Fernanda Gonzalez from the IUFRO headquarters and I'm very happy to join you as a co-host today. I'm looking forward to our conversation.
00:01:19
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Welcome to Branching Out, Fernanda, and welcome to our guests, Ivana Živojinović and Ricardo Vargas Carpintero. Ivana and Ricardo, we'd love to hear a little bit about your backgrounds and your work in IUFRO.
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Let's start with you, Ivana. Can you take us through your journey? How is your academic background? How did it lead you to your current role? What kind of work are you doing in IUFRO? Thank you, Gerda and Fernanda. Thank you for inviting me to be part of this podcast, - which I'm following and I'm really admiring your work. My name is Ivana Zivojinovic. I'm working as a senior scientist at Boku University in Vienna at the Institute of Forest, Environmental and Natural Resource Policy and at the Center for Bioeconomy.
00:02:01
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My background is in forest policy and governance. It's strong focus also on innovation governance. And my research focus mainly is dealing with how governance, markets and institutions in general can support sustainable forest management and recently also how we can transition to bioeconomy.
00:02:18
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And in that context, my work within IUFRO - - nowadays is to lead and coordinate the task force on building an integrated vision on forest-based sector within a bioeconomy.
00:02:29
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It's a bit longer
Ricardo Vargas-Carpintero's Work in Bioeconomy
00:02:30
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title. In this role, I work closely with scientists from different regions globally to work together on the different aspects of forest bioeconomy on different regional perspectives.
00:02:41
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and trying to translate this scientific knowledge that we gather in different conditions and different places into really policy relevant means. Thank you, Ivana. And yes, I agree, the title of the task force is a bit demanding, but I think we'll break it down in this podcast to see and understand what it really means.
00:03:00
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And now over to you, Ricardo. What is your academic background? Where does your main research interest lie? And how does this all connect with your work in Iufro? Hello everyone, thank you for the invitation Fernanda and Gerda.
00:03:13
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and This is a great initiative. I'm happy to share this space also with Ivana. So I graduated from Industrial Engineering at the University Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá, Colombia. Driven by my interest in sustainable production systems and bridging industry and ecology, I enrolled in the Master's degree in Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim the Stuttgart, Germany.
00:03:39
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This interdisciplinary program was for me an entry door to the world of cultural production, forestry and rural development. And after completing my master's back in 2018, I started my doctoral program, which I completed last year at the Department of BioAIDS Resources in the Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim. So my focus in this research program was on the Macauba Palm , which is a non-timber forest product.
00:04:06
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And this was the way how I started getting active in IUFRO. Last year, and I became deputy coordinator of the task force about the integrated vision of forest bioeconomies.
00:04:19
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And my research interests are at crossroads between non-timber forest products, value chain development, and bioeconomy innovation systems.
What is Bioeconomy?
00:04:28
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So these are actually three core topics that IUFRO.
00:04:33
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Thank you. Thank you both. This is very impressive, I must say. Now, Ivana, let's get down to business. We are here to learn about bioeconomy and we've already heard a lot now from also Ricardo. The bioeconomy is a term we hear more and more often, but it can still sound a bit abstract to some. How new is this concept or is it new and what does it really mean in practice?
00:04:54
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So I would say that the concept as such of bioeconomy is not new. It has been evolving for decades already. And Europe especially, we can see it as one of the major policy agendas anchored to the different EU bioeconomy strategies that we have over time. Let's say in the last 10 to 15 years, the concept has broadened into more holistic, more system-wide approach that connects the ways how we produce, how we use and value biological resources.
00:05:22
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within, of course, larger sustainability goals. Today, this wider or widely used framing is that bioeconomy is about the production, utilization, conservation and regeneration of biological resources, of course, supported by knowledge, science, technology and innovations.
00:05:39
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And aim is actually to provide sustainable solutions across different economic sectors. So it's not only about you know making bio-based products as such, but it's also how we use biological resources wisely, maintaining ecosystems and creating benefits for society within existing ecological boundaries.
00:05:57
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So this in practice means shifting from fossil-based inputs and linear economical models towards circular and regenerative systems. And this includes pre-use, recycling, - using resource efficiency, and also ensuring that value creation does not come at the expense of biodiversity of water or even people's you know rights and rights.
00:06:21
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But what is important to understand, of course, bioeconomy is not a single model. Countries and regions emphasize different pathways. Some focus more on biotechnologies, others focus more on the use of biomass and biobased production. So when we say bioeconomy, we really think about broader transformation of how economies
Bioeconomy in Latin America vs Europe
00:06:40
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work. So how we manage resources, how we innovate, and how we share risks and benefits across society. And moreover, I would say also this transformation should also secure just equal developments across regions and countries. It's quite a complex term, and of course not related only to forestry sector, but different ones.
00:07:00
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Thanks Ivana, I'm really surprised about how this context can evolve, but I won't go into detail here, so Ricardo can build on this and share his perspective.
00:07:10
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Ricardo, building on what Ivana just said, is bioeconomy understood as implemented in the same way around the world? For example, how does the approach in Latin America compare to what we see in Europe or other regions?
00:07:23
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Yeah. This is a very interesting question. So I agree with what Ivana just said about the differences and regional differences of the bioeconomy worldwide. We cannot have a single model that represents the bioeconomy of all regions of the world.
00:07:39
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The goals and conditions in place in terms of natural resources, biomass production systems, and industrialization level, knowledge and technology availability,
00:07:50
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among other aspects, define the type of bioeconomy. However, there are these key principles that Johanna was mentioning, or like orientation to sustainability, innovation, efficiency, circularity, inclusiveness, the fair distribution of benefits, and the incorporation of social and environmental values, not only economic values.
00:08:12
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And if we see in the context of Latin America, there are also different visions of bioeconomy. So even in Colombia, where I come from, depending on which region you are, the bioeconomy can be differently according to the stakeholders and to their interests. On the one hand side, in Latin America, we have bioeconomy visions that are based on conventional bio-based value chains, so for example, sugar cane or African oil palm, coffee, among other key commodities, that are pursuing a sustainable transformation through innovation, better and more sustainable practices. In Latin America, we have around 904 million hectares of forest, which is about one-fourth of the world's forests.
00:08:57
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This means that biodiversity plays a key role in the bioeconomy of Latin America. And in this context, the approach of biodiversity bringing or incorporating biodiversity in the bioeconomy to create economic value and contribute to the environment, for example, by restoring degraded lands or providing ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, is one of these visions that is quite important in the Latin American context. And within this context, we also see the socio-biodiverse bioeconomy, which is an emerging concept.
00:09:34
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We can't say it's new. Communities have been using forests for thousands of years in order to provide food, provide fibers, materials. construction materials, for instance, for their own use. But now that we have this bioeconomy approach, and there is this possibility of balancing the use, the sustainable use of forests with economic gains. So the socio-biodiverse bioeconomies try to do this integration of traditional knowledge, conservation, agroecological practices,
00:10:08
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to valorize products that are out there in the forest, are non-timber forest products, for instance. And I think this is clearly one of these big trends right now in the conversations about how to ensure the Amazon biome or other forest biomes in Latin America can be maintained and their ecological functions can be
Forest-based Sector's Contributions
00:10:30
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ensured. This is our big difference in contrast to Europe.
00:10:33
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Thanks Ricardo, it's really insightful for me and great to see like how these different regions approach bioeconomy and the examples that you just gave about Latin America for me are really great and amazing.
00:10:45
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Now Ivana, - we would love to hear from you. When we talk about the bioeconomy, the forest-based sector often comes up as a key pillar. What makes this sector so important and what unique contributions can it offer?
00:11:00
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Of course, Ricardo touched upon some of these issues already related to forest sector, but yes, definitely what he can agree and what you all know. Forests are really absolutely central to bio-economy because they provide a wide range of these renewable resources and services and they do so over the longer time horizon or period. As Ricardo already mentioned, the forest supplies also non-wood forest products, but they are essential for many people.
00:11:26
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also in their daily lives and also for emerging bio-based value chains around food, around medicine, resins, fibers and other nature-based ingredients. And another equally important role that forest has is generating ecosystem services.
00:11:42
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like carbon storage and climate regulation, water filtration, also soil stability, of course biodiversity, but also cultural services which are really important aspects of forestry. So forest-based sector is inherently multifunctional and because bioeconomy spans many interconnected sectors, so it's also about forestry and also about agriculture, energy, construction, chemicals and any other sectors.
00:12:06
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We need to see forests not only in isolation, but also as part of this integrated system where they provide input to other value chains, but they also depend from these other cross-sectoral policies and markets, developments, and, you know, all this together can create one sustainable system.
00:12:23
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For the bioeconomy, this means not to look for forests on what we harvest and what we produce, but also how to maintain them, how to protect them, you know, to have them as a sustainable - resource to be able to develop this bioeconomy without harming the environment or having like more just development. What is the key concept in forestry also, forest bioeconomy or forest-based sector, this circularity concept, which I would once more mention, so how to get more value from each unit of the biomass. At the same time, we also need to recognize the ways how we can better reward, for example, ecosystem services for production of non-wood forest products.
00:13:05
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Also, how we can improve this - data monitoring so the climate and biodiversity benefits are credible. So all this makes forest-based sector an important player in the bioeconomy developments.
Challenges and Successes in Bioeconomy
00:13:18
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This is something that we need to keep in mind and look at really more broadly than just on the wood wood side of the forestry.
00:13:25
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Well, thank you, Ivana. No, absolutely. this I think, is one of the key messages here that the forest-based sector, with all this multifunctionality, is indeed a key cornerstone of a bioeconomy and and should be... developed to really also overcome these issues that you mentioned in terms of preserving the forest health at the same time using the forest products. But I'm sure there are probably more challenges in moving towards the bioeconomy in the forest sector. So this question to Ricardo, what - are these challenges and and what factors can actually enable a successful transition? Can you give us an example perhaps?
00:14:04
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Yes, thank you for for this interesting question. So I must say first that the bioeconomy is gradually growing. So what it was perhaps 10 years ago is still a concept and an idea. It's right now part of more than 60 countries' national strategies is already implemented in regional policies, in implementation plans and in research agendas. Although we...
00:14:29
Speaker
still face many technical and also non-technical challenges to accelerate this transition, we are getting there. This is already something positive to thinking a brighter future, I would say. - However, of course, we have main challenges that is still a kind of limit transition towards sustainable bioeconomy. And among them, there is the lack of adoption of technology. So usually when you have technologies that are being developed from conceptual level and from basic research until you reach a market there is a long period of time and you require quite significant resources in order to make sure that your technologies and - innovations can be commercialized in the market now so there is also ah the challenge of having business as usual thinking and so. Still, the mindsets of companies and other stakeholders that still don't recognize the benefits of being part of this bioeconomic transition, the lack of incentives as well that limit their change of these companies or business practices, and there is a lack of coordinated policies as well.
00:15:45
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to ensure that there is an enabling environment for this transition to happen. So what are the ingredients or what is the recipe for this transition? We clearly require innovation, not only technical or technological innovation, we need to recognize but we need institutional - innovation, organization and social innovation. We need to stop thinking in silos and make the right connections with other disciplines.
00:16:11
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This is a matter of bringing together biologists, economists, engineers, ecologists, and specialists in social sciences as well, but even crossing the boundaries of disciplines, bringing together the visions of farmers, of foresters, of manufacturers, policymakers, NGOs, and so on, in order to understand perspectives and co-create solutions that can be also - implemented in the market.
00:16:38
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One of the cases that we have been studying in the last year is the transition of a non-timber forest product to a novel crop, Brazil. So this is the case of the Macauba palm , of the species Acrocomia aculeata.
00:16:51
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which is a plant that has been used for years, for decades, by rural communities and forest communities as a livelihood option. And around 20 years ago, Brazilian government prioritized the bioenergy as one of the key pillars for the sustainable transition of Brazil. And in this context, they identified different plants from local biodiversity. One of these plants was the Macauba palm.
00:17:19
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and they accelerated the research. So here researchers, public institutions, played a role in order to generate knowledge, building additional knowledge, excel in place, and trying to understand how this palm could be one of these alternative crops. And what do we have today is that based on this research,
00:17:42
Speaker
an advance of research, development, entrepreneurial action, but also a sound regulatory environment and a market that is being developed. We have this plant that is right now being cultivated in thousands of hectares in Brazil as an alternative to the end to restore degraded lands, to provide ecosystem services and and so on. So we see this kind of combination of different factors that have helped to mobilize or to advance this plant.
00:18:12
Speaker
towards a status that is already an implemented solution. And i think we can learn many lessons from this for other crops in Latin America, but also worldwide, on how we can have long-term visions, because it's not a matter of two or three years, but it's really transformative, requires long periods of time.
00:18:32
Speaker
Thank you. This is really insightful and this example I think is very interesting and so good to know that this is also where bioeconomy
Vision for Forest-based Sector Integration
00:18:40
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is going. And you say we're talking about long-term visions.
00:18:43
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Now let me take us back to the visions of the task force. Ivana, what is this vision? it's The task force we said has this kind of but complicated name, building an integrated vision of the forest-based sector within a bioeconomy. Can you help us explain what this is? and Our vision is actually to broaden and integrate how forest-based sector is understood within larger bioeconomies. Our task force really aims to develop science-based integrated perspective that brings together, first of all, wood, non-wood forest products, ecosystem services,
00:19:17
Speaker
But also larger how forestry sector integrates into other sectors or vice versa. All these integration aspects across territories, across sectors is for us very important. Because bioeconomy transition as such will be successful only if it's coherent then inclusive and really grounded in this diversity. So this silo thinking, I think, would not help much. And we actually aim in our task force to synthesize the existing scientific knowledge and views and to share different good examples, cases, approaches as a reference point so for policies, for strategies.
00:19:52
Speaker
but also to inspire new research ideas and developments. We simply want to bring this diversity of approaches and the diversity of - perspectives and cases existing globally to actually emphasize the full potential of forest-based sector within a bioeconomy.
00:20:10
Speaker
Thank you so much, Ivana, for this. It's really nice that you can share in this way the vision of the task force because I'm sure that now our listeners also have a better idea overview of all this. So, Ricardo, can you tell us more about how the Task Force wants to build this vision?
00:20:25
Speaker
Sure. I think Ivana illustrated very well what's our plan, how to proceed towards this integrated vision of the bioeconomy. And as you have heard already in this podcast, the bioeconomy is about integration and bridging economic sectors around the use of renewable resources.
00:20:46
Speaker
And we know forests are - systems that deliver more than wood. I think if I ask right now the audience to think on a forest, everyone will have a different vision or a different understanding and different connection of what a forest is for everyone.
00:21:01
Speaker
So that's actually what we want to do, to try to understand different perspectives of forests, what they provide for the bioeconomy in terms of resources, in terms of f fruit, wood but also plants, fungi, animals, and multiple sources of food, medicine, our products, but also non-tangible benefits, right? Like cultural identity, recreation, joy, health. and other ecosystem functions like carbon sequestration or regulating different ecological functions. We want to do this connection by first understanding what are these differences of forest visions and based on this and also - integrated
00:21:44
Speaker
integrating, of course, a science-based perspective, but also opening up the space to bring other perspectives from different stakeholders who want to calibrate this vision of the bioeconomy from the forests. So after doing this, as Ivana was commenting, we want to also check how the forests are integrated in policy plants at national level. We want to see policies in order to ensure this sustainable transition to forest bioeconomies.
00:22:13
Speaker
Well, thank you, because you mentioned the policies. And my next question goes to Ivana about - a meeting that is coming up very soon and that will unite policymakers from all over the world. The COLI Global Summit on Advancing Sustainable Forest-Based Bioeconomy Approaches.
00:22:32
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which is taking place in Vienna, Austria in February 2026. Can you just briefly explain what this event is and what the Task
Global Summit and Policy Brief
00:22:42
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force is doing? Because from what I know, you are preparing a global policy brief.
00:22:48
Speaker
Yes, the COLI Global Summit, as you said, is one of the, I would say, of a major international events hosted here in Austria that will bring together governments, organizations, researchers and also practitioners to advance sustainable forest-based economy approaches. It is led by the government of Austria and it's organized as a UNFF country-led initiative in collaboration with partners and organizations so that the discussion and outcomes can directly inform other important global policy processes.
00:23:17
Speaker
And , in this summit, our task force is involved. - We will contribute by preparing a global policy brief that will synthesize scientific perspective and and evidence and bring concrete examples from around the world about different aspects of forest-based bioeconomy. The aim is that we give decision-makers actionable options for building a sustainable, inclusive, integrated forest-based bioeconomy and to kind of feed the messages and recommendations to these international platforms and processes and stimulate further discussion and hopefully influence also some of the outcomes in the later stage.
00:23:54
Speaker
Thank you so much, Ivana, for all this information. We are really looking forward for to see the outcomes of this summit here in Vienna. And now, Ricardo, before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to add? What is the key takeaway you would like - our listeners to remember from this conversation?
00:24:12
Speaker
Thanks, Fernanda, the opportunity. I think we have learned that bioeconomy offers plenty of opportunities for all the different sectors that deal with the production of biomass, the processing, all the value chains that are related. And of course, for forests, it's a great opportunity, right? But we also... need to be aware that bioeconomy is not sustainable per se and of course we need to incorporate in this dialogue actors that are involved and work in bioeconomy and also forest related sectors in order to co-create solutions to understand what are the conditions in order to make this a sustainable forest bioeconomy possible. So the invitation is for everyone
00:24:55
Speaker
working in this way to join the bioeconomy dialogue, to make the connection to this evolving concept and to contact us as well. We are all really happy to hear from different actors, stakeholders, what is this setting of the forest-based bioeconomy in order to build - - a joint concept ambition.
00:25:14
Speaker
Thank you, Ricardo. And now we would love to hear from you, Ivana. What is the one key message or call to action that you would like to share with our audience? - Thank you, Fernanda. Well, I would - - just maybe encourage listeners to think broader and to think beyond it with individual sectors or products.
00:25:32
Speaker
And to think you also at a landscape scale about bioeconomy, so we can support really these integrated collaborative approaches and to value forests not just for what we harvest from them and extract from them, but for also for their services and well-being that they provide.
00:25:47
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And
Engaging in Bioeconomy Dialogue
00:25:48
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I think that this shifts matter because the sustainable bio-economy should be not just one new development concept and not one updated extractivist model. It really requires change in perceptions and the incentives from individual consumers to companies and investors.
00:26:05
Speaker
So we can really have a long-term perspective that can ensure also both development of bio- economy as such, forest health , bio- diversity and fair benefit sharing between all stakeholders.
00:26:17
Speaker
Thank you. And also thank you for these calls to action and for these invitations to participate in the dialogue. ah Now, finally, I'd also like to hear from you, Fernanda, in a nutshell. What have you learned in this conversation?
00:26:31
Speaker
Yes, thank you Gerda. ah Based on what Ivana and Ricardo said, I would just like to remark that forest-based sector is really a good example of how people and nature can work together. And that bio- economy is not just - like a technical term, but it's also about creating opportunities that are both productive and sustainable.
00:26:51
Speaker
And I hope our listeners feel encouraged to think about how these actions work like how we use resources or support local initiatives can also make a real difference. And maybe the next time that you all come across something about bioeconomy, you all will get a little spark from our speakers today.
00:27:09
Speaker
Thank you, Fernanda. And thank you, Ivana and Ricardo, for this great conversation on a new vision of the forest-based bioeconomy. And thank you to you, our listeners, for joining us. Look out for our next Branching Out episode, where we will explore science-based innovation in the forest sector, the topic of another IUFRO task force. And if you want to know more about our IUFRO, follow us on social media or click on the show notes.
00:27:34
Speaker
And until next time, goodbye.