Background information:

The growing urban population, pressure from urbanisation and challenges associated with contemporary urban ways of living all call for the creation of healthy and pleasant urban environments. Urban trees, parks and woodlands contribute to a better quality of urban life and environment by providing a wide range of ecosystem services. The way in which these areas are governed and managed affects their sustainability and functionality.

Aim:

This international conference will focus on how urban forests are governed, especially in terms of policy-making and planning. The event will discuss different modes of urban forest governance, identify current policy discourses, and look at the roles of actors and stakeholders. Attention will also be given to benefits provided by urban forests and ways to assess these. Citizens' perceptions and needs, human health and recreation, social and aesthetic aspects of urban forests as well as urban forest health will be also addressed as important elements for decision making related to urban forests. Countries of South East Europe as well as industrialising nations will obtain particular emphasis at the event.

Target audience:

Target audience is scientists, policy-makers and practitioners from different fields, including forestry, landscape architecture, architecture, horticulture and arboriculture, urban planning and social sciences.

Topics:
• urban forest governance
• citizens’ perceptions and needs
• human health and recreation
• valuation of urban forest benefits
• urban forest health
• cultural and aesthetic aspects of urban forests and trees.

Please, send your abstracts as an attachment by using the following e-mail address: IUFRO2012-Zagreb@sumins.hr 

Important dates:

• Deadline for sending abstracts: 30 June 2012
• Notification of participants whether abstract is accepted: 15 July 2012
• Final programme: 31 July 2012
• Registration deadline: 17 August 2012

The conference is hosted by the Croatian Forest Research Institute, Croatia in collaboration with IUFRO’s Research Group on Urban Forestry and the FOPER project.