Sustained interdisciplinary research needed to address pressures faced by our forests: ICFRE Director General

ICFRE's Director General emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary research to combat pressures on forests during an international conference on population and conservation genetics.

Forests face mounting pressures from climate variability, invasive species, land-use change and fragmentation and addressing them calls for sustained interdisciplinary research on forest dynamics, genetic diversity, ecosystem functioning and resilience to support adaptive management and informed policy decisions, said Kanchan Devi, Director General of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Coimbatore on Wednesday.

Addressing these complex and urgent challenges requires action that is systematic, evidence-driven and outcome-oriented, said Ms. Devi after inaugurating a three-day international conference on population and conservation genetics.

“India’s forests cover nearly one-fourth of our land. They form a rich mosaic of natural forests, plantations, and agroforestry systems. These landscapes are biologically extraordinary — high in species diversity, endemism, and functional complexity.  Many fall within globally recognised biodiversity hotspots and are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. This makes our stewardship a responsibility, not just national, but global,” she said.

Ms. Devi highlighted that ICFRE conducted extensive clonal and progeny trials across diverse agro-climatic zones for species such as teak, neem, eucalyptus, casuarina, gmelina, melia and tamarind. These trials produced improved clones and germplasm that enhance growth, wood quality, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses.

The conference is organised by Unit 2.04.01 (Population, Ecological and Conservation Genetics) of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Asia-Pacific Forest Genetic Resources Programme (APFORGEN) and hosted by ICFRE – Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB).

According to IFGTB, the conference will focus on understanding population dynamics, adaptive genetic diversity and evolutionary processes of forest tree species, which are critical for predicting long-term survival and designing effective conservation and restoration strategies.