Symposium Schedule (June 3 and 4)

This is the daily schedule for the Spring Symposium. Please note that this a provisional schedule is still subject to change.

The public facing events of the Spring Symposium will take place on June 3 and 4 in hybrid mode. The audience is welcome to join us in-person at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki or online on Zoom. Please see the days below for the more detailed schedule. Interested to join us either in-person or online?

Please note all times in the schedule are listed in Finnish time which is UTC+3. to our favorite time zone converter if you are joining us from a different time zone. 
Wednesday, June 3

10:00 -10:45: Symposium Opening featuring project overview by Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes and presentation by Markus Kröger & Sophia Hagolani-Albov 

Roots of Restoration: Who Funds, Plants, and Profits from the Global Tree Planting Boom?

10:45 -12:00: - Fictions, Frictions, Fractures: Remaking Nature in Repair Mode

12:00 -13:15: LUNCH BREAK (at participants' expense)

13:15 -14:45: Project Presentations 

Session Commentator Eshetu Yirdaw, Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki

  1. Linda Annala Tesfaye, post-doctoral researcher/TreesForDev, Hanken School of Economics

Overview of the work done in the Ethiopian Work Package 

  1. Tesfay Godifey Tsegay, Assistant Professor, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Bridging ecological restoration with human plant interactions in Endamekonni district, Southern zone of Tigray, Ethiopia

  1. Bikila Warkineh Dullo, Associate Professor of Ecosystems Ecology, Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative contributions to ecosystems restoration and alignment with National and Global Environmental Targets

  1. Ossi Ollinaho, University Lecturer, Global Development Studies, University of Helsinki

Overview of the work done in the Mozambican Work Package

  1. Natasha Sofia Ribeiro, Professor, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Agronomy and Forest Engineering, UEM

Restoration of Miombo woodlands of southern Africa: research insights and recommendations

14:45-15:15: COFFEE BREAK (hosted) 

15:15-16:45: Project Presentations 

Session Commentator Amber Huff, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex

  1. Markus Kröger, University of Helsinki

Towards a Socio-Tree Planting turn? New tree-planting initiatives in the Brazilian Amazon by socio-ecological movements

  1. Marketta Vuola, University of Helsinki

Overview of the work done in the Malagasy Work Package 

  1. Bruno Salomon Ramamonjisoa. Forest Applied Research Laboratory, School of Agronomy, University of Antananarivo

Effectiveness of landscape restoration strategies and farmer involvement: the approach of promoting local uses in Madagascar

  1. Tanjona Ny Rindra Odine Fitiavana, Project researcher, REMM Madagascar

Environmental Education and Ecological restoration by trees plantation in Ranomafana, South-eastern of Madagascar

  1. Lussac Matthieu Pierre, Doctoral school of Governance and Societal Transformation, University of Fianarantsoa

Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge in ecological restoration: Case studies in the boeny region, northwestern Madagascar
Thursday, June 4

10:00 -10:15: Opening featuring presentation by Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes 

Forest Finance and the Reconfiguration of Land Relations in the Global South

10:30 -11:30: - From Measurement to Market:
What Carbon Accounting Can—and Cannot—Deliver for Native Forests in the Global South

11:30 -12:30: Panel Discussion - Bridging Research and Policy-making in Ecological Restoration

Panel will be facilitated by Linda Annala-Tesfaye in collaboration with Siemenpuu. More information about the panelists to follow. 

Panel description: Ecological restoration is more than just transforming a landscape to its nostalgic past; it is a complex, multi-scalar, socio-political project. While tree planting is often the most visible response to land degradation, successful outcomes depend on moving from simple "planting" to long-term "growing" through careful planning and stakeholder participation. This panel explores the critical intersection where interdisciplinary research interrogates local socio-ecological transformations to shape effective policymaking. How can research on local concerns of land tenure, various uses of landscapes and intersecting power dynamics in the global South impact policymaking in the global North? This and other questions are discussed among representatives from the civil society, Finnish government and the academic researchers.