From July 7th to 11th, the 7th General Assembly for the Asia-Pacific Forestry Education Coordination Mechanism (AP-FECM) was successfully held in Hainan, China. The event was organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) and hosted by NEFU.

AP-FECM was initiated by APFNet in 2010 and officially established in 2011. As a regional platform for forestry education cooperation and exchange, it aims to enhance collaboration and conduct cooperative activities to foster the development of forestry education in the Asia-Pacific region, thus supporting the organization’s goal of promoting forest restoration and sustainable management in the area. To date, 58 institutions and organizations have participated in the mechanism’s activities and have actively collaborated with the platform.

During the opening ceremony of the conference, speeches were delivered by Dr. Lu De, Secretary-General of APFNet, Professor John Innes, Chair of AP-FECM and Professor at the University of British Columbia, Professor Ding Renzhan, Vice President of Southwest Forestry University, and Professor Liu Zhiming, Dean of NEFU’s Hainan International College.

Dr. Lu De warmly welcomed the participants and expressed gratitude to the University of British Columbia for its past contributions as the Chair of the AP-FECM. He emphasized that he hoped the mechanism would continue to contribute greater wisdom and power to regional forestry development through joint efforts.

Dr. Lu De, Secretary-General of APFNet, is delivering his speech at the opening ceremony.

Professor John Innes, with a focus on forestry and forestry education in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighted the region’s global contribution to forestry and its educational impact. He also discussed the current trends and challenges in international higher education in forestry and compared the opportunities and challenges faced by forestry higher education over the past decade. This led to a discussion among attendees on the future direction and planning of Asia-Pacific forestry education.

Professor John Innes, Chair of AP-FECM and Professor at the University of British Columbia, is delivering his speech.

Professor Ding Renzhan, as a representative of the joint-chair institutions of AP-FECM, affirmed Southwest Forestry University’s active participation in the mechanism and its efforts in fostering sustainable development through cooperation with other member institutions. He pledged to continue leveraging the university’s strengths in forestry science, talent cultivation, and regional collaboration to promote shared resources.

Professor Ding Renzhan, Vice President of Southwest Forestry University, is delivering his speech.

Professor Liu Zhiming, as a representative of the conference host, expressed gratitude to APFNet for its trust and to all participants for their cooperation. He briefly introduced NEFU’s history and its international cooperation efforts. He expressed the hope that the conference would serve as an opportunity to deepen collaboration, make new connections, and reach a broad consensus in areas such as educational concepts and international course development. He also emphasized the importance of breakthroughs in research collaboration, aiming to contribute to high-quality development in Asia-Pacific forestry education and ecological sustainability.

Professor Liu Zhiming, Dean of NEFU’s Hainan International College, is delivering his speech.

The conference was attended by over 50 distinguished scholars from 14 economies, including Canada, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Peru, Mongolia, Chile, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The event covered topics such as strengthening industry-academia-research cooperation through micro-courses, technological innovation in forestry departments and higher education, interdisciplinary courses, and modern forestry education. In-depth roundtable discussions among experts and representatives followed each topic.

During the conference, Professor Wang Yonggui, Associate Dean of NEFU’s College of Materials Science and Engineering, participated in the roundtable discussion on “Strengthening Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation in Micro-Courses,” engaging in productive exchanges with other participants. Dr. Han Donghui, a faculty member from NEFU’s College of Forestry, was invited to speak at the academic discussion on “Interdisciplinary Courses and Modern Forestry Education,” presenting an academic report titled “The Paradigm of Industry-Education Integration and Curriculum Innovation for Forestry Specialized Master’s Programs, Focusing on Industry Needs.”

Professor Wang Yonggui, Associate Dean of NEFU’s College of Materials Science and Engineering, is participating in the roundtable forum and delivering a speech.

Dr. Han Donghui, a faculty member from NEFU’s College of Forestry, is giving an academic report.

In addition to faculty representatives, NEFU sent six student volunteers from Aulin College to assist at the conference. These students were responsible for tasks such as helping foreign guests, preparing the venue, and coordinating with international representatives. Their fluency in English, sincere enthusiasm, patience, and dedication were highly appreciated by both the conference organizers and the participants, showcasing the global spirit and volunteerism of NEFU students.

Professor John Innes, Chair of AP-FECM, is taking a photo with NEFU student volunteers.

NEFU has always placed great importance on international education and foreign cooperation and exchanges. The successful hosting of this international conference has dramatically enhanced the university’s influence within APFNet and actively supported participation in the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO). Moving forward, NEFU will continue to leverage its strengths, build forestry research exchange platforms, attract more Asia-Pacific forestry researchers, and enhance international forestry scientific collaboration. Additionally, NEFU will strengthen its connection to global forestry education in alignment with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, deepen cooperation with member institutions of the Forestry Education Coordination Mechanism, and pursue mutual benefits in sustainable regional forestry development.