The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute is participating in the 15th World Forestry Congress, which runs at Seoul’s Coex for five days until Friday.

The institute’s chairperson Ryu Kwang-soo said, “I hope the World Forestry Congress will serve as an opportunity to directly or indirectly experience the arboretum and garden cultures designed by the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute.”

At the conference the institute will have exhibition booths of its arboretum, botanical gardens and “companion plants.”

Ryu on Monday delivered an address on the role of arboretums and botanical gardens in the conservation of forest biodiversity. On Friday he will talk about the importance of building international networks in forest research and education in the global response to climate change.

The conference held on the first day of congress discussed future role of aboreta and botanical gardens. The sessions were presented by Kim Yong-sik, head of Chollibo Arboretum; LiSe Lykke Steffensen, executive director of NordGen; Hugh W. Pritchard, professor of Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew; and Na Chae-sun of the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute.

World Forestry Congress, co-organized this year by the Korea Forest Service and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is the largest international event in the forestry sector. Seoul is the first Asian city to host the congress in 44 years since 1978 in Jakarta.

Governments, international organizations, civic groups and academic associations from 143 countries are attending the congress in Seoul to discuss pressing forestry and environmental issues and seek solutions.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)