APFORGEN has its first webinar session titled "Building Resilient Forests: Genetic Resources and Capacity Development for Restoration", held on 25 March 2026. The online meeting is carried out with the support of the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI) through its virtual platform.
The webinar, which lasted for about two hours, brought a very insightful presentation from two of the APFORGEN members, moderated by the APAFRI secretariat, Dr. Pin Kar Yong.
The first speaker, Professor Dr. Enrique Tolentino Jr. (an Honorary Board member appointed by APFORGEN), presented on "Future-Proofing Forests: Genetic Diversity, Seed Systems and Adaptive Restoration".
The talk focuses on the urgent need to “future-proof” forest restoration as a paradigm shift from conventional tree planting, and highlights how the forest conservation principle, rooted in forest and landscape restoration (FLR), will restore highly functional and resilient forest ecosystems. By conserving forest genetic resources, planting adaptively, and investing in native tree seed and seedling supply chains, restored forests could adapt to the uncertainties of future environmental conditions.
The second speaker, Dr. Rekha R. Warrier (Assistant National Coordinator of the APFORGEN representing India), presented on "Capacity Needs and Gaps in Advancing Forest Restoration Commitments and Tree Genetic Resources for Sustainable FLR".
The talk discusses how global forest restoration commitments, including the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Bonn Challenge, require strong technical, institutional, and genetic resource capacities. It examines critical capacity gaps limiting effective implementation, particularly in the conservation and sustainable use of Tree Genetic Resources (TGRs) within Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). Also highlight challenges in seed systems, knowledge, policy integration, and research, and propose strategic actions to strengthen national and regional capacities for resilient, climate-adaptive restoration outcomes.
The online session has received great interest from researchers and experts across the Asia-Pacific region.
