A special lecture was delivered by Dr. Hwan-ok Ma, Office-In-charge, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Yokohama, Japan and Honorary Professor at the University of Forestry Sciences & Environment of Myanmar, Yezin, Myanmar at Forest Research Institute Deemed to be University, Dehradun on 30/10/2023.

In the lecture Prof. Ma shared valuable insights regarding Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and Forest Certification with the students, faculty members, scientists and other attendees. In his engaging lecture he discussed loss of tropical forests, vulnerability, forest degradation, biodiversity loss and unsustainable timber production in tropical countries. He emphasised that sustainable Forest Management is not limited to just managing forests but a provider of social-economic growth and ecosystem services, contributing to the development of a circular bio-economy. He stressed the need for adoption of sustainable practices to ensure the long-term health and productivity of forests for the benefit of mankind. Regarding forest certification, Prof. Ma emphasised that although forest certification may be useful in the long run for developing countries like India, however, there are high transaction costs for developing countries and small producers. Further, there are issues like limited Market Recognition and Regulatory Issues, Limited Harmonization between countries and more needs to be deliberated before arriving at final strategy which benefits developing countries.