In spite of remaining uncertainties concerning the future impacts of climate change, there
is a distinct need to generate more knowledge about the specific ways in which these will
affect forest species and development processes. Moreover, it is important to reassess and
refine strategies for the conservation of forest biodiversity. To address and discuss the
challenges posed by climate change to forest biodiversity conservation from a global
perspective, the Institute for Landscape Management and the Institute of Forest- and
Environmental Policy of the University of Freiburg organized an international conference,
which was held in September 2011 in Freiburg (Germany). The conference was an outcome of a joint research project of both Institutes on forests conservation and climate
change, which was commissioned by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation of
Germany (BfN). The conference pursued an interdisciplinary and international approach
aimed at the combination of both conservation and political science perspectives and the
Biodivers Conserv (2013) 22:1107–1114 1109
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international exchange and comparison of experiences. Overall, 32 selected papers were
presented by participants from 18 countries in two thematic sessions. Paper sessions were
accompanied by plenum sessions with key note lectures from Jeffrey McNeely (IUCN),
Benjamin Cashore (Yale University), Marcus Lindner (European Forest Institute) and
Robert Flies (EU Commission, Environment DG).