On June 8, the International Symposium on China-Cambodia Restoration and Sustainable Management of Tropical Degraded Forests was held at Experimental Center of Tropical Forestry. The symposium was hosted by Experimental Center of Tropical Forestry and co-organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) and the Cambodian Forestry Bureau Forest and Wildlife Development Institute (IRD). Liu Shirong, researcher of CAF, Li Zhaochen, Director of Project Management Department of APFNet, Dr. Sokh Heng, Director of IRD of Cambodia Forestry Bureau, and Jia Hongyan, Deputy Director of Experimental Center of Tropical Forestry of CAF attended the meeting.

The symposium adopted a combination of online and offline methods. Four well-known experts and scholars at home and abroad respectively made reports on the four themes of degraded forest reconstruction and sustainable management, afforestation and forest restoration, tropical forest conservation and restoration, and multi-functional close-to-nature forest management dominated by large-diameter timber forest cultivation of precious tree species.

This symposium aimed to explore an effective way of tropical degraded forest restoration and forest sustainable management advantage in addressing climate change, to learn from the international effective degraded forest restoration methods, ideas and related experience, to positivly respond to the national "Belt and Road" initiative, and to better promote ASEAN forestry cooperation and regional economic development. Participants had in-depth exchanges and discussions on the problems facing the restoration and reconstruction of degraded forests under the background of climate change as well as ideas for future development.

46 experts and scholars from APFNet, IRD of Cambodia forestry bureau, Siem Reap province Forestry Bureau, Siem Reap Provincial Academy of Forestry, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Henan university, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute of CAF, Research Institue of Tropical Forestry of CAF,Experimental Center of Tropical Forestry of CAFattending the symposium.(Author：Wei Juling Photo：Chen lin/Wei Juling)