Building International Partnerships: CIFOR-ICRAF

Image L to R: Robert Nasi, Jasmin Packer, Andrew Lowe, and Marina Delpin

Forests provide shade and shelter from extreme weather, produce oxygen, filter water, contribute to cooler moister climates, and store carbon. They produce unrivalled resources that support local livelihoods and international trade networks. But these benefits continue to be threatened globally by clearance and degradation of the world’s forests.

Forests are a key focus for the world-leading Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), our global partner for forest protection, environmental monitoring and landscape restoration.

CIFOR-ICRAF and the Environment Institute have partnered on projects to protect the world’s forests and the irreplaceable ecosystem services they provide. Dr Robert Nasi, Director General CIFOR and Director of Science CIFOR-ICRAF, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Adelaide, recently joined us for his second visit to the Environment Institute to continue to plan and build on our research partnership initiatives. 

During his visit, Robert’s world-leading expertise in landscape restoration was showcased as Guest Speaker and Panel Member at our 2025 Research Symposium. He highlighted the need for a more coordinated global approach to tackle large-scale impacts of forest clearance and nutrient-enrichment flowing downstream, such as the current Harmful Algal Bloom affecting South Australia’s coastline.

Looking ahead, the next phase for our partnership (2025–2026) will be a focus on environmental monitoring and decision making and developing transdisciplinary capacity with other research institutions in the Asia region.