Collen Baloi is the Southern African Regional Representative of the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA*) and Entle Kwababa is the Chairperson of Nelson Mandela University Forestry Association (NMUFA)
The annual International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) was attended by just over 100 students from 40 countries across the globe. Throughout the symposium, the students travelled around different regions of Estonia obtaining a global perspective on forestry and cultural practices, developments and traditions of the country.
“The Symposium furthermore served as a tool to introduce us to a wide range of research centres and forestry companies”. Several top-notch presentations were made by researchers and environmental entities and the students also participated in workshops to develop their personal and professional skills. During an IFSA multicultural meeting, all the participants briefly presented the state of the forestry industry in their respective countries framed by the different regional traditions.
“We are very thankful for the wonderful opportunity that we are given to attend the symposium as we know that the knowledge and experience we obtain, cannot be taken from us and it was invaluable experience we gained in Forestry as our field of study”
*IFSA is a globally organised and locally operating students’ organisation. It connects forestry students to their peers and forest-related organisations and policy platforms. Their aim is to connect, empower, and educate the next generation of leaders.
Their vision of “a world that appreciates forests” describes the dream of having all people and societies on the earth recognize the full worth of forests and fully understand forests, grasping their implications and being grateful for their multi-fold contributions to humanity.
