29-30 October 2025, Pu’er Yunnan Province China - During the Second Pu’er Forum on Asia-Pacific Forests – Forestry Education Sub-forum, the Second Presidents’ Forum of Forestry Universities and Institutes in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), was successfully concluded. Wang Chunfeng, Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet), and Li Jun, President of Southwest Forestry University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Held under the theme “Technology Leads, Talent Drives, Industry Empowers: New Pathways for Forestry Synergistic Development,” the sub-forum aimed to strengthen the integration of forestry education, scientific research, and industry across the Greater Mekong and broader Asia-Pacific regions. The event brought together over 40 representatives from forestry universities and international organizations across the GMS economies.

Participants from Royal University of Agriculture of Cambodia, National University of Laos, University of Forestry and Environmental Science of Myanmar, Kasetsart University of Thailand, Vietnam National University of Forestry, and Mekong Institute, among others, exchanged insights and experiences on three key topics:

        ● Technological Innovation and Forestry Development – sharing cutting-edge research and practical applications to address regional forestry challenges;

        ● International Talent Cultivation and Cooperation – exchanging successful models of student mobility, faculty exchange, and joint curriculum development;

        ● Forestry Industry Transformation, Upgrading, and Collaboration– exploring pathways for green transition and industrial optimization through regional synergy.

The forum reached broad consensus in four key areas:

       ● Mechanism Building – Continuously improve platform mechanisms to ensure sustained support for regional cooperation;

       ● Talent Cultivation – Deepening educational collaboration to nurture interdisciplinary forestry professionals with strong theoretical foundations, practical abilities, and international perspectives;

       ● Scientific Research Collaboration – Enhancing joint research to strengthen the region’s overall innovation capacity in forestry;

       ● Industry Integration – Promoting the integration of academia, research, and industry to boost forestry’s economic, ecological, and social benefits.

APFNet expressed its commitment to taking the forum as a new starting point for deepening collaboration, providing robust talent and technological support for sustainable forestry in the GMS. SWFU reaffirmed its dedication to working closely with regional universities and international organizations under the principle of “extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits” to advance coordinated educational development, scientific cooperation, and mutually beneficial industrial partnerships.

The inaugural Presidents’ Forum of Forestry Universities and Institutes in the Greater Mekong Subregion was held in September 2023. Over the past two years, participating parties have signed a number of cooperation memorandums, established the Steering Committee of the Forum of University Presidents, and promoted the implementation of multiple practical cooperation projects, laying a solid foundation for the coordination of regional forestry science and education and joint talent cultivation. Notable achievements include the successful organization of two summer camps in China for undergraduate forestry students from GMS economies, specialized tea industry training programs delivered in Laos and Thailand, and a scholarship program that has supported 12 students pursuing master’s degrees at Southwest Forestry University.