A specialization in Management and Policy
The Dresden University of Technology delivers the Global Forestry specialization in Management and Policy, with an emphasis on actors and forest governance.
The specialization focuses on the influence of key actors and institutions on forest outcomes around the globe. It especially provides insights into the multi-level and multi-sector system governing forests internationally and nationally. It addresses types of actors and institutions in global and regional multilateralism, as well as at national, sub-national and local landscape scales. In terms of content, the specialization equips students with theoretical as well as practical knowledge of key institutions and actors in global forestry. This includes International Organisations, iNGOs, transnational organisations as well as the full set of public and private actors in national forest governance settings, including their interests and power capabilities of formal and informal nature.
The specialization further introduces the multi-level and multi-sector aspects of global forests, including claims from e.g. agribusiness, mining, logging, biodiversity protection, local and tribal groups, infrastructure, and investors at different scales. It enables students to identify resulting forest-related conflicts at multiple scales, the underlying interests of key actors, as well as to develop communication strategies and tools for addressing them with the different competing actors. Elective options provide the students with the opportunity to complement the specialization with their personal preferences.
Main aims
- Graduate individuals who have a thorough understanding of the mechanisms, instruments and institutions governing global forests at global, regional, national as well as sub-national landscape scales
- Graduate individuals who have a thorough understanding of the key actors engaged in the governance of forests around the globe, including their interests, capabilities to act, and resulting conflicts across multiple scales
- Develop students’ skills on forest multilateralism as well as cases from the Global South
- Develop students’ intellectual, practical, communication, ICT, interpersonal / teamwork, self-management and professional development skills, in an actor-centred manner and Global South or multilateral contexts
- Equip students for a career in the broad field of global forestry, especially in development cooperation, International Organizations, forest multilateralism and diplomacy and other professions requiring an ability to synthesise concepts and ideas and to take a holistic view on the conflictive interests of key actors at local, national, regional and global scales of forest governance.
Semester 3
Please note: The following modules are part of the new curriculum, applicable for the 2025 cohort onwards. More information.
- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Environmental sciences
Content
Contents of the module are in particular individual- or agent-based simulation models (ABM) to describe the variability, behaviour and interactions of autonomous agents, for example of plants, animals, humans and organisms in their respective environment as well as the adaptation to changing cond (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary
Content
Contents of the module are Theories and concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication, Communication as social behaviour, Conflicts as part of social systems, Conflict typologies and conflict diagnosis, conflict management (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary
Content
Contents of the module are – Journal Club based on a critical, methodically reflective, research- oriented attitude, – Critical reflection and discussion of current forest governance research and its methodology, – Analysis of selected international global and (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Environmental sciences
Content
The module covers the causes and effects of forest landscape degradation and the management measures available to rehabilitate and restore degraded forest landscapes. This includes case studies to illustrate their implementation, such as Payment for Ecosystem Services, protected area management, (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Other
Content
Contents of the module are – bi- and multilateral theories of international relations and their applications with reference to forests, – Theories and practice of international and rural development policies related to forests, – Theory and pra (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Environmental sciences
Content
The module covers methods for identifying problems in development cooperation in the context of sustainable use of forests and natural resources. Based on the problems identified, the module also covers concepts for planning development projects and the instruments used to implement and manage th (…) Read more- 5 ECTS
- Dresden
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary, Environmental sciences
Content
Contents of the module are – Philosophy of science, – Research designs in natural, technical, and social sciences, – Possibilities of generating and analysing data with literature analysis, – Adaptation and use of literature databases, – (…) Read moreSemester 4: thesis
- 30 ECTS
- Dresden, Fieldwork site(s)
- Year 2
- Semester 4
- Compulsory
- Environmental sciences
