We are delighted to announce Dr Lyndall Bull as the keynote speaker for the Forest Research Institute’s Research Showcase 2025. Dr Bull will present, 'The forest-based bioeconomy – An overview of global trends and local considerations.'
There is increasing recognition that the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy – for example, an economy based on sustainable and renewable biological resources, is an essential component of global decarbonization efforts. If managed appropriately with an underpinning of science, technology and innovation, the development of a sustainable bioeconomy has the capacity to increase the economic, social and environmental values of biologically based goods and services.
The potential of the bioeconomy has been recognised at various political levels, with specific bioeconomy strategies being implemented at global, regional and national levels.
Forests and the goods they provide are an essential part of a bioeconomy. By substituting for their fossil-based alternatives, including in construction, packaging and textiles, they have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, this growing recognition of the pivotal role of forests and forest products as part of a bioeconomy, is against a backdrop of already increasing demands on forests.
The FAO estimates that on a business-as-usual basis, the global demand for forest products will increase by 37 percent by 2050. This increase is expected to require around 33 million hectares of additional plantations. These demands are even greater if the bioeconomy drives further consumption of forest products.
This presentation will provide an understanding of the bioeconomy and the role that forests and forest products can play in its development. It will outline the increasing political interest in the concept and provide the latest understanding on potential supply and demand scenarios for forest products. It will conclude with some considerations for the Australian forest-based bioeconomy.
About Dr Bull
Dr Lyndall Bull is a globally recognised forest sector leader with specific expertise in the bioeconomy and innovation in the forest sector. Lyndall has worked in a senior capacity in the government, private and education sectors.
Lyndall is Principal of Lynea Advisory, a specialist consulting business serving the global forest sector. She is also the Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Forest-Economy and Co-Lead for the IUFRO Task Force on Scaling-Up Science-based Forest-Sector Innovation. Until recently, she was the Forestry Innovation Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. She has a PhD in innovation in the forest sector from the University of Melbourne.
In her own words:
“The forest-based bioeconomy offers significant opportunities for national and global decarbonization efforts however its sustainable development must balance the interrelated objectives of social well-being, economic development, and environmental values. To ensure the forest-based bioeconomy can deliver long-term and sustainable benefits and outcomes, investment in science, technology and innovation is essential.
"That is why I am so excited to be contributing to the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Forest Research Institute's 2025 Showcase. I look forward to discussing and exploring the opportunities – and challenges – that the sustainable forest-based bioeconomy offers both Australia and the world.”
