Higher Forestry Education Under the Auspices of the Bologna Process

The Bologna conference in 1999 initiated far-reaching changes to the system of higher education in Europe and started a process of a dimension not known hitherto. Also, in higher forestry education ,practically all study programs are coming due for fundamental revision, which have already been started some years ago in many places and are in different stages of realisation now. In addition to the structure of new study programs and the processes of introduction, many topics have to be discussed including: the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), work loads, activation of students, self-study, e-learning, PhD-programs, and new subjects like forest and health or gender issue. It is not surprising that the Bologna Process and its consequences are discussed at many conferences on forestry education, including at the annual meetings of the Silva Network. That meeting in Wageningen in 2005 conclude