Dr. Juan M. Pulhin was duly recognized for his Outstanding Contribution in Forestry Education in the Asia-Pacific Region in the recently concluded General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Education Coordination Mechanism (AP-FECM) held on 15-17 August 2023, in Kunming, People’s Republic of China. The award was given in connection with the development of two online courses under the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) that are now being implemented by Chinese universities, and the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Pulhin, current chairperson of UPLB-INREM and Professor at the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, has numerous other awards under his name including the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize together with other IPCC authors and former US Vice President Al Gore, and the Outstanding Extension Service Personnel in Social Sciences and Humanities for Senior Faculty during the 2023 CFNR Founding Anniversary.

The AP-FECM is an initiative of the APFNet that was formalized in 2011. The mechanism aims to become an avenue for the flow academic information among member institutions, foster innovation in forestry education and enhance the capacity of the network in sustainable forest management (Kyle Singson, University Research Associate I).