Kookmin University's Graduate School of Carbon Sink Characterization (Director Changbae Lee) and Korea Forestry Promotion Agency Paraguay (CEO Lee Seung-hak) announced on Monday, September 2, that they have signed an MOU to develop programs to train overseas forestry experts and strengthen each other's capabilities, and to conduct joint research on the carbon absorption and storage functions of overseas forests.

The main contents of the agreement include 1) developing a growth model and calculating the accumulation amount according to the age and species of planted trees, 2) developing a technique for estimating the biomass of trees using advanced technology, 3) quantifying the carbon absorption and storage function of forests, 4) developing and operating programs to strengthen students' capabilities in overseas forest sites, and 5) sharing expertise, human resources, data, and analysis results to strengthen joint capabilities.

“Scientific establishment, management, and use of forested areas in developing countries, which are major carbon sinks that can maximize carbon accumulation, are crucial to achieving national greenhouse gas reduction targets (NDCs) and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Professor Lee Chang-bae of Kookmin University. ‘Through this collaboration, we will foster global experts in the field of forest carbon and strengthen students’ scientific and technical capabilities.”

Meanwhile, the Graduate School of Carbon Sink Specialization, which provides systematic educational programs and trains master's, doctoral, and other professionals to respond to climate change and carbon neutrality using forests, has been designated as a national university since 2023 and has been successfully operating with the support of the Korea Forest Service.