Establishing Climate-Smart Forestry and forest restoration pilots in Europe with citizen and stakeholder engagement
Programme Category
Programme Name
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
FORWARDS is a Horizon Europe project that will prototype the ForestWard Observatory, a pan-European monitoring and evaluation tool that will help demonstrate the impact of climate change on forests and guide decision-making for practical forest management. Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) has been suggested as an approach to connect mitigation with adaptation measures, enhance the resilience of forest resources and ecosystem services, and meet the needs of society. Two important components of CSF are to (i) increase carbon storage in forests in conjunction with other ecosystem services, and to (ii) enhance health and resilience through adaptive forest management. CSF aims to have a mix of measures by developing spatially diverse forest management strategies that acknowledge all carbon pools simultaneously to provide longer-term and larger mitigation benefits, while supporting other ecosystem services.
Detailed Call Description
Climate change is also an important threat to European forest biodiversity. Despite ambitious policy targets at multiple policy levels, biodiversity is under increasing threat, and degradation of ecosystems continues at an alarming rate. In the EU, the majority of forest habitat and species in protected, as well as managed forests, are in a non-favourable conservation status. As a result, there is a need to restore degraded ecosystems across the EU, including forests, and particularly those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and prevent and reduce the impact of disturbances. To guide forest practitioners on effective CSF and restoration management practices, evidence is needed on how CSF and forest restoration affect forest functioning and can support climate change mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity in specific regional settings, including uncertainties.
Crucial to the successful implementation of CSF is the coordination with citizens and stakeholders. Engaging local communities is vital to ensure that diverse perspectives and local knowledge are justly incorporated into forest management strategies. Stakeholder engagement fosters social learning, where participants can exchange knowledge, build trust, and collaborate on sustainability solutions. It also reduces marginalization, enhances the capacity for action, and strengthens the adoption of sustainability initiatives. Through collaboration and shared decision-making, the effectiveness of adaptation measures is improved, ensuring that the needs and concerns of all stakeholders are addressed in forest management.
Applicants are advised to visit: https://efi.int/grants-training/grants/G-07-2025 regularly before the deadline for the submission of applications for any Q&A, and updates or modifications regarding this grant process.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The maximum grant value is €150.000.
It is expected that up to 5 projects will be funded under this call (max 3 lots).
Thematic Categories
- Environment and Climate Change
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Information Technology
- Natural and Cultural Heritage
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- Educational Institutions
- Large Enterprises
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- NGOs
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Semi-governmental organisations
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Applications can be submitted by one legal entity or a consortium of legal entities. Applicants must, meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for the grant:
- Applicant is a legal entity (legal person). If the application is submitted by a consortium (grouping of legal persons represented by a coordinator), this criterion applies to all the participants. This call is not open for applications from natural persons.
- Applicant eligible for funding under the European Union Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme. If the application is submitted by a consortium, this criterion applies to all the participants.
Furthermore, the following legal entities (legal persons) will NOT be eligible for funding:
- Beneficiary or associated partner of the FORWARDS project under the Grant Agreement No. 101084481
- Entities subject European Union restrictive measures
- Israeli entities due to activities in the territories occupied by Israel (European Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05)
- Public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity maintained by such a public interest trust (Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506)
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine
To ensure that all European regions are covered, proposals must choose one of the following three European regions (lots), which follow country groups defined by Forest Europe in its State of Europe’s Forests reports: 1. North Europe 2. Central Europe 3. South Europe.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
All applicants may contact to ask questions and clarify any points on general or technical procedures and call content by sending an email message to: forwards@efi.int.