Hankkeen tiedot |  |
| Nimi | Creating Opportunities For Resilience, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Training in European Forestry |
| Aloituspäivä | 1.1.2026 |
| Lopetuspäivä | 31.12.2028 |
| www-sivut | - |
| Tila | Käynnissä |
| Yhteyshenkilö | Jade Kanerva |
| Kuvaus | Three key objectives:
1. Strengthening forestry stakeholder connections by co-creating solutions to address current educational needs and anticipating future knowledge gaps. 2. Developing and implementing challenge-driven and place-based training programs that integrate digital tools and sustainable entrepreneurship. 3. Expanding access, inclusivity, and scaling impact to ensure long-term sustainability and broad adoption of training initiatives in the face of climatic change. |
| Kehittämistarve | Forests are among Europe’s most valuable natural assets, covering over 40% of the EU’s land area and playing a vital role in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and rural economies. They provide essential ecosystem services, including water cycle regulation, soil protection, and air purification, while serving as key contributors to the bioeconomy by supplying sustainable raw materials. Recognizing their significance, the EU has implemented policies such as the European Green Deal and the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, which set ambitious targets for forest conservation, restoration, and sustainable management. The Nature Restoration Law, officially adopted in 2024, is the first EU-wide legislation aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems, with a focus on forests, wetlands, peatlands, and biodiversity-rich areas.
Despite these policy advancements, climate change, wildfires, pests, and socio-economic pressures are placing unprecedented stress on Europe’s forests, threatening their resilience and long-term sustainability. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and unpredictable weather patterns are weakening forest ecosystems, increasing their susceptibility to pests, diseases, and fire outbreaks. Achieving sustainable forest management and ensuring that forests continue to provide environmental, social, and economic benefits is impossible without a well-trained and informed workforce, along with the active involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Forestry education is increasingly recognized as a key factor in addressing deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change adaptation, and rural development. Over the past decade, global discussions on forestry education have raised concerns about outdated curricula, declining student enrolment, and a growing disconnect between education and workforce demands. More specifically, there is a growing realization that forestry education must evolve to meet the sector’s changing needs. The project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. |
| Toimenpiteet | ?The CO-FOREST project tackles critical challenges in forestry education by developing innovative, inclusive, and challenge-driven training content and courses. These programs equip forestry professionals, students, and stakeholders with the necessary skills to address climate resilience, wildfire prevention, pest and disease management, digital transformation, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the forestry sector.?
The project adopts a Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Place-Based Innovation (PBI) approach, ensuring that training programs are practical, innovation-driven, and directly linked to real-world climate and environmental challenges. While tailored to local forestry contexts, CO-FOREST’s outcomes have European and global relevance, contributing to sustainability and resilience across borders.? |
| Tulokset | Training programs and content to tackle challenges mitigating the impact of climate change, storing carbon effectively and significantly reducing forest fire and parasitic risks in biodiverse ecosystems in European forests. |
| Kumppanit | Project partners:
Savonia UAS (FI) (lead partner) Estonian Business School (EE) Estonian Forest Certification Council (EE) Lithuanian College of Engineering (LT) Lithuanian Land-Forest Association (LT) Lithuanian Forest and Landowners’ Centre (LT) University of Foresty (BG) Regional center for vocational education and training to CCI-Blagoevgrad (BG) Democritus University of Thrace (GR) CAIUS EE (GR) International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ES) Learning Planet Institution (FR) Associated partners: Harvestia (FI) Lithuanian Forest and Landowners’ Centre (LT) Southwestern State Forestry Enterprise (BG) Key stakeholders: 1.HEIs, VETs and Research Institutions in Forestry 2.Forestry and environmental Professionals & Enterprises 3.Landowners and Land Managers & Associations 4.Policy Makers and Government Agencies 5.Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Groups 6.General Public |
| Rahoittaja | Erasmus+ 2021-2027 |