Every year on 03rd of March, the world is celebrating the Wildlife Day. For the specific 2021 edition, the focus is put on the theme of “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet” to highlight the central role of forests, forest species and ecosystem services in sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people globally. These topics are also at the crossroads of the multiple planetary crises we currently face, from climate change, to biodiversity loss and the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boosting collaborations between researchers can contribute to tackle this issue at multiple levels. Within the COST Programme, many COST Actions have been very active within this context by addressing topics such as: forest management models; sustaining fauna and flora ecosystems and biodiversity, but also promoting knowledge to establishing a more sustainable relationship with natural systems.
A COST-funded network has deepened knowledge about mixed forests that could feed into efforts to counter the effects of global warming while protecting biodiversity and valuable natural resources. This COST Action “European mixed forests – integrating scientific knowledge in sustainable forest management” fostered collaboration between 153 researchers, forest managers and companies from 42 countries between 2013 and 2017 and has resulted in published research, an ongoing EU-funded ERA-NET project about mixed forest resilience and helped improve a forest management app. More info: Growing insight into the future of mixed forests (cost.eu)
Another COST Action, “Innovative management and multifunctional utilization of traditional coppice forests”, focused on coppice forestry, a very traditional way of forest management benefitting from the natural regeneration of mostly broadleaf species and supporting the livelihood of the rural population. The Action has gathered European scientists, experts and young scholars to exchange knowledge about coppice forestry and to start developing innovative management and utilization concepts/techniques for future modern multifunctional coppice management systems.
Did you know that environmental contaminants impose multi-billion costs on human and wildlife health? In this area, COST Action “European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility” seeks to reduce these costs and improve effectiveness evaluation, risk assessment and early warning in relation to regulation of priority substances, plant protection products, biocides, veterinary products and heavy metals.
On 5 June 2018, COST organised the COST Connect event on “Striving for new horizons in climate change and forest systems”. The event brought researchers from 18 COST Actions together with policy makers and representatives from the climate and forest-based sector, to promote greater collaboration within research activities. The event aimed to create synergies with activities funded through other EU programmes and fight against the dispersion of resources and fragmentation of research activities.
COST Connect Group Image, Brussels 05 June 2018
Climate changes and related extreme events increasingly affect forests and their associated ecological, sociological and economic systems requiring pro-active adaptation measures for maintaining their sustainability. In recognition of their importance, forests and wood chains have been included in the international climate regime following the Paris agreement.
Discover more COST Actions active in this area
- Payments for Ecosystem Services
- Natural Flood Retention on Private Land
- Linking belowground biodiversity and ecosystem function in European forests (BioLink)
- Green Infrastructure approach: linking environmental with social aspects in studying and managing urban forests
- Pine pitch canker – strategies for management of Gibberella Circinata in greenhouses and forests (PINESTRENGTH)
- Non-native tree species for european forests – experiences, risks and opportunities (NNEXT)
- A global network of nurseries as early warning system against alien tree pests (Global Warning)
- European non-wood forest products network (NWFPs)
- Forest LAnd Ownership Changes in Europe: Significance for Management And Policy (FACESMA)
- Towards robust projections of European forests under climate change (PROFOUND)