The FORWARDS Project announces a new call for grants to enhance citizen and stakeholder engagement in climate-smart forestry (CSF) and forest restoration.
FORWARDS is a 5-year EU-funded project that aims to transform forest management practices by introducing the ForestWard Observatory, a pan-European monitoring and evaluation system designed to assess the impact of climate change on forests. The project seeks to engage citizens and stakeholders in co-creating solutions that will enhance the resilience of European forests in the face of climate challenges.
The new grant call invites proposals that contribute to one or more of the following objectives:
- Increase awareness and provide knowledge on the need for CSF.
- Assess the potential social impacts of CSF.
- Develop structures and processes to include perspectives and aspirations of citizens and stakeholders in management strategies.
Examples of supported activities include educational campaigns, stakeholder surveys, multi-stakeholder dialogues, and capacity-building efforts.
During project implementation, beneficiaries are welcome to engage in dialogue with the FORWARDS project on engagement activity methods and participate in knowledge exchange opportunities. Selected grant projects may be featured as case studies in FORWARDS reports to share best practices and lessons learned.
Interested applicants are invited to submit their proposals following the guidelines outlined in the grants section of the FORWARDS project website: https://forwards-project.eu/call-for-grants/.
The deadline for submissions is 1 September 2024.
For more information check out the FORWARDS project website or contact forwards@efi.int.