BACKGROUND OF THE EVENT

Forests cover approximately 38% of the EU’s land area and represent about 50% of the terrestrial Natura 2000 sites, underscoring their significance in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Forests provide ecosystem services essential for biodiversity, water regulation, climate mitigation, and the well-being of local communities. However, these ecosystems and many communities worldwide face increasing threats due to unsustainable land use, climate change, and forest degradation.

Due to their multifield importance, European forests play a critical role in achieving the objectives of numerous EU key policy frameworks, in several sectors of human life and activity. The LIFE Platform Meeting on Forest Restoration was designed and caried out to address major pressing challenges and explore innovative solutions for restoring European forests, while contributing to the implementation of key EU strategies such as:

• The EU Habitats Directive
• The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
• The EU Forest Strategy for 2030
• The Nature Restoration Law
• The LULUCF Regulation
• The Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation
• The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change

The LIFE Programme has been instrumental for decades in supporting conservation and restoration initiatives, showcasing best practices and solutions for sustaining Europe’s Forest landscapes. Accordingly, the LIFE Platform Meeting served as a platform to evaluate past and current experiences, inform ongoing policy developments, and propose pathways to strengthen the resilience of forest ecosystems considering socio-economic and environmental pressures.

Programme Highlights

The intense three-day event brought together over 90 participants from 17 EU Member States, the United Kingdom and Serbia, representing 38 LIFE projects as well as relevant Horizon and Interreg initiatives, forest experts, researchers, NGOs and national authorities. The meeting featured a dynamic
and participatory format, including:

• Plenary sessions throughout the first day with keynote inputs from the European Commission, EU forestry experts and leading LIFE and Horizon Europe projects.
• Four parallel Working Groups on the second day addressing:
  • Ecological restoration and natural regeneration,
  • Forests and climate change,
  • Silvo-pastoral systems and agroforestry,
  • Socio-economic opportunities and financing forest restoration.

  Each group ran four rotating discussion rounds, allowing participants to engage with over 30 projects and delve into specific thematic areas through numerous presentations and facilitated exchanges.

• Poster sessions and informal networking to facilitate knowledge sharing.
• Field excursions on the final day to activitieies carried out by two major LIFE projects:
  • LIFE Carpathia – a large-scale wilderness restoration initiative in the Southern Carpathians,
  • LIFE Rosalia – focusing on the conservation of saproxylic beetles in the Putna-Vrancea Natural Park.

Outcomes

Key outcomes included:

• Recognition of the urgency to upscale forest restoration across Europe
• Exchange of technical know-how and financial innovations for achieving biodiversity and climate goals
• Recommendations for policy support, including the integration of LIFE insights into the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and the EU Forest Strategy for 2030.

The successful event provided a strategic platform for reinforcing the role of LIFE projects in shaping future EU policy and funding instruments on forest restoration, sustainable use and conservation. It confirmed the importance of practical experience, co-creation, and cross-sector collaboration
in delivering on restoration commitments. Feedback from participants clearly highlighted the added value of this focused exchange and the need for continued dialogue between practitioners and policymakers.

Useful Links

• Final agenda (PDF)
• Read the LIFE News article – “Forests on the front line” (July 2025)