The eco2adapt consortium has co-constructed the project idea through discussions with stakeholders, NGOs, foresters and landowners. Together we have analysed which bottlenecks render European and Chinese forests socially and ecologically ill-equipped to cope with climate change. Reasons range from inappropriate species choice and planting in unsuitable soils and climates, ill-suited management actions, poor resistance to abiotic and biotic hazards, species invasions, market and political forcing. Also, landowners and foresters are unwilling to invest in plantations in climate hotspots, because of a lack of appropriate insurance premiums if the forest is damaged through storms, fire, drought, insect and pathogen attack.

Therefore, we propose a portfolio of adapted management solutions and innovative bioeconomic and governance business models, including insurance, governance and certification, for stakeholders to interact differently with a multifunctional social-ecological forest system at a regional scale. We will also provide a suite of cutting-edge tools to monitor forest vulnerability and resilience (such as invasive species and biodiversity) for use by diverse societal groups, from the citizen to the policy-maker. By including tailored communication to all levels of society, we will reach out to a broad audience with the capacity to cause positive change.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in eco2adapt

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is a Nature-Based Solution (NBS) that harnesses biodiversity and ecosystem services to reduce vulnerability and build social-ecological resilience to climate change . In the international climate policy arena, EbA can “offer cost-effective, proven and sustainable solutions contributing to, and complementing, national and regional adaptation strategies. ” But for successful EbA to take place, the understanding of societal perception and incentives is paramount, before capacity-building can occur. At the regional level, a mosaic of public and private landowners perceive the forest and its management differently. Conflicts of interest must be understood, before comprehending how the system works and suggesting adaptation solutions. We will devise a novel Decision Theatre41 framework to understand what drives stakeholders in their decision-making. The framework is used to develop forest management guidelines and policies to incentivize stakeholders to make decisions whereby a holistic view of the social-ecological forest system is considered, and EbA options are chosen considering common ecological and economic gains. Going beyond current NBS approaches, eco2adapt will integrate EbA with changemaking business and governance models to create robust solutions (accessible through the Oppla portal, the EU repository for NBS).