Reaching net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is key to limit global warming to 1.5 °C and achieve the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Mitigation approaches such as renewable energy sources, improved energy efficiency and forest preservation, need to be combined with active carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (CDR). Low-cost nature-based solutions need to be identified, assessed and promoted on a large scale for both CO2 sequestration and biodiversity conservation. WILDCARD will, for the first time in Europe, assess the overall potential impact of natural rewilding of abandoned agricultural land and proforestation on carbon sequestration and biodiversity at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Combining field observations, remote sensing, and vegetation modelling with economic, societal and political analyses, WILDCARD will inform national and European policy makers on the contribution potential of nature-based solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The project will investigate the regulatory, cultural and economic barriers to natural rewilding and proforestation, and identify which social innovation mechanisms, models and incentives can better support our CDR approach. WILDCARD will use a dedicated cross-scale analysis, linking site-based in-depth knowledge on rewilding impacts and socio-economic consequences to a European-scale assessment, embedded in the current EU policy context and informed by global scenarios from IAMs and ESMs. The final project’s aim is to offer concrete and realistic policy options aimed at enhanced uptake of rewilding as a significant solution to achieve global climate objectives.

The objective of InnoForESt is to spark a transformation of the European forest sector by stimulating innovations for the sustainable supply and financing of forest ecosystem services. The project will support the governance of viable innovations and a multi-actor network by building on pioneer policy tools and business models, by establishing new alliances, and by involving key stakeholders from forest and forest-related policy, administration and business. InnoForESt will establish six real world pilots that represent a range of successful coordination approaches and business models. The project will facilitate the transfer and up-scaling of existing niche models identified and the development of new innovations, to demonstrate the feasibility of alternative income streams from a diverse set forest ecosystem services. The case study regions represent a variety of biophysical conditions and institutional settings across Europe. The core elements of InnoForESt are: (i) multi-actor networks, (ii) digital and physical innovation platforms, (iii) facilitated innovation processes for business and policy making, (iv) information generation and support for future national and EU forest policy making. Within the networks, stakeholders will exchange ideas, knowledge and practices. InnoForESt has already engaged a broad set of practice partners to establish the core of the networks. The innovation platforms will function as hubs and as spaces for exchange and learning. The project will scale up the results to the European level, making use of the thorough understanding of Europe’s social-ecological landscape as well as sustainability impacts of different governance mechanisms. The lessons will feed into a roadmap for the provision of forest ecosystem service bundles and a broad range of dissemination and communication activities. Ultimately, this will lead to better policy coordination, the well-being of EU citizens and the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems.