INTERREG SUDOE: SOCIAL FOREST
Promoting climate change adaptation, disaster risk prevention, and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches
The objective of SocialForest is to contribute to climate adaptation in Spain (Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Murcia), France (Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine), and Portugal (Alentejo) by developing an integrated forest management strategy that enhances climate resilience while improving the socio-economic development of rural areas.
The feasibility of the selected measures will be planned and demonstrated through the development of seven pilot actions, including two in the Murcia region. The pilot actions will address both the biophysical and social risks of the territories and will be designed within a framework of transnational cooperation. They will be implemented using a combination of advanced methodologies, such as remote sensing, the CAFÉ decision-support software (for quantifying forest ecosystem services), reflectometry sensors, and strategies to reconnect absentee landowners with their forest heritage.
The project will start in January 2024 and will run for three years (until December 2026). The budget amounts to €1.8 million, with 75% co-financing from the ERDF (€1.4 million).
It consists of an international consortium of nine partners:
- CARM Medio Ambiente, Universidades, Investigación y Mar Menor : Dirección General de Patrimonio Natural y Acción Climática, Spain (coordinator)
- Direction générale de l'environnement naturel et de la biodiversité de la Junta de Castilla la Mancha, Spain
- Association forestière de Soria, ASFOSO, Spain
- Université polytechnique de Valence (groupe ReForest), Spain
- Laboratoire de géosciences environnement de l'Université de Toulouse UT3-GET, France
- Centre de recherche INRAE Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Bordeaux, France
- Groupe de compétitivité de la filière forêt-bois Xylofutur, France
- Association pour l'étude et la défense du patrimoine naturel et culturel de Mértola ADPM, Portugal
- Entreprise publique pour le développement de l'Alentejo EDIA, Portugal
- Alliance Forêts Bois ALLIANCE, the first forest cooperative in France,
- Sous-direction générale de la politique forestière et de la lutte contre la désertification de MITECO, Spain
- Communauté intercommunale du Baixo Alentejo CIMBAL, Portugal
- Municipalité de Barrancos, Portugal
This project is co-financed at 75% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg SUDOE Programme (2021–2027). The SUDOE Programme supports regional development in south-western Europe by funding transnational projects through the ERDF. It promotes transnational cooperation to address common issues across the regions it covers, such as underinvestment in research and development, low competitiveness of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), and exposure to climate change and environmental risks.
