Our survival and well-being depend on healthy, thriving ecosystems. We couldn’t exist without their provisioning of clean air, fresh water and healthy soil, making our human lives deeply entangled with the cycles of the natural world. Considering that 75% of land and 66% of oceans are already severely altered by human activity (IPBES, 2019), the need to preserve and restore biodiversity has become ever more pressing. Forest ecosystems in particular, are increasingly exposed to internal and external pressures, with wildfires, windstorms, bark beetle calamities, fragmentation, and intensive plantations massively impacting our forests.

SUPERB was launched in 2021 to initiate transformative change towards large-scale restoration of forest ecosystems across Europe. With a mission to create an environment conducive to the restoration and adaptation of European forests at different scales, the project directly responds to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s rallying call for “the protection and revival of diverse ecosystems”. Funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, SUPERB was hence intended “to support the European Commission in fulfilling the Green Deal goals”, says SUPERB coordinator Elisabeth Schatzdorfer.

SUPERB ultimately stands for “systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration for forest-related biodiversity and ecosystem services”. To research and develop best practices surrounding restoration efforts, the project uniquely combines existing practical knowledge with scientific research in diverse disciplines, including forest ecology, forest management, forest monitoring, economics, soil sciences and stakeholder analysis. As pressures and challenges facing European forests are diverse, the project is dedicated to showcase multiple solutions and responses to current and future climatic impacts and disturbances. To support this complex endeavor, SUPERB  has launched concrete restoration activities in 12 different pilot demonstration sites across 12 European countries.

Launched for four years, the project also aims to foster synergies and collaboration between diverse stakeholders, bringing together a consortium of 37 scientific partners and practitioners from across Europe. Led by the European Forest Institute (EFI), SUPERB is also supported by 90 regional and international associate partners, all closely involved in the management and protection of European forest landscapes (ministries of agriculture and nature conservation, government agencies from over 20 European countries, landowner associations, certifiers, donors, NGOs, etc.).

Next to illustrating and putting into practice various restoration strategies, SUPERB is committed to developing practical guidelines, recommendations and support tools for various stakeholders. Such data will be made accessible through the launch of a new online platform named Forest Ecosystem Restoration Gateway. Through this multi-language platform, the project will provide practical, economic and governance supporting materials, easy learnings and good practice examples for high-quality restoration. Additionally, an online marketplace will connect donors with new restoration projects and actions.

Curious to know more about how to support the management and futureproofing of Europe’s magnificent forests? Then head to SUPERB’s website and watch this short documentary about the project, first featured at the IUFRO 2024 conference in Sweden.

This article is in collaboration with the European Forest Institute.