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.