SocialForest

The objective of SocialForest is to contribute to climate adaptation in Spain (Castilla La-Mancha, Castilla y León, Region of Murcia), France (Occitania and New Aquitaine) and Portugal (Alentejo) by developing an integral forest management strategy, which increases the resilience against climate change and at the same time enhance the socioeconomic development of rural areas. The viability of the selected measures will be planned and demonstrated through the development of 7 pilot actions, 2 of them in the Region of Murcia. The pilot actions will address both biophysical and social risks of the territory and will be designed thanks to transnational cooperation. They will be implemented through the combined use of cutting-edge methodologies such as remote sensing, the decision-making support software CAFE (based on ecosystem services), reflectometry sensors and strategies for reconnecting exiled owners with their forest heritage.

It is formed by an international consortium of 9 partners: the the General Directorate for Natural Heritage and Climate Action (DGPN-CARM, coordinator), the General Directorate of Natural Environment and Biodiversity of the Government of Castilla la Mancha, the Forestry Association of Soria (ASFOSO), the Polytechnic University of Valencia ( ReForest group), the Geosciences laboratory of the University of Toulouse (UPS-GET, France), the INRAE Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Bordeaux Research Center (France), the forestry-cluster Xylofutur (France); the Association for the Study and Defense of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Mértola (ADPM, Portugal) and the public development company of Alentejo (EDIA).