BIOCONSENT
Decision-making Support for Forest Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Policy and Management in Europe: Trade-offs and Synergies at the Forest-Biodiversity-Climate-Water Nexus
Despite ambitious global and EU policy targets, biodiversity is under increasing threat. Biodiversity decline and degradation of ecosystems continue at an alarming rate, especially in forests that harbour 80 percent of terrestrial biodiversity worldwide. Only 0,7 percent of forests in Europe are in a primary condition; many primary and old growth forests lack effective protection and the majority of forest habitat and species in protected (Natura 2000) as well as managed forests are in a non-favourable conservation status. Enhanced conservation and restoration of forest habitats, species and functions are essential for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services.
Duration: 01/03/2022 – 31/03/2025
Total Grant: € 1,246,023
CONSORTIUM
The consortium consists of the following partners:
➔ Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Germany (ALU)
➔ Lulea University of Technology, Sweden (LTU-SE)
➔ Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, Spain (CTFC)
➔ European Forest Insitute, International - bioeconomy program (EFI-Finland)
➔ European Forest Insitute, Bonn- resilience program (EFI-Germany)
➔ International Institue for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria (IIASA)
➔ University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria (LTU-BG)
RECENT NEWS
BIOCONSENT FINAL CONFERENCE
From Science to Policy and Practice: Joint BIOCONSENT & LEARNFORCLIMATE Final Conference in Bonn, 23 September 2025
On September 23, 2025, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across Europe and beyond gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the Science to Policy and Practice Conference on Forest Biodiversity Restoration and Climate Change Related Forest Disturbances.
Jointly organized by the BIOCONSENT (BIODIVERSA EraNet) and LEARNFORCLIMATE (ForestValue Era Net) projects, the hybrid event brought together around 90 participants — on site and online — from a wide range of actor groups: European and national policymakers, forest owners, environmental NGOs, certifiers, and scientists from social and natural sciences.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
December 2025
Announcement of the final conference in Bonn on September 23, 2025
Check out a new scientific publication from the BIOCONSENT and LCF projects on national regulatory policy responses to climate change-related forest disturbances recently published in Forest Policy & Economics here.
More scientific reports and publicaitons will come up soon. So, stay on alert!
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Decision-making Support for Forest Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Policy and Management in Europe: Trade-offs and Synergies at the Forest-Biodiversity-Climate-Water Nexus
On this website you can find detailed information on the BIOCONSENT project. Here an overview:
➔ Our topics and desired policy impact
Biodiversa+
BIOCONSENT is supported by Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership, jointly developed by BiodivERsA and the European Commission as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 to support excellent biodiversity research with societal and policy implications.
LEARN FOR CLIMATE
The LEARNFORCLIMATE Social Learning Platform serves to facilitate online exchange between academic (natural and social scientists) and non-academic actors (forestry, climate and biodiversity stakeholders) about climate change adaptation and mitigation in European forests.
Similar to physical workshop rooms, participants can enter online rooms in the Learning Platform to attend live video calls, access texts, images, maps and audio-visual materials, fill out surveys and engage in collaborative discussions.
During and beyond the project life time, the platform will also contribute to documenting and sharing research findings and stakeholders’ experience and knowledge.
The LEARNFORCLIMATE Social Learning Platform is hosted by the University of Freiburg, Germany with the open source e-learning management system ILIAS. It can be accessed for free with prior registration.