Forest restoration in practice – lessons learned from 12 demo sites

Gesche Schifferdecker on January 23, 2026

SUBERB demo sites

Restoring forests is as much a social, institutional, and economic endeavor as it is an ecological one. Across regions, landscapes, and governance contexts, restoration initiatives have generated a wealth of experience – what worked, what didn’t, and what must change to achieve lasting impact. This Lessons Learned booklet brings together insights from our 12 large-scale restoration sites, grounded in real-world practice rather than theory alone.

The lessons presented here are not prescriptive recipes. Instead, they highlight recurring patterns, critical success factors, and persistent bottlenecks encountered in forest restoration efforts. Together, they underline a central truth: successful restoration is a long-term process that depends on people, policies, and institutions working in concert with ecological systems.

By distilling these lessons, the booklet aims to support practitioners, decision-makers, and funders in designing restoration efforts that are durable, scalable, and context-sensitive – moving from isolated projects toward sustained landscape transformation.

Key Messages

  1. Forest restoration is a long-term commitment.
    Restoration cannot be achieved through one-off interventions; it requires sustained engagement, adaptive management, and long-term vision.
  2. Disturbance can be a catalyst for change.
    Catastrophic natural events – particularly in single-species monocultures – often expose structural vulnerabilities and can trigger more ambitious and transformative restoration efforts.
  3. Local communities are central to success.
    Communities are not only beneficiaries but essential partners in restoration. Meaningful involvement must begin early and be supported through continuous, trust-building processes.
  4. Finance and institutions matter – but gaps remain.
    Stable public funding and institutional support are fundamental. At present, voluntary private finance mechanisms fall short of delivering the scale and reliability needed for restoration.
  5. Demonstration sites accelerate learning.
    Practical demonstrations provide tested and transferable models, showing how restoration can work across diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts.
  6. Restoration costs are highly variable.
    Costs depend on landscape conditions, the intensity and complexity of measures, spatial fragmentation, and opportunity costs for land users.
  7. Scaling up requires policy alignment.
    Successful upscaling depends on aligning local practices and needs with broader policy frameworks and regulatory environments.
  8. Knowledge infrastructures ensure lasting impact.
    Systems for consolidating and sharing knowledge are essential to move beyond individual projects and to support institutions responsible for national restoration planning.

New SUPERB policy brief: forest restoration as a pillar of Europe’s climate and biodiversity action

Gesche Schifferdecker on December 17, 2025

SUBERB demo areas

Our newly released policy brief brings together scientific knowledge and hands-on experience from our 12 large-scale forest restoration initiatives across Europe, offering timely and practical guidance for policymakers, forest managers, and other key stakeholders.

The brief underlines that restoring forests is not a single action, but a long-term, multi-phase process. Effective restoration typically moves from assessing initial conditions and drivers of degradation, through planning and implementation, to long-term maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation. Success depends on flexibility, adaptive management, and strong engagement with multiple stakeholders, including forest owners, local communities, policymakers, and practitioners.

In the face of climate change, increasing disturbances, and shifting socio-economic demands, our policy brief stresses the need for future-oriented restoration targets. These should focus not only on biodiversity, but also on the ecosystem services forests provide – such as carbon storage, water regulation, and recreation – and the ecological processes that sustain them. Because the benefits of restoration often become visible only after decades, our brief highlights the critical importance of sustained funding for monitoring and adaptive management.

Drawing on insights from our 12 large-scale forest restoration demonstration areas across Europe, our experts identified shared challenges despite the diversity of forest types, ownership structures, and management traditions. Key issues include high ungulate browsing pressure that damages young trees and increases restoration costs, difficulties in engaging private forest owners – who manage around 60% of Europe’s forests – and constraints related to forest reproductive materials, such as shortages of climate-adapted seeds and seedlings.

To address these challenges, the brief puts forward clear and actionable recommendations. These include increasing flexibility in restoration objectives and timelines, adapting hunting and forest reproductive materials legislation, and strengthening monitoring of browsing impacts. Further recommendations suggest improving dialogue among forest managers, hunters, and communities, and supporting nurseries through long-term planning and investment. Our experts also call for contingency planning to cope with natural disturbances and for the strategic use of pioneer and climate-adapted species to build resilient mixed forests.

By translating lessons learned from real-world restoration efforts into policy-relevant recommendations, this policy brief provides a valuable roadmap for scaling up forest restoration across Europe. At a time when resilient forests are more important than ever, it offers concrete guidance to help turn ambitious restoration commitments into lasting outcomes.

Reference: Filipek, S., Jacobs, S., Nabuurs, GJ., Barnkob Lehrmann, M., Bílek, L., Campana, F., Cotten, L., de Dios, J., de Graaf, M., de Guerry, B., Đodan, M., Galić, Z., Gallego, R., García, R., Gómez Fernández, M., Granberg, Å., Hoch, T., Jactel, H., Janzen, L., Lastra González, D., Lindner, M., Locatelli, T., Marušák, R., Mijatović, L., Nicoll, B., Oleagordia, Í., Olsen, H., Orazio, C., Olrik, D. C., Raats, L., Saini, M., Schmidt, C., Svoboda, M., Svensson, J., Tognetti, R., Vacchiano, G., Zorić, M., Zotta, M., Schatzdorfer, E. (2025): Common challenges in implementing forest restoration: Experiences from 12 large-scale demonstration areas across Europe. Policy brief. https://doi.org/10.36333/rs15

What drives public support for forest restoration in Europe?

Daria Kononenko on September 17, 2025

New research from the SUPERB project, published in Ecosystems and People, compares public attitudes toward forest restoration in Sweden and Spain. The study highlights how social and cultural factors shape people’s support.

The results show contrasting patterns: in Sweden, older people are more supportive of restoration, while in Spain, younger generations show stronger backing. Longer travel times to forests reduce support, especially in Northern Sweden. Across both countries, positive views of forest benefits such as biodiversity, recreation, and risk reduction boost support, while seeing forests mainly as resources for exploitation lowers it.

These findings underline the need for restoration strategies that are tailored to local perceptions and values. For the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation to succeed, policies must go beyond ecology and engage people where they are, reflecting different regional priorities – from wildfire resilience in Mediterranean Spain to biodiversity protection in boreal Sweden.

Read the study here!

Full reference: Kazungu, M., Svensson, J., Erdozain, M., de-Dios-García, J., Granberg, Å., & Hunziker, M. (2025). Factors influencing public support for forest restoration in Europe: Evidence from Sweden and Spain. Forest Policy and Economics. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2025.2554695 

Photo: Best / Adobe Stock

Learning from the land and learning from each other

superbadmin on June 2, 2025

Group discussion in the forest

Restoration experiences across Europe: from regional Germany to Europe

Restoration Story by Gesche Schifferdecker

Once upon a time, the forests of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, were dominated by towering spruces. These fast-growing evergreens had been the region’s economic backbone for decades. But with the impacts of climate change, drought, and bark beetle infestations, about 60% of the spruce trees have vanished. Today, forestry experts support nature in writing a new story – one where beech, oak, and hornbeam are stepping into the spotlight.

That was the backdrop for a recent SUPERB workshop and excursion in NRW, where forest owners and managers, researchers, and policy experts from across Europe came together to share insights, challenges, and inspiration around upscaling forest restoration.

Rebuilding the forest: one tree at a time – and with a fence?

So how are forests in NRW bouncing back? About half of the affected areas have been reforested, either through planting or natural regeneration, we learned from our partners who are managing the NRW Demo Area. Private nurseries are the main source of seedlings, and forest owners receive subsidies depending on the type of forest they aim to develop. One of the quiet but persistent challenges of forest restoration is managing wildlife – particularly deer. In many parts of NRW and the rest of Europe, for example in Spain, high deer populations pose a serious threat to young trees, especially broadleaf species like oak and beech. Deer prefer tender shoots and bark for browsing and fraying, often stripping entire stands of newly planted saplings. To combat this, forest owners increasingly rely on fencing – but this is costly, labour-intensive, and not always feasible over large areas. The situation raises a bigger question in Europe: how should game populations be managed in landscapes undergoing ecological restoration? Balancing biodiversity goals with hunting traditions and wildlife protection requires careful dialogue and integrated game management strategies, the workshop participants emphasized. Without it, even the best restoration plans can be undone by hungry herbivores.

Protection of saplings (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)
Planted oak tree (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)

The challenge of restoring Natura 2000 areas

Looking at the NRW example, the group discussed that restoring forests within Natura 2000 areas presents a unique set of challenges. These protected zones are governed by strict conservation objectives, often focused on maintaining or restoring specific historic habitat types and species. At the same time, forests are dynamic, and as climate conditions shift, so do ecosystems. What grows well today may not survive tomorrow. This creates tension: how do we preserve a forest in its “official” state when nature itself is changing? Add to that the complexity of different interpretations of Natura 2000 regulations, and it becomes clear why many local implementers struggle. There’s also limited flexibility in adapting conservation plans to reflect new realities like drought, disease, or shifting species ranges – all of which are becoming more common in a warming world, the workshop participants agreed.

Learning from our neighbours

The workshop wasn’t just about NRW. Guests from Sweden, Spain, Serbia/Croatia, and other regions shared their stories, each with their own flavor:

  • Sweden is grappling with low biodiversity due to clear-cutting. So, when a rare bird – the white-backed woodpecker – was spotted, it sparked public interest and increased restoration action. Collaboration with indigenous Sámi communities and local municipalities shows that success often comes from working together.
  • Spain is planting chestnut trees to support both nature and rural communities, with a special focus on avoiding forest fires and supporting wildlife like the brown bear. Their secret for stakeholder engagement? Hosting workshops in the evenings or weekends, making it easier for people to join in.
  • Croatia and Serbia are working across borders to restore floodplain forests, aiming to replace degraded land with healthy oak woodlands. A strong partnership with policymakers and a high proportion of state-owned forests make their large-scale efforts possible.

Common ground and big questions

Throughout the event, a few big themes kept surfacing. Upscaling restoration is usually more complex than most people realise People often need new knowledge, enough plant supplies, and support to manage herbivores like deer. There’s also the human side: tensions around land use, different interpretations of conservation rules, and the challenge of aligning different stakeholders’ values.

However, the workshop demonstrated that there are many initiatives across Europe that show how through collaboration and holistic thinking our forests can thrive. For instance, in the Danube region, a dedicated Forest Restoration Task Force is making waves, bringing together stakeholders from all five countries of the biosphere reserve as a collaborative platform for advancing river, forest, and grassland restoration, nature-based solutions, sustainable agriculture, ecological monitoring, and more. Danish lawmakers have reached an agreement to plant one billion trees and transform 10% of the nation’s farmland into forests and natural habitats over the next two decades. And in Ireland, the Native Woodland Conservation (NWC) Scheme supports the restoration, conservation and enhancement of existing native woodlands.

Wrapping up: roots of a shared vision

As the workshop drew to a close, participants reflected on three key lessons:
Learn from the land. Learn from each other. Communicate and collaborate!

People may hold different views, shaped by local context, culture, and experience. But most – the so-called “silent majority” – are open to forest restoration, especially when they see its long-term value. What matters is bringing everyone to the table, building trust, and showing what’s possible – one tree, one site, and one community at a time.

NRW is setting the stage with a plan to establish 50 demonstration sites across the region. That way, forest owners and citizens won’t have to travel far to see restoration in action – they’ll find it growing just around the corner.

Group picture (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)

Biodiversity Blending at Bangor

Shan Gao on May 22, 2025

Restoration Story by Anna Wood and Simon Creer

Identifying which insects live where in forests can help us study how biodiversity in forests changes. This is what our SUPERB team at Bangor University is working on.  Our partners from the SUPERB demo sites in Spain, France, Sweden, Czech Republic, Romania and Serbia collected over 1,600 arthropod samples over the last three spring/summer seasons and sent them to the Molecular Ecology and Evolution group at Bangor University in the UK. 

To find out which insects live in our demo sites, we need to capture and identify a representation of the insect community that live in an area of a forest. One method of doing this is using a Malaise trap (see picture above). It looks like a tent, and its function is to trap flying insects and direct them into a bottle of ethanol that preserves them. It is possible to identify some of the insects from their physical appearance, but many insects are difficult to identify just by looking at them, but they can be identified from the DNA present in their bodies. 

DNA Barcoding and Metabarcoding of “Insect Soup”

DNA barcoding takes advantage of the fact that many species have genes that are more similar within a species than between species. These variable regions, or ‘DNA barcode’ regions, are often sandwiched in between more conserved regions of the genome. Using molecular biology, we can use the conserved regions and amplify the barcode region using a technique called PCR (the polymerase chain reaction), from which we can generate a DNA sequence. This sequence can become a DNA barcode for each species, forming a global reference library of barcodes that can be used for species identification. DNA metabarcoding follows the same theory, but instead of using DNA from one individual or one sequence, it uses DNA from the whole communities of different species to generate millions of sequences.

The first step is to homogenise or blend the entire mixed insect sample into an “insect smoothie.” From this, it’s possible to extract DNA from all the different insects, which can be PCR’ed sample by sample and sequenced all together using high-throughput sequencing. When the sequences are compared to the DNA barcoding reference library, we can identify which insect species are found in our forests. Metabarcoding can be used for many different sample types, and in SUPERB, we are also using it to identify fungi, plants and microscopic animals’ species from soil samples collected in the same forests. 

Over the last 3 years we have blended over 1600 malaise insect samples, which involved washing over 3200 blender cups. The metabarcoding laboratory work for all the SUPERB project samples is now complete and currently being sequenced.

We will be analysing the insect metabarcoding data, along with soil metabarcoding and other datasets collected at the same forest sites, to explore the above and below ground biodiversity in Europe’s forests. We hope to have exciting data to share soon, and we’ll be take a well-earned break from making insect smoothies until next time!

Launch of “Seed4Forest”: New interactive tool supports smarter tree planting for forest restoration across Europe

Daria Kononenko on May 16, 2025

Choosing the right trees to plant is key to successful forest restoration – and now there’s a tool to make it easier.

At a recent SUPERB workshop in León, Spain, we launched “Seed4Forest”: a free, online, decision-making tool that helps users find suitable and productive tree species for any location in Europe. Debojyoti Chakraborty, Senior Scientist at the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), presented this innovative new tool and showed its diverse features in action.

With science-based guidance, “Seed4Forest” offers you to:

  • See which type of trees already grow well in your area now
  • Understand what type of tree species can thrive within an area’s future climate
  • Explore species combinations that can boost both resilience and biodiversity
  • Find recommended seed sources for your chosen tree species
  • Export your results as a PDF for easy reference and access anytime

“Seed4Forest” was developed within SUPERB project in collaboration with the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW). The tool was officially launched during SUPERB’s third interactive workshop in León, Spain, focused on forest restoration and revitalization in the region of Castilla y León. The event brought together regional and local actors – from government officials and foresters to local initiatives and civil society actors – to exchange knowledge and ideas on regional concers, including wildfire prevention, community engagement, eco-tourism, and biodiversity protection.

Try the tool here. You can also download the “Seed4Forest” flyer for a quick overview.

Photos: Rahel Könen

How Europe’s restoration projects are shaping national plans

Daria Kononenko on May 8, 2025

Across Europe, there are 71 restoration sites — from Ireland’s peatlands to Romania’s forests. Since 2021, SUPERB and its sister projects MERLIN, REST-COAST and WaterLANDS have been working on the ground to restore forests, wetlands, rivers, and coasts, all funded under the Green Deal. 

Now the projects’ findings are helping countries draft National Restoration Plans (NRPs) — a key requirement under the EU’s new Nature Restoration Regulation. 

To support this process, over 100 experts — scientists, policymakers, and local stakeholders — met at the European Commission on 10 March 2025. The meeting focused on what has worked in practice, where challenges remain, and how field-based experience can help Member States design effective NRPs. 

The report Supporting the Development of National Restoration Plans brings together what’s been learned so far — practical tools, examples, and ideas that can help shape national restoration plans, including from SUPERB’s side: 

  • A soon-to-launch Forest Knowledge Gateway with guides on tree selection, funding, and more. 
  • Case studies from SUPERB’s 12 demonstration sites. 
  • Policy maps showing where national laws align or clash with restoration goals. 

With draft NRPs due by September 2026, SUPERB’s work aims at helping national partners to implement these tools — from policy alignment frameworks to site-specific restoration strategies tested across its demonstration area network. 

Read on the full report here

Photo: Anat art / Adobe Stock

10 Things We Can All Learn from the Evolution of Forest Restoration Initiatives in Europe 

Shan Gao on December 19, 2024

By Maitane Erdozain Ibarra, CTFC & Rina Tsubaki, EFI.

Forest restoration is far more than a modern buzzword—its history runs deeper than most realize. Yet, despite decades of effort, the lack of proper documentation of successes and failures has prevented us from truly learning from the past.  

Today, the global push for forest restoration is stronger than at any point in history. Initiatives like the European Nature Restoration Law are sparking hope and action. Now, more than ever, we need to look back and reflect on how forest restoration efforts have evolved, what sparked change, and what lessons past and present initiatives can offer. That will empower us to make forest restoration efforts more effective, impactful, and grounded — both now and in the future. 

A Europe-wide Study to Explore Trends, Patterns and Drivers of Forest Restoration 

Led by Maitane Erdozain and Sergio de Miguel from the Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and the University of Lleida (UDL), we published a study that examined narratives from 32 forest restoration experts in 18 European countries to uncover the history of forest restoration in Europe. The study asked experts to delve into six key areas—social, economic, political, technical, environmental and legal— to understand different drivers that shaped forest restoration across Europe. 

The analysis revealed fascinating trends and patterns. Early restoration efforts in central and southern Europe often arose in response to crises like natural disasters and timber shortages. While these initiatives were effective for erosion control and timber production, they often relied on monocultures and short rotations, limiting ecological benefits. The geopolitical upheavals of the 20th century pushed timber production to the forefront, with centralized management that usually favored productivity over biodiversity. Since the 1990s, however, we have started to see a shift: restoration now strives to balance environmental, social, and economic goals, driven by a growing appreciation for the multifunctionality of forests. 

Lessons from Successes and Failures in the Past and Present 

So, what are the drivers that shaped the development of forest restoration in Europe that we can learn from both the past and present?  

Here are 10 lessons we learned: 

  1. Natural disasters as catalysts: Major natural disturbances (floods, shifting sands etc.) triggered early restoration efforts in many countries. Over the past decades, environmental crises (climatic, biodiversity, water etc.) have also influenced the type of restoration that is conducted. 
  1. Geopolitical turmoil forces change: Wars greatly contributed to forest degradation through direct destruction and overexploitation, but they also prompted large-scale afforestation campaigns to address timber shortages. These initiatives shaped today’s forests, showing how crises can simultaneously hinder and drive restoration progress. 
  1. Forest ownership and governance: Centralized forest governance often enabled large-scale restoration success, while fragmented ownership often slowed down restoration progress. Innovative governance mechanisms are needed to address the issue of fragmentation, where many small landowners hold land rights.
  1. Funding mechanisms: Lack of funding has been a longstanding obstacle, but there are examples of strong and stable funding mechanisms throughout history.  Although EU funding has been instrumental in shifting the types of restoration implemented, there is an urgent need for innovative funding sources (e.g., private) and mechanisms that are long-term and resilient to political and market fluctuations. 
  1. Market fluctuations: Shifts in demand for products like timber and fuelwood significantly shaped restoration strategies. Future efforts should integrate marketable benefits from different ecosystem services to sustain landowner engagement and secure lasting outcomes. 
  1. The role of sociodemographics and social values: Rural abandonment tends to reduce land-use conflicts but can lead to new challenges like unmanaged forests. Increasing environmental awareness and recreational demands from society have diversified restoration objectives. These findings underscore the need for active rural engagement and public education to balance priorities. 
  1. Policies as guiding forces: Strict yet balanced national policies that integrate ecological protection with socioeconomic benefits, alongside ambitious international policies and the creation of institutions specialized in restoration, have been pivotal in driving progress and inspiring coordinated restoration strategies. 
  1. Converging drivers accelerate change: Restoration succeeds when environmental, social, economic and political factors align. Historical examples show that isolated drivers rarely catalyze change; a multidimensional approach is essential to create transformative impacts. 
  1. Conflicts hinder progress: Competing objectives, such as agriculture versus forest land uses, or timber production versus conservation, remain major obstacles. Addressing conflicts—both among stakeholders and policies—requires a holistic landscape approach that simultaneously addresses many challenges that society faces. 
  1. Short-term fixes, long-term risks: Lastly, the historical accounts demonstrate that restoration efforts with a short-term vision often create future vulnerabilities. Long-term thinking that acknowledges the interconnectedness of our systems is crucial for successful forest restoration that benefits ecosystems and communities.  
Infographic by Shanqing Gao, EFI

Embracing the Past and Building a Better Future

From this study, we learned the importance of blending historical insights with contemporary strategies to guide more sustainable and impactful forest restoration. By learning from past successes and failures, policymakers and practitioners can avoid repeating mistakes and leverage effective solutions. We hope the lessons uncovered in this research will be crucial for implementing the new Nature Restoration Law to ensure its ambitions are translated into large-scale, real-world impact across Europe. 

Reference: Erdozain, M., Alberdi, I., Aszalos, R. et al. The Evolution of Forest Restoration in Europe: A Synthesis for a Step Forward Based on National Expert Knowledge. Curr. For. Rep. 11, 4 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/40725-024-00235-3

Read the full study here.

Webinar: Human dimensions of Forest Landscape Restoration

superbadmin on September 9, 2024

Restoration work in Spanish demo

What tools or approaches can forest restoration actors use to engage different stakeholders in the work? How can we deal divergent stakeholder perspectives in restoration on the ground? What can social science research contribute to successful restoration? What roles can IUFRO and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) play in bringing in the human dimension to Forest Landscape Restoration?

We will discuss these and other questions in our upcoming Forest Restoration Webinar on 11th September from 4pm-5:30pm CEST. Register here

Our speakers and panelists are:

  • Javier de Dios García – Forest Ecology Researcher at Foundation Cesefor, representative of SUPERB’s Spanish demo
  • Dr. Marlène Elias – Gender Lead at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
  • Dr. Michael Kleine – Deputy Executive Director of IUFRO
  • Dr. Stephanie Mansourian – consultant at Mansourian.org and deputy co-coordinator of the former IUFRO Task Force on Transforming Forest Landscapes for Future Climates and Human Wellbeing
  • Yulia Poskakukhina – General Consultant Prospex Institute, responsible for Stakeholder Engagement in SUPERB
  • Bethanie Walder – Executive Director of SER

Featured image: restoration work in SUPERB’s Spanish demo (photo: Sara Uzquiano)

Brown Bear Protection, Rural Development and Community Empowerment 

superbadmin on March 4, 2024

Stand for chestnut plantation

Success in El Bierzo: In an Ecological Restoration Stakeholder Workshop, stakeholders reached consensus on brown bear protection, rural development and community empowerment. The Carracedelo municipality hosted this meeting to show the options of ‘exporting’ the work carried to improve the habitat of the brown bear in El Bierzo to similar territories. 

On almost 140 hectares, reaching over six municipalities, in the region of El Bierzo (León, Spain), a series of actions will be carried to restore and improve the living conditions of the residents of the area. This refers both to the flora of the region and, in this particular case, also its fauna, paying special attention to one of the most emblematic species of the area, the brown bear. The next stage is to evaluate the upscaling options of the plan, which was studied in a participatory process with the main stakeholders in the region. 

Cesefor and the Junta de Castilla y León, the two entities that manage SUPERB’s demo area in Castilla y León in SUPERB, introduced the restoration plan and its upscaling options, as well as the SUPERB project, on February 6 in Carracedelo within the framework of a stakeholder workshop. 

About thirty people participated in this meeting, which was held at the facilities of Quality Products from El Bierzo. The purpose of the organisers was to ensure that all the socio-economic agents of the territory were represented, from civil society to professionals from the business world, forest management, education or tourism, among other fields. 

Rocío Gallego, SUPERB coordinator at Cesefor, presented some of the strengths of this project. ”Our demonstration areas encompass entire socio-ecological systems, protecting and restoring them, while taking into account people’s needs for ecosystem services and benefits.” She also emphasized that “our goal is to find best practices and gather practical and scientific knowledge on the success of forest restoration and aggregate it for implementation.” 

Stand for potential food provision of brown bear (photo: Cesefor)

Cesefor’s forestry officer Darío Arias, presented the restoration project in the pilot area, which was developed by Cesefor, the Territorial Environmental Service of León and the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forest Policy of the Junta de Castilla y León. This project, among other actions, has included the implementation of measures to improve the habitat of the brown bear by planting species suitable for feeding the bear, increasing the production of acorns and the creation of mixed forests. ”We will also carry out forestry activities to reduce forest fuel and decrease the risk of fires. Furthermore, we will promote chestnut plantations with the aim of revitalizing rural areas and their development and involving the local population in the management of these forests,” said Arias in his speech. 

Stand for future chestnut plantation (photo: Cesefor)

Javier de Dios, forest ecology officer at Cesefor and co-leader of the SUPERB work in Spain, introduced the proposal for the upscaling plan for all these actions (i.e. the ‘export’ of this model to other areas of similar properties). He did that based on a participatory process in which all the attendees were involved.  But before pointing out the most feasible scenario for the upscaling, covering the real and potential distribution area of the bear in Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos and Soria, Javier emphasized the main political, economic, social, legal and technical barriers that have to be faced. 

Widespread consensus on a broad range of topics of interest 

De Dios had a major role in participatory process in which all the attendees were involved. For the organisers of the workshop, this participatory process “has been very useful not only to know first-hand the opinion of those who live in and of these territories, but also to include their contributions in the upscaling plan (expansion of the Cantabrian brown bear habitat restoration project)”. 

Among the main conclusions of the meeting, both the imminent tender of the restoration project and the great participation of all the attendees have to be mentioned. The stakeholders highlighted the need to promote association, cooperation, land concentration and tax incentives for forest owners. They also required actions to disseminate forestry work and the problems associated with the presence of the bear for the rural and urban population. Finally, they emphasized the need for establishing suitable financial systems that cover long-term monitoring and maintenance after restoration actions. 

The necessity to involve the private sector in restoration and maintenance actions, potential payments for ecosystem services, streamlining procedures bear damage,  the need for a regulation in the Forestry Law and to link management plans to specific regulations (and not to guidelines) were other topics on which the attendees agreed. 

Before concluding, all attendees were again thanked for their participation, and they were invited to attend the third workshop, which will be held in May 2025 and will address the results of implementation of restoration activities in the SUPERB demonstration area in El Bierzo.