The role of forests in addressing climate and biodiversity challenges in a sustainable bioeconomy

This is the shared objective of three Horizon Europe projects – ForestNavigator, ForestPaths, and PathFinder. Together, the projects cover key thematic areas, including advanced forest monitoring, sustainable forest management, and the development of tools to support the bioeconomy. They are also collaborating on cross-cutting issues such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and stakeholder engagement. Through joint webinars, workshops and public outreach – such as the ForestTalks webinar series – they aim to maximize their impact and foster wider collaboration across the forest and policy communities.

In a joint effort to illustrate their complementary efforts, the project partners also just released an infographic providing a clear and accessible overview of how the three projects are working together to design robust, data-driven policy pathways that optimize the contributions of forests to climate neutrality, biodiversity conservation, and the bioeconomy. Each project brings a distinct focus, yet they align through a shared commitment to stakeholder engagement, scientific excellence, and practical policy impact.

IIASA is the coordinator of the ForestNavigator project, which zooms in on using high-resolution EU and national modeling data – including near real-time inputs – to develop and evaluate policy pathways that balance climate, biodiversity and bioeconomic objectives. One of its key outputs is the ForestNavigator Policy Modelling Toolbox, which will offer data and models to both EU-level and national policymakers through a user-friendly portal.

ForestPaths takes a co-design approach, working closely with stakeholders to explore how forests and the forest-based sector can contribute to climate and biodiversity goals. It develops and evaluates policy pathways using next-generation models and tools, with its results set to become available through CANOPY, an open-access support platform designed for European policymakers.

PathFinder is focused on developing a prototype of a European Forest Monitoring System. This involves integrating remote sensing and field data for high-resolution mapping, estimation and forecasting of forest dynamics. Alongside building a platform for data analysis and visualization, the project also addresses governance needs to ensure that the system can be successfully and sustainably implemented across Europe.

As the projects move into the next phase of their work in 2025 and beyond, this spirit of cooperation will remain central. The infographic serves as both an informative resource and a symbol of this ongoing synergy. Stakeholders and the general public are invited to follow the latest developments through the joint Linktree hub and the projects’ websites.

ForestNavigator, ForestPaths, and PathFinder have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Program under grant agreements N°101056875, N°101056755 and N°101056907, respectively.

Further information
ForestNavigator project page
Horizon Europe Sister Projects