Supported projects and activities will complement existing or implement new social engagement activities in the context of CSF and forest restoration. Novel engagement ideas are encouraged to ensure that supported activities remain dynamic and adaptable to changing needs and opportunities in forest management and climate resilience, as well as to foster a culture of creativity and experimentation among citizens and stakeholders. Stakeholders refer to all the actors who can influence, or who are impacted by forest management decisions. This includes individuals, groups, policymakers, businesses, or entities that can contribute to providing relevant inputs for FORWARDS as well as organisations that can make use of the project outputs.

This call invites projects and activities that directly address at least one of the following 3 objectives:

• Increase awareness and provide knowledge on the need for CSF: This objective seeks to educate citizens and stakeholders on the importance of CSF and restoration efforts in mitigating climate change impacts. Examples include:
  • Developing educational campaigns and materials such as citizen science apps, board games, or online resources that highlight CSF-related topics.
  • Initiating art contests or exhibits focused on CSF and the importance of forests in climate change mitigation.
  • Organising guided forest excursions or nature walks to promote dialogues and knowledge sharing on CSF-related topics.
• Assess the potential social impacts of CSF: This objective aims to understand how CSF and restoration efforts may affect citizens and stakeholders for mutual learning and developing adapted forest management approaches. Examples include:
  • Conducting stakeholder surveys or feasibility studies to gather insights and perceptions of local communities on forests and forest management as a basis for developing integrated CSF approaches.
  • Facilitating community mapping workshops and other participatory methods to document local knowledge and cultural values related to forests and forest management as relevant for CSF and forest restoration.
  • Applying participatory video or storytelling techniques to capture CSF-related perspectives and stories of youth, women and other specific stakeholder groups.
• Develop structures and processes to include perspectives and aspirations of citizens and stakeholders in management strategies: This objective focuses on inclusivity and puts emphasis on empowering citizens and stakeholders to actively co-create and contribute to decision-making processes and policy development. Examples include:
  • Organising joint visioning development or multi-stakeholder dialogues on CSF practices.
  • Establishing collaborative partnerships, community advisory committees or other institutionalised forms of citizen participation in forest management.
  • Providing capacity building opportunities, volunteering activities, or traineeships to engage in CSF activities.

Data and results from the supported activities must be made available open access upon completion of the project, and feed into the ForestWard Observatory that is being developed by the FORWARDS project.