After three years of collaborative innovation and practical action, the HealthyForestRegions Project has officially concluded — yet its impact continues to grow beyond the end of the funding period.
Many regional policy- and decision-makers recognize the importance of forests, but often lack the tools, resources, and governance structures needed to protect them while also harnessing their potential for regional development. The HealthyForestRegions Project was created to close this gap. The project brought together nine partner organisations from six Central European countries to jointly develop practical solutions and strategic approaches for preserving and supporting forest ecosystem health.
Key achievements
1. Education and recreation: Educational initiatives such as forest classrooms and teaching materials introduced children and young people to the importance of healthy forest ecosystems. Nature-oriented tourism packages, recreational activities, and nature therapy offers demonstrated how forests can support local economies.
2. Forest ecosystem services: Tools for marketing forest ecosystem services and exploring payment schemes for ecosystem services (PES) were developed to diversify income opportunities for forest owners and reduce the economical pressure linked to timber harvesting.
3. Supporting policy- and decision-makers: Through participatory processes involving decision-makers, public authorities, forest managers, and civil society actors, the project supported regions in developing strategies and action plans that reflect and operationalize the value of healthy forests as an essential foundation for human well-being as well as for social, cultural, and economic development.
Overarching outcome & lasting commitment
The project results were merged into a holistic, transferable international framework: the HealthyForestRegions Concept. This concept is both a vision and a practical toolkit, serving as a starting point for forest-based sustainable regional development.
The project achieved important and lasting commitments: regional authorities and stakeholder organisations have pledged to continue the cooperation and to implement the developed strategies. Educational programmes, tourism offers, and governance approaches are already being integrated into regional initiatives and follow-up projects. In total, 28 organisations have signed a formal commitment to continue the collaboration beyond the project.
What we learned
- Build networks with regional actors: Collaboration enables change, keeps motivation strong and guides the way through difficult times
- Forests are not a resource but a means of livelihood: Their value for climate, health, culture, and economy must be recognized and integrated into policy and practice.
- Participation is key to sustainability: Strategies succeed only when developed with communities, not for them.
Thank you to all partners, collaborators, participants, and supporters — for your vision, dedication, and shared commitment!
The work continues.