Enabling forests and forest managers for a sustanible use of water

The EU is home to around 5% of the world’s total forest area, with forests making up 43% of the EU’s land area. Forest ownership in Europe is diverse in terms of size and ownership structure, leading to a wide diversity of management models. Around 60% of EU forests are owned by 16 million private owners, including a significant share of smallholders, while around 40% of EU forests are under various forms of public ownership.
The protective function of forests on soil and water has been recognized for a long time. However, due to the increase in population in urban areas and the abandonment of rural spaces, it is necessary to recover its value in order to interpret this new ecosystem service.
All over the world, the need for drinking water, agriculture and industry is growing, causing tensions and conflicts between the different users who compete for the resource and accentuating the stress on the environment.
Above all, a new awareness of the defense of the territory is needed, directed towards an effective balance: environmental safety and equity are necessary to guarantee the protection of the environment.
We are interested in one/two partners in countries and areas affected by forests to replace a partner and close the project.

we are a research and training institute on a university basis, if you are still interested you can write to: pologr@unisi.it