Dr. FOREST - Diversity of FORESTs affecting human health Forest ecosystems are an important reservoir for biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes within Central Europe, and deliver many ecosystem services. They are also a popular location for recreational activities, especially near urban areas. However, forests can also harbour threats and diseases, e.g. ticks that transmit pathogens to humans. Thus, we need to quantify the impacts of biodiversity on multiple human health risks and benefits to combine biodiversity conservation with ecosystem management that supports various health co-benefits. Dr FOREST will test the following general hypotheses: 1) Forest biodiversity supports mental and physical health and well-being, by (i) restoring psychological capacities through a larger variety of visual and acoustic stimuli, and by (ii) building capacities due to more pleasant conditions for recreation and high diversity of non-wood forest products. 2) Forest biodiversity reduces harm and physical illness, by (i) reducing and diluting disease vectors, and by (ii) reducing air pollution and pollen load. The project makes use of existing research infrastructures for functional biodiversity studies and relies on a rigorous experimental design that allows quantification of tree diversity effects on human health. The empirical work will be done in controlled tree diversity experiments as well as in natural forests of differing diversity adopting a comparative design. The sites are located in contrasting climatic regions of Central Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Poland). In three Case Studies in urban forests the consequences of forest diversification schemes for health-related risks and benefits will be elaborated together with local stakeholders (Sonian Forest Brussels, Bois de Bordeaux, Auwald Leipzig). All Work Packages and Tasks are handled by teams composed each of both natural and medical scientists, ensuring cross-disciplinary collaborations and synergies. Interactions with stakeholders to refine research questions and to promote the human health impacts of biodiversity in forests, as well as formulation of management guidelines will ensure high relevance for health policy and forest administration. A final symposium will communicate the project’s findings to high-level stakeholders and will support evidence-based decision-making for forest biodiversity and human health co-benefits and risks.

Rewilding, a form of ecological restoration with an emphasis on humans stepping back and leaving an area to nature, has recently received special attention in European policy and conservation management. Rewilding is considered a nature-based solution (NBS) that could effectively help to meet climate and biodiversity targets while simultaneously addressing pressing societal challenges related to farmland abandonment, demographic change and increasing urbanisation. Yet its application remains to date restricted to scattered local initiatives spread across the continent, and its implementation at larger scales is hindered by lacking adequate governance and management approaches to resolve conflicts and to ensure that rewilding generates best socio-economic benefits. Finally, and importantly, the potential of rewilding-based ecological restoration for climate change mitigation and adaptation under future climates and land uses remains virtually unknown. The overarching objective of WILDE is to thoroughly assess and enhance the potential of rewilding-based approaches to ecological restoration in Europe. We develop a multi-disciplinary research and innovation program that addresses the climate-biodiversity nexus in tight association with the socioeconomic dimension of large-scale restoration. The activities of WILDE are organised in five main pillars: (1) Baselines: a comprehensive review of fundamental yet to date scattered data and information that are critical for properly assessing Europe’s rewilding potential; (2) Scenarios: sophisticated modelling of rewilding effects on climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity conservation, co-constructing land-use and possible rewilding scenarios (under different climate change futures) with selected stakeholders; (3) Case studies: eight case studies including (i) six cases targeting landscapes under various stages of rewilding (spontaneously or as a consequence of restoration initiatives) and (ii) two cases targeting corporate solutions that combine rewilding-type restoration with extensive forestry and seek economic viability through carbon and biodiversity offsets; (4) Synthesis: a conceptual framing of ‘climate-smart rewilding’ as a NBS to jointly tackle the interwoven climate and biodiversity crises while supporting sustainable livelihoods; and (5) Open rewilding: an ambitious communication and dissemination program including the creation of a public Rewilding Knowledge Hub. WILDE benefits from an outstandingly experienced and well-connected consortium, featuring various world-leading experts in rewilding, ecosystem management and restoration, biodiversity, environmental sociology and economics, as well as in climate, ecosystem, land-use and biodiversity modelling. Sixteen partners are now confirmed, five more have been contacted and responded positively to the invitation. The consortium is coordinated by a highly experienced team under the lead of INRAE. Project construction and management will be supported by the technology transfer and project engineering company INRAE-Transfert. WILDE is well-positioned to thoroughly address all ten Expected Outcomes listed in the call text. The project will thoroughly assess socioeconomic co-benefits, trade-offs and cost-benefit ratios for a range of rewilding-based ecological restoration options. Cutting-edge modelling will be used to project potential restoration effects for a range of climate and land-use scenarios. Our Rewilding Knowledge Hub will foster exchanges among rewilding initiatives, stakeholders and civil society. We expect weighty scientific contributions informing the IPBES, IPCC, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU Mission on CC Adaptation. Yet, WILDE will also assist innovative action developing and testing best practice approaches for rewilding-based ecological restoration.