HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-01 Living labs co-creating innovative solutions for forests and freshwater ecosystems restoration

We are building a Pan-European network of Bioregional Centers, each acting as a Living Lab or “Living Seed” of regeneration embedded in its bioregion. These centers will respond to the urgent need for forest and freshwater ecosystem restoration by grounding innovation in place, combining local knowledge and scientific expertise through participatory, community-rooted processes. Working within an Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) framework, each center addresses interconnected challenges related to biodiversity loss, soil and water degradation, climate adaptation, and rural revitalization.

Each Bioregional Center will engage a multi-actor network farmers, land stewards, youth, researchers, NGOs, and local authorities to co-create context-specific nature-based solutions (NbS) rooted in agroecology and agroforestry. Restoration will be informed by bioregional mapping, a participatory method for visualizing ecological, cultural, and economic dynamics that guides integrated planning and fosters broad stakeholder ownership. This living lab model aligns with the EU’s Nature Restoration Law and Biodiversity Strategy by delivering concrete, measurable impacts on ecosystem health and community resilience.

Our network enables cross-site benchmarking, shared monitoring protocols, and knowledge exchange across different bioclimatic regions—from mountain headwaters and riparian forests to post-agricultural landscapes. By linking these place-based innovations, we aim to co-create a replicable and adaptive model for ecosystem restoration that is people-centered, ecologically sound, and democratically governed.

We Are Looking for Partners With Expertise In:

• Agroecology & Agroforestry for forest-farm interfaces and ecosystem restoration

• Freshwater and forest ecology for multi-scale restoration design and monitoring

• Digital tools for mapping, co-creation, and cross-site knowledge sharing

• EU policy and CAP alignment for strategic policy influence and scalability

• Academic partners in soil, climate, water, ecosystems, and participatory science

• Community-based organizations and SMEs for outreach, education, and business model innovation

What We Offer:

• A pilot site in the Sudety Bioregion (Poland) integrating forest and freshwater restoration through agroecological methods

• Experience in bioregional systems design, NbS evaluation, and participatory governance

• Tools and methods for bioregional mapping, storytelling, and co-creation

• A growing network of partners across Europe committed to shared learning and co-design

• Strong alignment with Horizon Cluster 6 goals and cross-cutting EU frameworks including the EU Green Deal, Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Law, and the Soil Mission