RESEARCH PROJECT

FESTiVAL - Final Ecosystem Services in Transition: a View from the Aquatic Landscape

KEY POINTS
  • Prioritizing water-related ecosystem services in the forest
  • Innovative new tools and model applications to asess future scenarios
  • Co-create climate-smart solutions – working with stakeholders to design resilient, multifunctional landscapes
Updated: September 2025

Project overview

Project start: January 2025 Ending: December 2027
Project manager: Emma Elmi Lannergård
Funded by: FORMAS/Water4all

Participants

Global goals

  • 6. Clean water and sanitation
  • 7. Affordable and clean energy
  • 13. Climate action

Short summary

Today’s changing climate and societal needs call for new ways to manage aquatic ecosystem services in Northern and Central European forests. This project develops innovative strategies to secure water-related ecosystem services in forested landscapes under shifting baselines.

Yesterday’s choices shaped today’s forests — but tomorrow requires new solutions. Traditional focus on timber and carbon storage is no longer enough. With shifting climates and evolving societal needs, we must rethink how forests deliver not only terrestrial but also aquatic ecosystem services.

Our project develops tools, models, and strategies to:

  • Raise awareness of how forests can provide both timber and clean water.
  • Co-create "climate proof" management approaches with stakeholders.
  • Build knowledge through real-world case studies.
  • Design and test innovative models (PERSiST, INCA, WSFS-VEMALA, Mobius) for future scenarios.
  • Support resilient governance for multifunctional landscapes.

Together with partners and stakeholders, we aim to secure sustainable aquatic ecosystem services from Northern and Central European forests in an era of rapid change.

Swedish forest stand from the air
Balsjö, environmental effects after clear cut. Photo: Lars Högbom

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