European forests play a crucial role in protecting biodiversity, contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and provide multiple benefits for societies and economies. However, the pressure that direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss have placed on these biomes is endangering their ability to provide the wide spectrum of ecosystem services.
In this context, and to celebrate International Biodiversity Day on 22 May, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will organise a joint virtual event on the future of forests in Europe on Friday 20 May.
The restoration of these ecosystems will be a key tool to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, while the EU Forestry Strategy must ensure coherence of forest-related policies and allow for synergies with the forest sector.
