The project’s final policy brief has been published. It sets out recommendations on how PES mechanisms can be integrated into European funding programmes.

Forests provide vital services for people, nature and the climate: they ensure a supply of clean water, protect against flooding and erosion, sequester carbon and preserve biodiversity. The European LIFE ProForPES project focused on how to support those who safeguard these services through the protection and sustainable management of forests. In its final policy brief, the project now sets out specific guidelines and recommendations on how payments for ecosystem services (PES) can be more effectively integrated into European funding programmes.

The ProForPES project, funded by the European Commission under the LIFE programme, was launched to collate, process and consolidate the knowledge and expertise on PES schemes in the forestry sector that already exists at EU level. Through collaboration between specialist companies, institutes and universities, a network of PES experts in the forestry sector was established, comprising representatives from five European countries: Italy, Finland, Spain, Austria and Germany.

Over a three-year period (2023–2026), the project examined current EU policies and funding programmes and conducted a comprehensive consultation process with key stakeholders. The aim was to develop recommendations for policymakers and the private sector on the integration and potential of PES schemes in Europe. To this end, the project analysed more than 100 PES projects across Europe and actively involved over 120 stakeholders in the consultations and the joint development of the recommendations.

The project consortium comprises the University of Padua (coordinator) and Etifor | Valuing Nature – both in Italy –, the European Forest Institute (EFI) with sites in Germany, Finland and Spain, the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) in Austria.

The final policy brief summarises the findings of the more detailed project report, *Guidelines and Recommendations for Future Funding Programmes*. It focuses on two key priorities, both of which aim to give forest ecosystem services a more prominent role in European funding policy.

• The first recommendation calls for a standalone European framework for PES in the forestry sector. Such a framework should not replace existing funding streams, but build upon them. It should enable longer contract terms, more flexible payment models and a landscape-based approach that better reflects the actual functioning of forests.
• The second recommendation turns its attention to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and calls for a stronger focus on forests within it: through larger and more clearly earmarked budgets, easier access for forest managers, and a more targeted use of PES as a tool for achieving biodiversity targets.

In addition to these two priorities, the policy brief sets out ten further recommendations that specify how such a framework could work in practice. Together, they relate to three areas that the project has identified as crucial to the success of PES in the forestry sector: the design of the systems – from payment models to monitoring systems; their governance and communication – including issues of fairness, participation and public awareness; and their integration into the broader context of European environmental and land-use policy – from climate strategies to the Natura 2000 network. The full report is available online and explains each of these ten recommendations in detail.

“Research is providing us with increasingly robust evidence on how Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes can best be designed and implemented in practice. However, the challenge remains to embed PES more firmly in European forest policy and practice. ProForPES provides valuable support in this regard: evidence-based yet practical recommendations for decision-makers.”

— Sven Wunder, Senior Researcher, European Forest Institute (EFI)

The project will conclude in the summer of 2026. However, its findings, data and recommendations, as well as the network of contacts established over the past three years, will remain available on the website even after the project has ended.

The full policy brief is available here: https://www.lifeproforpes.eu/sdc_download/637/?key=cvm2kzn8zu4qgdyzxs68mgn5ng0xxi

Further information: Martina Doppio, Communications Manager — Etifor | Valuing Nature, martina.doppio@etifor.com

LIFE ProForPES (Grant Agreement No. 101086509) is a preparatory project under the European Union’s LIFE programme. It is coordinated by the University of Padua (UNIPD) in collaboration with the European Forest Institute (EFI), the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) and Etifor | Valuing Nature.
Project website: www.lifeproforpes.eu

This project was funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the CINEA Executive Agency.