Discover the Power of Forests

Project Story

Across Belgium, forests are under growing pressure from climate change, biodiversity collapse, fragmentation, and increasingly intensive management practices. Yet despite their essential role in regulating climate, preserving biodiversity, protecting water cycles, and supporting human wellbeing, natural forests remain poorly understood by much of society.

At Forêt & Naturalité, we believe that protecting forests begins with understanding them.

This project was created to reconnect people with the ecological reality of forests through science-based education, field experiences, and public awareness. Over the next years, we will work across Wallonia and Brussels to equip three key groups—future environmental professionals, journalists, and citizens—with the knowledge and tools needed to support more resilient and nature-based approaches to forest conservation and management.

Funding from this campaign will directly support trainings, field workshops, public events, educational materials, and outreach activities focused on forest ecology, natural dynamics, biodiversity, and rewilding approaches. By strengthening ecological literacy across society, the project aims to create long-term cultural change in the way forests are perceived, discussed, and protected.

Our Mission

Forêt & Naturalité is dedicated to protecting and promoting forests with a high degree of naturality in Belgium, Europe, and beyond.

Our mission is to advance ecological approaches to conservation by promoting the concepts of natural forest dynamics, rewilding, and nature-based solutions. We work to raise awareness about the importance of spontaneous ecological processes such as forest regeneration, deadwood dynamics, biodiversity interactions, wildlife presence, and ecosystem resilience.

Through research, education, field-based learning, and public engagement, we aim to help society move toward a more respectful and sustainable relationship with forests and the living world.

Background & Problem Statement

Forests across Europe are facing unprecedented ecological challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss, intensive forestry practices, habitat degradation, and increasing environmental pressures threaten the resilience of forest ecosystems.

At the same time, public understanding of forest ecology often remains limited. Discussions around forests are frequently dominated by short-term technical or interventionist solutions, while the ecological importance of natural processes is overlooked or misunderstood.

Many environmental professionals receive limited training in natural forest ecology and nature-based solutions. Journalists and media actors, who play a major role in shaping public discourse and political agendas, also often lack access to specialized scientific knowledge on these complex subjects. As a result, media coverage can simplify or misrepresent forest-related issues.

For the broader public, forests are often perceived primarily as recreational or economic spaces rather than complex living ecosystems shaped by natural cycles and biodiversity.

This disconnect weakens society's ability to support long-term conservation strategies and resilient ecosystem management. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between ecological science, public understanding, and environmental decision-making.

Solution

This project creates accessible and immersive educational experiences centered on natural forest ecology and nature-based solutions.

Forêt & Naturalité will organize:

• Field trainings and workshops for students and environmental professionals

• Educational programs for journalists and media professionals

• Public conferences and guided forest experiences for citizens

• The development and dissemination of educational tools focused on forest naturality and ecological processes

• Collaborative training programs on natural forest ecology

Participants will explore topics such as forest resilience, natural regeneration, the ecological role of deadwood, wildlife interactions, ecosystem dynamics, and rewilding approaches.

By combining scientific knowledge with direct experiences in forests, the project encourages participants to better understand how natural ecosystems function and why protecting ecological processes is essential in the face of climate and biodiversity crises.

Opportunity

This project represents an opportunity to create long-term societal impact by working simultaneously with three influential audiences:

• Future environmental professionals who will shape tomorrow's land management practices

• Journalists and media actors who influence public narratives and political discussions

• Citizens and local communities whose support is essential for conservation efforts

By improving ecological understanding across these groups, the project helps build stronger support for nature-based solutions and more resilient forest policies.

The initiative also contributes to a broader cultural transition toward coexistence with wilder and more self-regulating ecosystems.

Tracking Impact

The impact of this project will be evaluated through both quantitative and qualitative indicators.

We will monitor:

• The number of trainings, workshops, and field activities organized

• Participation rates among professionals, journalists, and citizens

• The dissemination and use of educational materials

• Engagement across public communication channels and social media

• Partnerships developed with schools, associations, and environmental actors

We will also assess longer-term changes in awareness and perception regarding forest ecology and nature-based solutions. This includes observing how ecological concepts are integrated into media discourse, educational programs, professional practices, and public conversations around forests.

Beyond numbers, we recognize the importance of personal experiences and emotional connection to nature. Testimonials, participant feedback, and community engagement will help measure how the project strengthens relationships between people and forests.

Our Experience

Forêt & Naturalité has several years of experience organizing educational activities focused on forest ecology, biodiversity, and natural ecosystem dynamics.

Today, the association is driven by a small team of passionate colleagues — Sébastien, Coline, Zoé, and Clémence — who bring together complementary backgrounds and experiences in ecology, environmental education, conservation, communication, and fieldwork. Although our paths are different, we are united by the same conviction: forests must be better understood and protected through science, awareness, and reconnection with nature.

The association already conducts conferences, school trainings, public field visits, and awareness campaigns throughout Belgium. In 2025 alone, Forêt & Naturalité organized and contributed to nearly 20 field activities, school trainings, conferences, and public events related to forest ecology, rewilding, and nature-based solutions. Its programs have successfully engaged students, environmental professionals, nature guides, journalists, and citizens interested in ecological transition and conservation.

The organization collaborates with numerous environmental and educational partners, including Cercles des Naturalistes de Belgique, WWF, Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN), and international rewilding networks.

In addition, Forêt & Naturalité published in 2025 a major report on the social perception of forest natural dynamics and non-intervention (“free evolution”) in collaboration with Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège). This research project, funded through the Walloon Recovery Plan for biodiversity research, explored the perceptions of stakeholders and the general public regarding non-intervention policies in protected forest areas in Wallonia. The project aimed to identify barriers and opportunities for implementing socially accepted and inclusive conservation strategies based on natural forest dynamics. Two public reports were produced and made freely accessible online, providing concrete recommendations for policymakers, environmental stakeholders, and educators.

Through projects such as the Erasmus+ initiative "Born to Rewild," collaborations with environmental associations in Belgium and France, and the creation of educational tools and media content around natural forests and rewilding, the association has developed strong expertise in ecological education and public engagement.

These experiences, partnerships, and existing educational resources provide a solid foundation for successfully implementing and expanding this project across Wallonia and Brussels.