Why Ukraine needs EUFOR: European knowledge for forest and land recovery

The war has caused severe damage to Ukraine’s forests, soils and natural ecosystems. Damaged and contaminated land, biodiversity loss, restricted access to unsafe areas and gaps in environmental governance make recovery more difficult. University curricula and professional training still provide limited coverage of EU policies on forests, biodiversity, nature restoration and climate resilience.

The EUFOR project, “EU Green Deal Forestry for Ukraine: EU Forest Strategy, Nature Restoration, and Post-War Land Recovery,” addresses these needs through education, applied research and professional dialogue.

What is the problem?

Ukraine’s recovery requires professionals who can:

• assess war-related environmental damage and identify restoration priorities;
• apply EU approaches to sustainable forest management, renaturalisation, soil recovery and biodiversity protection;
• adapt European policies to Ukraine’s environmental, security and institutional conditions;
• turn scientific evidence into practical solutions for communities, public authorities and professionals.

Without systematic capacity development, restoration efforts may remain fragmented and Ukraine’s alignment with EU environmental standards may advance more slowly.

How will EUFOR respond?

EUFOR creates an integrated educational model that connects university teaching, professional training, research and public access to knowledge.

Over three years, the project will deliver 350 teaching hours and:

• develop two Bachelor-level courses on the EU Forest Strategy and the restoration of war-damaged territories;
• integrate both courses into the curricula of Sumy National Agrarian University;
• provide professional training for community leaders, businesses and agricultural professionals;
• organise a summer school on European strategies for forest and land recovery;
• publish four research articles on EU forest policy, sustainable forest management and post-war ecological recovery;
• share educational and research outputs through a bilingual website, public events and a final conference.

Teaching will combine lectures, practical assignments, case studies, seminars, workshops and project-based learning. Where access to damaged forest areas is unsafe, the project will use secondary data, geographic information systems and remote-sensing tools.

What impact do we expect?

For students: stronger knowledge of EU policy, practical restoration skills and competences for careers in sustainable forest and land management.

For educators and researchers: new teaching resources, research outputs and lasting capacity to teach EU studies within forestry, environmental and agricultural programmes.

For professionals and communities: practical tools for planning the recovery of forests, soils and biodiversity in line with EU standards.

For public authorities and the professional sector: research-based materials that support the adaptation of European approaches to Ukraine’s recovery context and improve evidence-based decisions.

For the university: two institutionalised courses, a trained academic team, open educational resources and a sustainability plan for continued teaching, research and stakeholder engagement after the project ends.

EUFOR will help ensure that the recovery of Ukraine’s forests and land is guided by qualified professionals, sound evidence and tested European approaches.