Parallel Session 2: Social innovation in forests

Forests, being natural resources on public and private lands, have embedded in them a diverse range of social innovation cases that have contributed to the development of the community in a sustainable and stable way.

The social innovation is about: “The Reconfiguring of Social Practices in Response to Societal Challenges that Seek to Enhance the Outcomes on Societal Well-being and necessarily include the Engagement of Civil Society Actors”. Having said so, forests in the Mediterranean present an incubating model for social innovation.

We proposed exploring successful innovation cases in the Mediterranean, of which the information is worth sharing for replication and learning purposes. Special hands on practices booklet for establishing social innovation cases, and indicators for assessing social innovation cases have been provided.

Objectives

• Provide clear understanding of social innovation in the forest context;
• Provide elements and indicators for identifying social innovation cases;
• Provide case studies from the Mediterranean showing elements of social innovation;
• Provide a practice guide on social innovation implementation.