RESTORATION IN THE MODEL FORESTS - Episode 4 - Croatia

In Croatia, restoration means rediscovering the multiple values of forests by connecting ecological care, local livelihoods, education, and well-being . This is the work carried out by the Istria Model Forest , active since 2014 in promoting forestry and the sustainable use of forest resources while bringing together local communities around the ecological, economic, and social value of forest landscapes. In this territory, restoration is expressed through both traditional practices and innovative approaches. Mushroom picking, truffle harvesting, and honey production remain deeply rooted in local culture and rural economies, while new activities such as forest pedagogy and forest therapy open different ways of experiencing forests and understanding their role in everyday life. The episode moves between these different dimensions. In one moment, the forest becomes a place of learning, where children, educators, and families rediscover the value of direct contact with nature across the seasons. In another, it becomes a space for well-being, where practices such as forest bathing begin to open new connections between environmental care and human health. In both cases, the forest is not treated as a distant backdrop, but as an active part of community life . This relational vision of restoration also extends to forest management itself. In the Motovun Forest, the recovery of pedunculate oak stands shows how ecological restoration can repair past imbalances while reinforcing the identity of the landscape. Re-establishing native species is not only a technical intervention, but a way of restoring continuity between the forest’s ecological character and the history of the place. At the same time, the episode reminds us that healthy forests are inseparable from local economies. In the Mirna Basin, white truffles depend on the maintenance of the woods in which they grow, and with them the livelihoods, skills, and reputations that have developed around this non-wood forest product. Restoration, in this sense, becomes a way of safeguarding both ecosystems and the conditions that allow communities to thrive. “Together with our members and partners” , says Ana Fornazar, president of the Istria Model Forest, “we can continue building our rural communities and caring for forest resources to benefit future generations” . What emerges is a broad and inclusive understanding of restoration: one that connects biodiversity with education, forest management with well-being, and ecological recovery with economic and cultural continuity. The Model Forest approach makes these links visible, showing that to restore landscapes also means to restore the many relationships that make them valuable and alive. This is the fourth episode of a five-part video series filmed across the Mediterranean Model Forest Network, exploring how the Model Forest approach can strengthen governance, sustainability, and restoration initiatives. Watch the entire series:    • RESTORATION IN THE MODEL FORESTS - Documen...