The main aim of LiWeFor is to establish and develop a global network of Living Labs of wetland forest research, education and management. The project team consists of the University of Helsinki and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as top-class research counterparts and the University of Tartu as the recipient. As a driving vehicle of the project, four joint field campaigns to global greenhouse gas emission hotspots in tropical wetland forest regions (Peru and Malaysia) will enforce educational knowledge transfer. In addition to training, this exploratory research component binds together other activities from all partners. It will also serve as a proof-of-concept for testing the virtual framework of LLs enabling hybrid formats of skills transfer, teaching and training on a remote mode.
LiWeFor – a research and education project – will address the need to systematically raise the level of expertise among researchers and decision-makers in the widening country of Estonia. The Twinning partnership project will bring expertise from countries with top-level forest ecosystem research – Germany and Finland, particularly focusing on enhancing career awareness, enabling a capable workforce, and on promoting science-related careers.
The major outcome will be a network of Living Labs of wetland forest research and education.
A major focus is put on
1) closing the knowledge and experience gap between the donor and recipient partners,
2) building carbon and nutrient management strategies for temperate and tropical wetland forests involving stakeholders and policymakers,
3) creating an open data repository of GHG measurements and environmental factors in wetland forests,
4) constructing a basis for global spread of the Living Labs network of wetland forest research and education.