Following their participation at the FAO’s 1st European Conference in Rome, recipients of SMURF’s first Cascade Funding call took part in the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum, held in Kemptville Campus, Ontario, Canada. The event gathered over up to 200 delegates representing over 60 Model Forests from around the world to discuss collaborative strategies for landscape management, sustainability, and community-led forest governance. For several Model Forests supported through SMURF, this was an important opportunity to continue nurturing and strengthening connections, share local experiences, and contribute to a global dialogue on sustainable forest management.
The forum served as a platform for knowledge exchange between mature and emerging Model Forests, with a strong emphasis on inclusive governance, biodiversity restoration, and climate resilience. Representing SMURF, Pablo Sabín, CEO of CESEFOR, took the floor during one of the plenary sessions to present joint initiatives and shared objectives in two key areas: promoting forest certification and strengthening forest owner cooperation. His intervention underlined how SMURF is helping to bridge local forest management with European and global strategies, particularly through aggregation models that give small forest owners greater access to certification schemes and sustainable practices.
Participation in the IMFN Global Forum marks a pivotal moment for SMURF’s funded Model Forests, as they transition from local implementation to active contributors in the international forestry arena. This engagement demonstrates how Cascade Funding is not only enabling pilot activities on the ground, but also enhancing the visibility and influence of European forest stakeholders in shaping global approaches to sustainable forestry. The connections made in Canada are expected to fuel long-term partnerships and collaborative actions across continents, reinforcing the core values of SMURF: cooperation, innovation, and sustainability in forest landscape restoration.