FNP and FEM to participate in MSc Programme in European Forestry

The Forest & Nature Conservation Policy (FNP) and the Forest Ecology & Forest Management (FEM) groups had previously been involved between 2004 and 2014. Recently, the European Commission has awarded a total of 4.6 million euros in funding to the Erasmus+ Mundus Joint Master’s Degree (EMJMD) Programme in European Forestry, which is coordinated by the University of Eastern Finland.

The aim of the MSc EF programme is to prepare professionals to tackle four interconnected grand challenges in forestry:

1. Climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disturbances
2. A sustainable biomass support for the bioeconomy industry and the contribution of forests and forestry to mitigating CO2 emissions
3. Declining biodiversity and conversion of forest land to other land uses
4. Increasing societal demand for a variety of (non-market) ecosystem services.

The programme will provide students with in-depth knowledge of advanced forest management practices across the continent. MSc EF graduates will be awarded a joint or a double degree, depending on their host university in the second year. Intensive collaboration and networking with potential employers ensures high graduate employability worldwide.

The European universities involved in this programme are top in the field of forestry; they collaborate intensively to offer joint study modules in addition to their existing curricula. These are:

• University of Eastern Finland (coordinator), Finland
• AgroParisTech, France
• BOKU, Austria
• University of Freiburg, Germany
• University of Lleida, Spain
• Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania
• Wageningen University, the Netherlands

For more information on the MSc EF programme, please see:  MSc European Forestry.

Photo above by Jelte Vredenbregt