The Earth has entered the Anthropocene—an epoch in which human activities have become the dominant force shaping planetary systems. Anthropogenic actions such as deforestation, overexploitation and rapid urban expansion have significantly accelerated global climate change. The consequences of this transformation, including more frequent extreme climate events and environmental degradation, have had profound negative impacts on human life and livelihoods. Moreover, environmental issues have exacerbated broader social challenges, which intertwined with ecological crises, leading to reduced social stability and diminished adaptive capacity.
As one of the most ecologically resilient terrestrial ecosystems, forests have played a vital role in Europe's sustainable development strategies. Moreover, forests serve as cultural and economic landscapes, historically embedded in traditional livelihoods and social practices. As such, increasing attention has been directed toward integrating reforestation strategies with socio-environmental adaptation goals, using landscape interventions to enhance territorial resilience and sustainability.
Post-industrial regions, characterized by environmental degradation and economic decline, exemplify spaces where socio-environmental challenges are most acute. This paper focuses on how forest-based ecosystem services can be mobilized to recast such landscapes. Using the former mining basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France as a case study, the research explores how forests can be reinterpreted, planned, and developed as strategic instruments for post-industrial territorial transformation.