rePLANT brings together 20 entities, including companies from the forest sector and non-corporate entities of I&I, and aims to contribute to a greater valorization of the Portuguese forest.
The first major project from ForestWISE and PME Magazine wanted to meet it through the eyes of Carlos Fonseca, this CoLAB´s CTO.
PME Magazine (PME Mag. )- In what does the project consist of?
Carlos Fonseca (C.F) – rePLANT is the first major initiative and operational project from ForestWISE Collaborative Laboratory, which brings together 20 entities, including leading companies from the sector and non-business R&I entities, in a common and coordinated effort to contribute to a greater valorization of the Portuguese forest through the implementation of strategies for integrated forest and fire management.
The 20 entities are: CoLAB ForestWISE, The Navigator Company, REN, Sonae Arauco, Altri Florestal, Amorim Florestal, DS Smith, E-REDES, Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, University of Coimbra, Instituto Superior de Agronomia from University of Lisboa, Whereness, EDP Labelec, Trigger Systems, Frazivel, Tesselo, Florecha, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária I.P., the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro.
PME Mag. – How did the idea behind rePLANT first come up?
C.F. – The Portuguese forest is a source of environmental, social, and economic wealth, which mobilizes about 24 thousand companies and is responsible for about 100 thousand jobs, as well as 10% of Portuguese exports.
rePLANT was born, from the necessity to develop integrated and innovative solutions that ensure the sustainable management of Portuguese forests, so that they are maintained, protected, and a source of wealth for people, communities, and the country.
At a time when it is urgent to find sustainable development models, this is perhaps the best opportunity to dedicate to the forest and its agents a truly forward-looking attention. rePLANT, as a mobilizing project, embodies this challenge and does so in an intergenerational and multidisciplinary way – new approaches and new technologies are also new opportunities.
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