News

The recording of the joint EUFORGEN–FORGENIUS webinar held on 16 December 2025 is now available on the EUFORGEN YouTube channel, offering a guided tour of the upgraded EUFGIS platform and its new services for forest genetic resources conservation in Europe.

The session marked a milestone moment for FORGENIUS as the project reaches its conclusion, and celebrated the start of a “new EUFGIS era” now moving forward under the EUFORGEN programme. The webinar was followed live by 72 participants, reflecting strong interest from the European forest genetic resources community. FORGENIUS coordinator, Ivan Scotti, reflected on the long collaborative journey behind the platform’s development and encouraged countries and research communities to continue enriching EUFGIS by further characterising Genetic Conservation Units (GCUs) at national level.

In the main live demonstration, EUFORGEN coordinator, Michele Bozzano, presented EUFGIS as an information system “much more than a database”, designed to document and monitor the status of forest genetic resources across Europe. He explained the concept of GCUs and the minimum requirements that ensure a harmonised approach among countries.

The webinar showcased how EUFGIS has evolved from basic data storage to a service-oriented platform, integrating data from national focal points with climate projections, remote-sensing indicators, and, where available, genetic and phenotypic characterisation. Participants were also introduced to tools supporting monitoring of the European Forest Genetic Resources Conservation Strategy, including visual indicators tracking conservation progress by species and by country. Links to external systems such as Forest Materials, alongside guidance documents, protocols and video tutorials, were also presented.

Watch the recording and explore the upgraded platform to see how EUFGIS can support conservation planning, reporting and day-to-day technical work across Europe.