Climate-Ready and Adapted Agroforest and ForesTs (CRAAFT): An international research initiative on adaptation of forest and agroforests to climate change

Climate change is rapidly disrupting forest and agroforest ecosystems, with rising temperatures, extreme events, and species shifts threatening their health and resilience. Proactive management strategies are crucial to ensuring the continued provision of essential ecosystem services. Despite significant progress in forest-climate research, gaps remain in integrating monitoring data, modeling future conditions, and developing context-specific adaptation strategies. International cooperation is essential, as climate impacts and ecological processes transcend national borders. The Climate-Ready and Adapted Agroforests and Forests initiative (CRAAFT) aims to enhance knowledge and develop tools for adaptive forest management. By integrating biological, ecological, economic, and social sciences, CRAAFT focuses on improving resilience through international collaboration, data sharing, and the use of innovative technologies. The initiative promotes transformative adaptation strategies that balance biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service provision, and sustainable resource use. Through a global research strategy, CRAAFT aims to improve forecasting, develop operational frameworks, and foster knowledge exchange to deliver actionable solutions for forest adaptation.