FOREST21 is a joint project for strengthening capacity in South African higher education in forestry. The project is implemented in collaboration of five higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa that have forestry curricula or will start teaching forestry.

Promoting climate-smart forestry and entrepreneurial innovativeness in forestry education will lead to job creation as well as mitigation of climate change. FOREST21 is implemented through reforming the curricula in forestry entrepreneurship education to equip graduates with problem-solving skills, an entrepreneurial mindset and climate-smart thinking. 

Problem-based learning (PBL) methods and students-centred teaching are the core of the project. Students learn through solving real-life business challenges in the field in international teams. FOREST21 is built on close collaboration with the industrial sector as well as teachers and the managerial staff in partner HEIs to find the practices in the local context. 

FOREST21 is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.