Background The European Union's environmental objectives include the protection of forests and biodiversity. For this, deep knowledge of the status and evolution of artificial and natural urban and periurban forests is essential. In the last 30 years, such woodlands have been planted in the Lombardy region of Italy and in other European countries. These woodlands are important because they are normally planted on agricultural land, on former industrial sites or degraded areas. These lowland and natural forests near urban and periurban areas provide important ecosystem services. For this reason, a system for monitoring the status of forest plantation and natural forests would be a strategic benefit, allowing the conservation of this natural heritage and guiding long-term sustainable forest management. Objectives The EMoNFUr project will develop a monitoring system for assessing the status of artificial and natural urban and periurban forests, and to measure the adaptability of the new lowland forests to climate change. The project will provide parameters of ecological and environmental relevance, such as plant and animal biodiversity in lowland forests, carbon dioxide sequestration capacity and the ability to mitigate air temperatures. The project will: Carry out preliminary monitoring of lowland (artificial and natural) urban and periurban forests in some representative sites in Lombardy and Slovenia (Osrednjeslovenska region); Map out the permanent monitoring network of urban and periurban forests in Lombardy and in Slovenia (Osrednjeslovenska-Ljubljana); Establish the first general proposal to establish a harmonised European monitoring network; Analyse the ecosystem services offered by artificial and natural urban and periurban forest lowland forests in Lombardy and in Osrednjeslovenska; and Build awareness locally about the importance of monitoring artificial and natural urban and periurban lowland forests, and understanding their role in mitigating climate change.Expected results: Implementation of a scientific monitoring protocol, to be applied on sample plots in artificial and natural urban and periurban forests; Establishment of a permanent monitoring network in Lombardy and Slovenia; Creation of a permanent international project committee and user committee dealing with the monitoring of artificial and natural urban and periurban forests; Production of an online manual on the ecosystem services provided by artificial and natural urban and periurban forests in Lombardy and Slovenia, especially related to biodiversity, to mitigation of rising temperatures, to CO2 sequestration, and to their tourism, recreational and social aspects; Definition of a set of monitoring indicators for assessment of the policies implemented in Lombardy and Slovenia for forests covering lowland or degraded urban and periurban areas; and Creation of a set of indicators to evaluate the impact of climate change on the artificial and natural forest ecosystems in urban and periurban areas.