What could Vovousa look like in 2040 if today’s challenges were not seen as an inevitable path of decline, but as a starting point for collective action?
That was the key question with which begun the Forest Commons Lab – Vovousa, an open three-day participatory workshop held from 21 to 23 July 2026. The workshop was implemented by The High Mountains Co-op, within the framework of the project “Multifunctional Management of Forest Ecosystems: The Case Study of Vovousa, Northern Pindos National Park,” coordinated by the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as scientific partners.
At the heart of the three-day workshop was the Community Forest of Vovousa, approached as a place of work, knowledge, cultural memory, and collective responsibility. The central premise was that the future of the forest cannot be considered separately from the future of the village itself and of the people who live, work, or wish to return there.
A Participatory Exercise for Vovousa’s Future
On the first day of the Forest Commons Lab, residents of different ages were invited to imagine themselves in Vovousa in 2040, at a time when, despite the difficulties of the previous decades, things had taken a positive turn for the village.
The questions focused on life in the village, the condition of the forest, employment, livestock farming, and agricultural production. They also addressed the elements that make a place truly liveable – the school, healthcare, transport, energy, shared public spaces, and cooperation.
The thoughts, aspirations, and proposals recorded during this meeting provided the material for the story that follows.
Vovousa 2040: A village that stayed alive
It is a spring morning in 2040, and Vovousa awakens to the sound of children’s voices. The school has reopened, and its courtyard has become a gathering place for the entire village. Alongside their regular lessons, the children listen to the stories of the older generations. They learn the local dialect, discover the paths and trees, and become familiar with the mountain’s traditional skills and practices. Knowledge no longer survives only in the memories of a few people; it is passed on through everyday life.
A small grocery store and bakery operate in the village square. Residents can find everyday essentials without having to travel long distances, while a small guesthouse welcomes hikers, researchers, and visitors who come to discover the forest. A minibus connects Vovousa with the surrounding villages and the city, while the local medical clinic is supported by regular visits from doctors and telemedicine services.
The village did not become a city. It remained a mountain community, but it stopped declining. More people now live here year-round because there is work, access to essential services, and the possibility of a dignified everyday life. The fields around the village are cultivated once again with apple trees, chestnut trees, cherry plum trees, raspberries, and blackberries. Herds move across the meadows, and livestock farming has regained its place as a vital part of local life and the local economy.
The forest has once again become a source of employment, as well as a space of shared responsibility. Residents, forestry cooperatives, and scientists jointly decide how it should be protected and used. Timber is certified and processed locally, from logging through to the production of finished goods. A forest nursery grows new trees and creates jobs, while forest roads are maintained to support both production activities and wildfire prevention.
Water remains within the local ecosystem and is used responsibly to meet the needs of residents, crops, and small-scale energy production. A small energy community covers part of the village’s energy needs, reducing household costs and strengthening local autonomy.
Along the trails, one encounters hikers, cyclists, and athletes. There is a small repair shop for bicycles and motorbikes, a downhill track, a sports field, and a football team. Children play by the river, just as residents had dreamed many years earlier, when Vovousa too was threatened by the wave of rural depopulation that brought so many other villages to the brink of disappearance. Every summer, a festival celebrating the forest, water, and livestock farming is held, bringing back people with roots in Vovousa and welcoming those who have chosen to build a new life here.
Vovousa in 2040 is a place that has learned to engage in dialogue, work together, and collectively care for what it considers valuable.