The Institute of Economics and Rural Development of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences has launched a three-year Erasmus+ project “REVIVE: Restoring Ecosystems in the Face of Depopulation via Innovation & Entrepreneurship”, which aims to address the challenges of rural depopulation and its impact on ecosystem services such as food production, water resources, climate regulation, culture, and recreation. The project starts on 1 September 2025 and ends on 31 August 2028, with a total budget of EUR 250,000.
In recent decades, many rural areas have experienced either land abandonment or over-intensification, leading to significant changes in the use of natural resources. The project aims to bring together young students, entrepreneurs, and senior residents to develop sustainable initiatives that strengthen local economies and contribute to ecosystem restoration.
Planned activities include data collection on demographic, economic, and ecosystem changes, training sessions and community workshops on sustainable entrepreneurship and ecosystem services, and the development of a MOOC-type online course featuring modules. The project will also document good practices and organise international seminars and local workshops to foster knowledge exchange and the creation of innovative solutions.
The project partners are: University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik), University of Salamanca (Spain), University of Catania (Italy), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (EKVI), and University of Oulu (Finland). This collaboration will allow for a comparison of regional experiences and the creation of a shared methodological framework for reviving the vitality of rural areas.
Project implementation team in Lithuania:
Dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė (project manager), tel. (+370 5) 261 7071, zivile.gedminaite@ekvi.lt
PhD student Genovaitė Beniulienė, genovaite.beniuliene@ekvi.lt
PhD student Jonas Pupius, jonas.pupius@ekvi.lt
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