The Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) is a public research institution that was created in 1987 by the Generalitat (Autonomous Government) of Catalonia, the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC), to promote basic and applied research in terrestrial ecology. The University of Barcelona (UB) subsequently joined in.

CREAF is a consortium created by government decree Nº 300/1987 on 4 August and has full legal authorization to conduct its activities. CREAF headquarters are located on the Bellaterra campus of the UAB (Cerdanyola del Vallès). The geographic scope of CREAF ranges from local to international.