A look back at the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week
The 8th Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW), entitled ‘Working together for sustainable and resilient Mediterranean forests – Towards a collaborative roadmap’, was held in Barcelona from 4 to 7 November 2024. During the week, the focus was on restoring forest ecosystems, adapting to climate change and promoting biodiversity.
Everywhere, the same observation and the same message
Organised by the FAO, EFIMED and AIFM, the 8MFW brought together researchers, foresters, international and regional organisations and representatives of national authorities from various Mediterranean countries. Climate change, wildfires and the loss of biodiversity are all cause for concern, but growing awareness and efforts at financial and legislative levels offer hope for the future of forest ecosystems.
The key message of the Week was to support collaboration between countries and between different organisations to strengthen the impact and effectiveness of actions on the ground and with political decision-makers, by launching the idea of a Mediterranean Forest Initiative (MFI), which will be developed over the coming months.
AIFM committed to biodiversity at the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week
By co-organising session 3, ‘From policy to implementation – Adapting the Global Biodiversity Framework to preserve and restore biodiversity in Mediterranean forests’, and by organising 2 parallel events presenting the Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium and the Interreg Euro-MED StrategyMedFor project, AIFM was on all fronts to fulfil its mission of facilitating exchanges between the various players involved in Mediterranean forest management.
8MFW Session 3: Biodiversity in Mediterranean forests - From policy to action
Adapting the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to preserve and restore Mediterranean forests
Chairman: Abdelhamid Khaldi, President of AIFM and Forestry Researcher INRGREF, Tunisia
Speakers : Kaoutar Aouane, Director of Talassemtane National Park (Morocco) – Lucio Brotto, Co-founder and Director of the Private Business Unit, Etifor – Marion Douchin, Project Manager at Tour du Valat – Bruno Fady, Research Director, INRAE – URFM, Avignon – Nizar Hani, Director General, Shouf Biosphere Reserve – Juan A. Hernández Agüero, Biologist and postdoctoral researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Livia Zapponi , Researcher (IBE – Italian National Research Council) – Yildiray Lise, Deputy Director General, Nature Conservation Centre, Turkey – Leila Rossa Mouawad, Researcher, American University of Beirut
In a context of increasing climate change, preserving and restoring the biodiversity of Mediterranean forests are key issues.
This session explored the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in December 2022 at COP 15, after four years of consultations and negotiations. This ambitious framework, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, aims to achieve a vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. In particular, it sets key targets for 2030, such as :
- Restore 30% of degraded ecosystems,
- Conservation of 30% of land, water and seas,
- Significantly reduce the loss of biodiversity.
The panel highlighted concrete actions to achieve these goals: adopting nature-based solutions, restoring degraded land and valuing ecosystem services. Also discussed were collaborative initiatives such as the Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium, launched in 2021, which mobilises local stakeholders to preserve natural resources, improve quality of life and promote solutions tailored to the region’s specific environmental challenges.
This session, co-organised by IUCN Med and AIFM, offered an enriching dialogue on strategies and tools for preserving the unique heritage of Mediterranean forests while meeting the objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
8MFW Side event: Shaping the future of Mediterranean forests
Speakers: Alain Chaudron (AIFM), Dania Abdul Malak (ETC UMA), Gavriil Xanthopoulos (CIHEAM MAICh), Annemarie Bastrup Birk (University of Copenhagen)
As part of the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week, a side event entitled ‘Shaping the future of Mediterranean forests’ was held to discuss initiatives for sustainable forest management in this unique region.
Presentation of the StrategyMedFor project
The event began with a detailed presentation of the StrategyMedFor project, which aims to develop a common strategy for the sustainable management of Mediterranean forests. This initiative focuses on adapting forest management policies and practices to meet the environmental, economic and social challenges specific to the Mediterranean region.
Collaborative work: adapting Criteria and Indicators
The session continued with a collaborative workshop bringing together various key players: decision-makers, forest managers, researchers and representatives of civil society. The main objective of this workshop was to adapt the Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management to the Mediterranean context. These tools are essential for assessing the sustainability of current practices and defining guidelines adapted to the specific ecological, climatic and socio-economic features of the region.
The participants worked collectively to :
- Identify gaps in existing C&I,
- Integrate considerations specific to the Mediterranean basin, such as fire resilience, soil condition and biodiversity,
- Propose concrete changes to make these criteria more operational and relevant at local and regional level.
Expected result: an integrated strategy
The contributions from this workshop will serve as a basis for developing the strategy for the sustainable management of Mediterranean forests, which is a key deliverable of the StrategyMedFor project. This strategy will provide a coherent and harmonised framework to guide the efforts of Mediterranean countries in preserving and enhancing their forest ecosystems, while adapting to emerging challenges such as climate change.
The event highlighted the importance of a participatory and collaborative approach to ensure the success of this initiative, and reinforced the commitment of stakeholders to a sustainable future for Mediterranean forests.
Find out more about the StrategyMedFor project
8MFW Side event: The Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium
Chairmen: Mr Naoufel Ben Haha, Director General of Forests in Tunisia and incoming Chairman of the Silva Mediterranea Committee, Mr Umit Turhan, Deputy Director General of Forests in Turkey and outgoing Chairman of the Silva Mediterranea Committee.
Speakers: Joelle Salameh (AIFM), Marion Douchin (Tour du Valat), Rosario Galàn (IUCN Med), Dr Kaouther Ben Yahia (INRGREF)
At this side event, organised as part of the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week, AIFM, IUCN-Med and Tour du Valat presented the Mediterranean Consortium for Biodiversity (CMB). This initiative highlights an integrated approach aimed at promoting nature-based solutions (NBS) to increase the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems in the face of growing challenges.
Presentation of the CMB and the RESCOM project
The event began with an introduction to the CMB and the RESCOM project, which is part of this approach. Two case studies from Tunisia and Turkey were presented to illustrate the concrete actions being taken in the field.
Common observation: the urgent need to take action for Mediterranean ecosystems
The rich discussions between foresters from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon highlighted a shared observation: Mediterranean ecosystems are subject to multiple pressures, in particular the loss of biodiversity, climate change, over-exploitation of resources and inappropriate forest governance.
The case of Tunisia in particular illustrates these challenges. While local populations are heavily dependent on forest resources, these are often inaccessible to them due to outdated legal frameworks.
Proposals for regional transformation
Faced with these challenges, the participants called for a transformation of forest governance, based on a vision of co-management actively involving local communities. This innovative approach is based on several pillars:
- Recognition of local communities as legitimate guardians of their natural heritage.
- Development of targeted training to help them adopt income-generating practices that benefit the environment.
- Reform of forestry codes, to integrate this inclusive and sustainable vision into the legal frameworks of Mediterranean countries.
A new vision for Mediterranean forests
This co-management model transcends environmental issues to become a genuine social project. Replicable throughout the Mediterranean basin, it aims to combine ecological resilience, social justice and sustainable economic development.
The participants stressed that it is time for Mediterranean countries to rethink their forestry policies, placing at the heart of their actions the key role of local populations in the management and preservation of fragile ecosystems.
Find out more about the RESCOM project and the Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium
The 8th Mediterranean Forest Week was rich and intense, full of meetings, reunions and new projects in the pipeline. Now it’s time for action!
You can find all the information about the 8th Week and its alumni at Mediterranean Forest Week and on the 8SFM website mediterraneanforestweek.org.
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