MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEKS
The Mediterranean Forest Weeks (MFW) were conceived as a common platform for regional cooperation on Mediterranean forests, aiming to improve the dialogue between the research community, policy makers and stakeholders, as well as to communicate to the international community and society at large the importance of Mediterranean forests and the challenges affecting them.
Seven editions have already taken place, on the different shores of the Mediterranean. A “Short History of the Mediterranean Forest Weeks” was published after the 5th edition in Agadir.
1st SFM, Antalya, Turkey 2010
2nd SFM, Avignon, France, 2011
3rd SFM, Tlemcen, Algeria, 2013
4th SFM, Barcelona, Spain, 2015
5th SFM, Agadir, Morocco, 2017
6th SFM, Broummana, Lebanon, 2019
7th SFM, Antalya, Turkey 2022
The next edition is scheduled in Barcelona, Spain, from November 4 to 7, 2024.
NEWS
8th MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(NOVEMBER 4-7 2024, BARCELONA - SPAIN)
The 8th Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW), entitled “Working together for sustainable and resilient Mediterranean forests – Towards a collaborative roadmap”, will take place from 4 to 7 November 2024 in the beautiful Art Nouveau venue of Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain. This biennial event is a key platform for researchers, policy makers and stakeholders to foster dialogue and cooperation on the challenges and opportunities facing Mediterranean forests.
The 8MFW will bring together key stakeholders in forest management to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to the preservation of Mediterranean forests. In the face of threats from climate change and biodiversity loss, this event will highlight the importance of strengthening the resilience of forest ecosystems. Participants will present innovative strategies to restore degraded forests, promote sustainable management practices and strengthen cooperation between different stakeholders.
At the heart of the discussions will be themes such as fire prevention, post-fire restoration, forest biodiversity, adaptation to climate change and nature-based solutions to improve the resilience of territories. This Forest Week will also be an opportunity to present concrete projects and highlight local initiatives that contribute to the preservation of Mediterranean forests.
For more information, visit the website https://mediterraneanforestweek.org.
7th MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(MARCH 21-25, 2022, ANTALYA - Türkiye)
The seventh Mediterranean Forest Week, entitled “Restoring forests and ecosystems for the next Mediterranean generations”, was held from 21 to 25 March 2022 in Antalya, Turkey.
As a member of the Organising Committee, AIFM was in charge of managing registrations, organised and moderated a plenary session and organised two side events.
At the end of this event, the Antalya Declaration and the Youth Declaration were adopted.
More information on the dedicated website: https://vi-med.forestweek.org/en
6th MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(APRIL 1-5, 2019, BROUMMANA - LEBANON)
The 6th Mediterranean Forest Week took place in Broummana, Lebanon in April 2019, on the theme of “The Role of Mediterranean Forests in the Paris Agreement: Challenges and Opportunities“.
As a member of the Joint Organizing Committee, AIFM was in charge of managing registrations and organizing a side event on “Valorization of Forests and Preservation of Mass Tourism” and thus widely informing participants about the results of its INHERIT project.
More information on the dedicated website: https://vi-med.forestweek.org/en
5th MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(MARCH 20-24, 2017, AGADIR - MOROCCO)
The 5th Mediterranean Forest Week took place in Morocco in March 2017, on the issue of Restoration of forests and landscapes in the Mediterranean.
AIFM was in charge of creating and managing the website, managing registrations and supporting the general organization. It was also involved in the content, with the co-organization of three case study sessions on restoration in the Mediterranean.
This week also aimed to widely inform about the results of its MEDFORVAL project thanks to a stand and a specific side event.
More information is available on the website of the week: https://mediterraneanforestweek.org.
4th MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(MARCH 16-20, 2015, BARCELONA - SPAIN)
The 4th Mediterranean Forest Week takes place in Barcelona, at the Art Nouveau site of Sant Pau.
The theme of this edition focused on the green economy, with the title: “Improving living conditions: the role of Mediterranean forests in the green economy“
AIFM was in charge of organizing a session, dedicated to Tools and initiatives to support forest development, as well as a side event, on the theme of Protected Areas, in connection with the MEDFORVAL project.
More information is available on the website of the week: https://mediterraneanforestweek.org.
3rd MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(MARCH 17-21, 2013, TLEMCEN, ALGERIA)
The 3rd Mediterranean Forest Week took place in Algeria in March 2013.
For this new edition, the proposed theme was: “Forests for the sustainable development of rural areas: what strategies for mitigation and adaptation to global changes in Mediterranean forested areas?“.
Among the many results of the Week, we can note:
- The presentation of the State of Mediterranean Forests 2013 by FAO and Plan Bleu,
- The adoption of the Strategic Framework for Mediterranean Forests by the high-level segment within the framework of the Tlemcen Declaration.
- Discussion forums, round tables, press conferences and a high-level segment punctuated this Week which ended with World Tree Day.
The field visit took place in the Tlemcen National Park (hunting reserve, cork oak forest).
AIFM was responsible for producing an information leaflet, translated into French, English, Spanish, Arabic and Turkish, and was also involved in organising sessions and preparing the two documents mentioned above.
2nd MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(5-8 APRIL 2011, AVIGNON, FRANCE)
Following the success of the first SFM, a 2nd Week was organized from April 5 to 8, 2011 in Avignon (France), hosted by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Affairs and Regional Planning on the occasion of the United Nations International Year of Forests. The AIFM, a member of the organizing committee, actively participated in the organization of this event. Four preparatory meetings were held on June 15 (Avignon), October 7 (Rome), December 9, 2010 (Marseille) and February 18, 2011 (Avignon).
AIFM played a leading role during this Week by organizing, in collaboration with the Blue Plan, the “Forests, Societies and Territories” (FST) sessions, a sort of civil forum open to everyone’s voice. More than 150 participants over two days from 13 Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Spain, France, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey) were able to exchange and discuss on the participatory management of Mediterranean forests, allowing a rich sharing of experiences between the different actors, whether forest owners, managers, local or national elected officials or ordinary individuals.
1st MEDITERRANEAN FOREST WEEK
(APRIL 13-16, 2010, ANTALYA, Türkiye)
The 1st Mediterranean Forest Week was organized in Antalya (Turkey) from 13 to 16 April 2010 by the Silva Mediterranea Committee (FAO), jointly with EFIMED, AIFM, Plan Bleu, the Turkish Government and the Association of Forest Engineers of Turkey.
This event brought together more than 150 forestry experts from the Mediterranean Basin. A workshop, in which AIFM participated, led to the collective adoption of a Declaration (position paper) on the role of forests in rural development and food security. This was intended for the Ministers of Agriculture of the Union for the Mediterranean and was to be presented to them at a Ministerial Conference scheduled for 15 and 16 June 2010 in Cairo (Egypt). It was finally postponed.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the Mediterranean Forest Week is to promote cooperation and knowledge sharing among forest management stakeholders in the Mediterranean. It aims to foster a constructive dialogue between researchers, policy makers, forest managers and other stakeholders in order to address the common challenges facing forests in this region. By encouraging the exchange of experiences and good practices, this event contributes to improving the sustainable management of Mediterranean forests, strengthening their resilience to climate change and preserving their exceptional biodiversity.
JOINT ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
The Organising Committee of the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week brings together international institutions, non-governmental organisations, universities and forestry administrations from across the Mediterranean region. Their collective expertise covers a wide range of fields, from scientific research to forest management and public policies. This committee plays a key role in defining the strategic orientations of the event and ensures the representativeness of the different actors involved in the preservation of Mediterranean forests.
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