Silva Mediterranea

Over 90 years of Mediterranean forest management

Silva Mediterranea Strategy 2019-2030

The 23^rd Session of the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions - Silva Mediterranea took place at Brummana, Lebanon, from 1 to 5 April 2019. A major outcome of the 23^rd Session was the adoption by members of a new strategy for Silva Mediterranea for the years 2019-2030.

Based on the Tlemcen Declaration and the Strategic Framework on Mediterranean Forest that identified forest-related priorities for the whole region, it was agreed that a strategy was needed for the Silva Mediterranea Committee to fulfil its vision in the current context of Mediterranean changes.

The strategy will enable Silva Mediterranea to focus on innovative topics in complementarity to actions undertaken by other partners. The strategy will encourage stronger engagement on part of Mediterranean countries and inspire to jointly address agreed priorities.

The objectives of this new strategy are the following:

• Objective 1: Improve the resilience of the forest ecosystems and other wooded lands in the Mediterranean to face global changes;
• Objective 2: Develop and promote the goods and services provided by forest ecosystems and other wooded lands in the Mediterranean region.

The specific actions to be taken to accomplish objective 1, the improvement of resilience, are to:

• Implement the roadmap defined in the Agadir Commitment to support forest and landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, and land degradation neutrality;
• Integrate knowledge on forest genetic resources at the Mediterranean level and develop and promote genetic-based criteria for monitoring and reporting;
• Integrate fire prevention in national forest programmes and adaptation strategies to climate change.

The accomplishment of this objective foresees the involvement of subsidiary bodies of Silva Mediterranea such as: a working group on forest fires, another working group on forest genetic resources, and one on desertification and restoration of Mediterranean drylands.

The specific actions to be taken to accomplish objective 2, development and promotion of goods and services, are to:

• Develop a platform to empower entrepreneurs of projects that valorises the goods and services provided by Mediterranean forests, with a focus on non-wood forest products;
• Organize practical guides on how to valorise ecosystem services from Mediterranean forests;
• Promote the use of existing indicators on urban and peri-urban forests and green infrastructures;
• Adopt strategic approaches in local and national policies, planning, and management facilitating the harmonization between urban and rural landscapes wherever forests and trees outside forest are key components.

The accomplishment of this objective also foresees the involvement of subsidiary bodies of Silva Mediterranea such as: working group on cork oak and non-wood forest products and working group on urban and peri-urban forests.

Moreover, to achieve the success of this strategy, it will be essential to integrate the following transversal actions:

• Raise awareness on the main topics of interest and share experience and knowledge across countries at the Mediterranean Forest Weeks every two years;
• Engage into the development of a portfolio of projects with a regional component, eligible to the funds, facilities and financing programmes addressing the goals of the Rio Conventions.

In conclusion, the implementation of the new Silva Mediterranea strategy will be monitored at a regional level using those indicators within the existing Global core set of forest-related indicators of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests as they are relevant to the objectives of the Silva Mediterranea strategy. By reporting every five years on trends in these indicators in the State of Mediterranean Forests the team can guarantee efficiency.

For more information on the Silva Mediterranea strategy for the years 2019-2030 please contact [email protected]

Caterina Marchetta & Nicolas Picard - FAO