As part of the project “The Paris Agreement in Action: Scaling Up Forest and Landscape Restoration to Achieve Nationally Determined Contributions” funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), a regional capacity-building workshop for Mediterranean countries on the restoration of degraded forest landscapes was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the General Directorate of Forests of Tunisia. The objective was to share knowledge related to the restoration of degraded Mediterranean forest landscapes with a focus on how to assess, plan, implement and monitor restoration.

This regional workshop was organized with the technical and financial support of various international organizations: the FAO Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism, the FAO Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions – Silva Mediterranea, the FAO national office in Tunisia, the General Directorate of Forests (DGF) of Tunisia, the International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM), the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Union for the Mediterranean, the Mediterranean Regional Office of the European Forest Institute (EFIMED) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). More than 30 participants from five countries (Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Türkiye) attended the workshop.

This started with an overview on the IKI-funded project and its Mediterranean regional component, and the status of Mediterranean forest resources and restoration. The roles of the Mediterranean region in reaching global pledges and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 were also addressed. Following this general introduction, a more technical session was led by IUCN to present the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) and the various steps, requirements and outcomes that it can produce. Participants worked on some practical examples in groups, which focused on a selected Mediterranean ecosystem.

The second day was dedicated to restoration practices and how to implement them on the ground. It focused on post-fire restoration and assisted natural regeneration (ANR). Based on the content of a handbook published in 2019, EFIMED presented post-fire forest management with practical examples from Spain. Still in connection with post-fire restoration, AIFM then presented the national approach in France on the subject, and the restoration case of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire following a fire that ravaged over 50 square kilometres of the mountain’s South face in 1989. This also provided an opportunity to discuss restoration financing with a practical case on private–public partnership from France.

The workshop also covered the key role of forest genetic resources in implementing restoration with the case study of the Aleppo pine – a common species in the Mediterranean region – presented by the secretariat of Silva Mediterranea. The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT presented the Diversity for Restoration tool (D4R), which supports decision-making on the use of appropriate tree species and seed sources for tree-based restoration and other tree planting activities, as well as its application in Lebanon. A session on the importance of monitoring and the available tools to implement it was organized, covering all the steps of the restoration process. During the session in the workshop room, each participating country got a chance to talk about a restoration case and discuss the lessons learned and specific needs with other participants and experts.

The presentations were then followed by a field visit to show how the material discussed could be implemented in practice. This was an opportunity to learn more about post-fire restoration, ANR, the use of genetic resources and plantation management from DGF experts. This field trip in the Zaghouan region was key to showcasing Tunisian restoration efforts and strategies on the ground.

Overall, this regional workshop facilitated an improved understanding among participants of Mediterranean forest and landscape restoration processes with a focus on successful and cost-effective restoration and rehabilitation of forests and biodiversity. The training was an opportunity to share experiences, expertise and regional needs, thus contributing to enhanced regional dynamics and knowledge sharing.

Valentina Garavaglia (FAO)