AFWC/EFC/NEFRC Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions - Silva Mediterranea
Established in 1948, the Committee of Mediterranean Forestry Questions - Silva Mediterranea is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) statutory body where the Mediterranean Member Countries of the European Forestry Commission (EFC), the Near East Forestry and Range Commission (NEFRC) and the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) meet, share experiences and establish cooperative programmes.
Its role is to insert Mediterranean forest questions into a participatory process, acting as a catalyst for their management, proposing related calls for action and addressing its five working groups’ activities on timely and emerging forest topics.
Where there is need for research, the Committee established cooperative research networks on subjects identified during its sessions. It established five working groups on forest fires, cork oak and non-timber forest products, forest genetic resources, urban and peri-urban forestry, and the desertification and restoration of Mediterranean drylands.
The Silva Mediterranea Chair
Mr Mohamed Naoufel Ben Haha
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Mohamed Naoufel Ben Haha, born in 1968, is a Tunisian agricultural engineer specialising in agroeconomics. Since 1995, he has contributed to the development and implementation of a participatory, partnership-based territorial approach to the sustainable management of natural resources. He was Director of Rural Spatial Planning, where he played a significant role in the preservation of agricultural land and the protection of natural resources. In October 2023, he was appointed Director General of Forestry at the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Maritime Fishing. In his current role, he promotes innovative forest management, focusing on sustainable co-management and the socio-economic development of forest areas. His strategic priorities include restoring degraded ecosystems and developing forest resources sustainably, taking into account the challenges posed by climate change. In November 2024, during the Tunisian Forest Week, he stressed the importance of evaluating the third strategic forestry plan and announced the preparation of the fourth plan for 2025-2050. He also emphasised the need to improve forest cover in Tunisia and integrate forest areas into agricultural development.