Side events at the Eighth Mediterranean Forest Week 2024 – day 1

(The Eighth Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW) held in Barcelona, Spain, from 4 to 7 November 2024, hosted a total of 14 side events, where key regional stakeholders showcased their work, research and projects.  

On day 1, 4 November 2024, five side events took place:  

The Eighth Mediterranean Forest Week Youth Dialogue 

See article here. 

The Ninth MedForum 

Initiated on Monday, this side event continued on Tuesday, 5 November. As the general assembly of the Mediterranean Model Forest Network (MMFN), the event focused on strengthening collaboration for sustainable and resilient forests across the Mediterranean. The MedForum is a key gathering in shaping the network’s role and vision towards sustainable and resilient Mediterranean forests.  

Chaired by Toni Ventre and Elisabetta Gravano from the Tuscany Region, the 2-day event featured updates from model forest representatives across the Mediterranean, including Albania, Algeria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain and Türkiye.  

Special guests included Jaroslaw Bator, who discussed opportunities for collaboration with the Northern Europe Model Forest Network, and Chadi Mohanna, who highlighted Lebanon’s efforts to restore landscapes and biodiversity despite the challenges posed by ongoing conflict.  

The final session introduced several impactful initiatives: a 15-month scholarship for Mediterranean youth in forest and landscape restoration (FLR), a web platform to monitor FLR projects in alignment with the Agadir Commitment, and the premiere of a docuseries showcasing grassroots restoration efforts.  

These activities, combined with discussions on the upcoming International Model Forest Network Global Forum and Canada’s Global Forestry Leadership Program, emphasized MMFN’s commitment to creating future leaders and fostering collaboration across networks to address pressing environmental challenges. 

Additional resources: 

• MedForum full report with photos and presentations
• FLR scholarship
• To learn more about the MMFN

Andrea Barzagli (Compagnia delle Foreste), Silva Vannini (MMFN),
Elisabetta Gravano (MMFN) and Toni Ventre (MMFN) 

Motor Verde: promoting innovation in forest asset protection with advanced firefighting technology 

During this session, Grupo Sylvestris convened a panel of private sector experts to discuss innovative technologies aimed at mitigating forest fire risks. The session was facilitated by Patricia R. Sfeir and featured the following speakers:  

• Enrique Enciso and Francisco Martínez – Grupo Sylvestris  
• Eustaquio Revilla – Council of Grandas de Salime  
• Natalia Solana and Antonio Perez Lepe – Repsol Foundation  
• Javier Izquierdo – Hispasat  
• José Luis Liz Grana – PYRO Fire Extinction  
• Iván Muñoz – Regional Government of Extremadura, Spain

The speakers emphasized cutting-edge practices and technologies that enable effective monitoring of forests to reduce fire risks. A key initiative discussed was Motor Verde, an impact investment programme created by the Repsol Foundation and operated by Grupo Sylvestris. Motor Verde serves as a social engine for rural development through forest planting powered by green investors. With technical support from Hispasat and PYRO, Grupo Sylvestris has successfully implemented satellite connectivity for forest monitoring. This technology is currently cost-effective, especially when significant investments are made to protect carbon rights. 

Additional resources: 

• Learn more about Motor Verde
• Learn more about Grupo Sylvestris

Patricia R. Sfeir (FCNMEDNE) 

The ResAlliance informative session on disseminating and making the most of knowledge materials  

The Mediterranean is warming 20 percent faster than the global average, intensifying challenges such as desertification, drought, floods and wildfires. These threats endanger biodiversity, food supply, and water and human safety. The ResAlliance project aims to enhance landscape resilience by promoting innovative research, collaboration and stakeholder engagement in agriculture and forestry.  

At this side event, ResAlliance experts from the European Forest Institute’s Mediterranean Facility (EFIMED), ETIFOR and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (CIHEAM-MAICh) showcased the project’s objectives, expected outcomes and resources, including comprehensive factsheets and a massive open online course. The initiative operates through five regional hubs, known as LandLabs, located in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These hubs serve as centres for sharing knowledge, holding participatory events and hosting practical field activities, aimed at fostering innovative solutions to enhance landscape resilience. Additionally, ResAlliance has developed a networking platform – the LandNet – to increase collaboration, expand access to knowledge and enhance the dissemination of innovative solutions and best practices on landscape resilience cross the Mediterranean basin.  

To date, the project has published 121 factsheets on its website, with translations into various Mediterranean languages planned for the near future. This collection offers practical insights, best practices, case studies and key topics on enhancing landscape resilience, with a focus on addressing climate change challenges in the Mediterranean, particularly wildfires and droughts.  

Additional resources: 

• LandNet
• To share good practices on landscape resilience

Dany Ghosn (CIHEAM), Chariton Kalaitzidis (CIHEAM),
Ilektra Remoundou (CIHEAM), David Martin (Pau Costa Foundation),
Valentina Romanin (ETIFOR) and Eduard Mauri (EFIMED) 

Partnership Talks on Forestry, with a special focus on the FAO–Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme 

This side event focused on Türkiye’s regional and national forestry initiatives undertaken in collaboration with FAO, particularly through the FAO–Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP). Highlighting Türkiye’s leadership in sustainable forest management and restoration, the event explored the programme’s achievements, including restoration efforts, training, and initiatives to increase women’s incomes through non-wood forest products.  

Panellists emphasized Türkiye’s innovative approaches, such as the Basin Restoration Model and nature-based solutions while reaffirming its commitment to the Antalya Declaration’s goal of restoring 2.3 million hectares by 2030. Discussions also underscored the ecological and socioeconomic importance of Mediterranean and Central Asian forests for addressing challenges like desertification, climate change and rural abandonment.  

Key takeaways included the FTFP’s contributions to capacity building, knowledge sharing and promoting resilience through South–South cooperation. The side event concluded with a call to prioritize climate adaptation, biodiversity and agroforestry within regional restoration efforts, aligning with FAO’s “four betters” framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Additional resources: 

• FAO–Türkiye Partnership Programmes
• FAO–Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme showcases regional restoration efforts at the 8MFW

Eray Özdemir (OGM), Ümit Turhan (OGM), Mustafa Özkaya (OGM), Ekrem Yazici (FAO),
Ayşegül Selişik (FAO), Iffet Cengiz (FAO) and Kivanç Özcan (FAO)