Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Monitoring Tools for Forest and Landscape Restoration in the Mediterranean

6-10 November 2023, Barcelona – As part of the UfM-labelled project “The Paris Agreement in action: scaling up forest and landscape restoration to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions,” the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the EFI Mediterranean Facility and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is organizing a regional capacity building workshop for Mediterranean countries on the restoration of degraded forest landscapes.

The workshop emerges as a proactive response to the urgent need for strategic long-term monitoring frameworks. A principal focus of this workshop is the presentation of meticulously crafted monitoring tools for ecological restoration, developed by FAO. These tools are poised to empower participants in their roles as stewards of forest and landscape management, enabling them to shape decisive management actions and facilitate informed future planning. Furthermore, this workshop is a propitious occasion to fortify the FRA 2020 Remote Sensing Survey (RSS) targeting the Mediterranean region. The FRA 2020 RSS places a pronounced emphasis on the integration of field knowledge into the image analysis process through the active involvement of survey countries. Distinguished experts, well-acquainted with Mediterranean vegetation and land use, will receive comprehensive training encompassing FRA remote sensing survey methodology and the proficient utilization of satellite image interpretation and analysis software, with particular emphasis on Mediterranean exemplars.

Post-workshop, participants will be well-equipped to play a pivotal role in monitoring and applying the latest restoration tools, including the FRA 2020 RSS, within their countries and across the broader Mediterranean region, ultimately contributing to sustainable restoration efforts.