IV Mediterranean Forest Week: Towards a collaborative partnership for cooperation on Mediterranean forests
Barcelona, 20 March 2015. The IV Mediterranean Forest Week took place from 17-20 March 2015 at the headquarters of the Mediterranean Regional Office of the European Forest Institute (EFIMED) in Barcelona. The event gathered key representatives from the Mediterranean forest research community, policymakers and relevant stakeholders involved in the integrated management of Mediterranean forests.
The sessions aimed at fostering dialogue and synergies between stakeholders, promoting innovative and cross-sectorial cooperation for increased resilience of forested ecosystems and joining forces for the mobilisation of financing.
Within this framework, some of the key European and multilateral donors discussed ways to mobilise financial resources and improve coordination for the implementation of subregional and intersectorial projects in forested Mediterranean landscapes. In a session chaired by the UfM Secretariat, they presented their programmes and financial instruments as well as their priorities by 2020. They also discussed opportunities to link their action with the Strategic Framework set by the Tlemcen Declaration, which was adopted by more than 300 participants from 15 countries at a high-level session in Algeria during the III Mediterranean Forest Week (21 March 2013).
Recognising the importance of promoting sustainable development of the Mediterranean forests and landscapes, the Declaration set the basis for a Strategic Framework on Mediterranean Forests: to develop and promote goods and services provided by forest ecosystems and other wooded lands in the Mediterranean; promote resilience of forest ecosystems and other wooded lands in the Mediterranean in the face of global change; and enhance the capacity of the stakeholders and mobilise resources for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and other wooded lands in the Mediterranean.
While pointing out the relevance of the Tlemcen Declaration, the UfM Secretariat highlighted the great potential for collaboration and integration on forestry issues within the UfM agenda through the different platforms of dialogue and the promotion of relevant projects of regional scope.
The UfM Secretariat recognises the importance of the actions promoted by Silva Mediterranea-FAO, EFIMED and other important organisers of the Forest Week, which are in line with one of the main priorities of the UfM: to promote sustainable development and contribute to tackling current environmental challenges in the Mediterranean by developing major impact through regional projects. In this regard, forests and other woodlands provide ecosystems that play a key role in improving the quality of life of the people of the Mediterranean.
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