Optimizing the production of goods and services by Mediterranean forests in a context of global changes

Support stakeholders in Mediterranean woodland management and rehabilitation in order to ensure the sustainable provision of forest goods and services.

Forest goods and services: an important issue in the Mediterranean

The forests of the six partner countries – Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Türkiye – cover a total surface area of almost 19 million hectares. These woodlands contribute mainly to the fight against poverty, the socio-economic development of rural areas, the food security and the cultural and recreational heritage.

Forest management strategies do not take the impact of climate change adequately into account as managers lack specific and operational knowledge. The value of the services provided by the ecosystems must be better recognized:

• At the local level, by the local population,
• At the national level, by other economic sectors benefiting,
• At the international level, absence in the REDD+ negotiations.

Five focus areas adopted as priorities

• Integrate the impacts of climate change into forestry management policies and produce data and tools regarding both the vulnerability of forests and their ability to adapt.
• Assess the socio-economic values of goods and services provided by Mediterranean forest ecosystems.
• Improve modes of governance for Mediterranean forest ecosystems at territorial scale.
• Optimize and value the role of Mediterranean forests in climate change mitigation (carbon sinks), via the production of methodological tools.
• Promote coordination and sharing of experience between Mediterranean stakeholders via the Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests (CPMF).

Two project managers: Plan Bleu and the Secretariat of the FAO   Silva Mediterranea

The project is conducted under the umbrella of the regional cooperation framework, which consists of the FAO committee on Mediterranean forestry issues  – Silva Mediterranea  and the  Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests.

This project is funded by the French Global Environment Facility (FGEF) and jointly funded by GIZ (the German agency for international cooperation), the European Union and the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Project ownership has been jointly entrusted to Plan Bleu (for components 2, 3 and 5) and the Secretariat of the FAO  committee Silva Mediterranea  (for components 1, 4 and 5).

Encourage exchanges by implementing activities on pilot sites

Each project component is structured according to the following approach:

• An effort to capitalize and provide a regional perspective,
• A focus on 4 to 6 pilot sites,
• Exchanges of knowledge between countries and institutions of the Mediterranean region,
• The promotion of results of the project at the international level.

This approach is fundamental to provide concrete answers to forest managers while offering – and promoting on the international scene – a regional political and strategic reading of the sustainable management of Mediterranean forest ecosystems.

The selected pilot sites are:

• Algeria: Djelfa and Chréa
• Lebanon: Jabal Moussa
• Morocco: Maamora
• Tunisia: Barbara and Siliana
• Türkiye: Düzlerçami