Silva Mediterranea

Over 90 years of Mediterranean forest management

Working groups and ongoing activities

Silva Mediterranea works with the administrations and institutions of its Member States to examine trends in forest and land use in the region, to identify priorities for research, and to implement studies and surveys. Member countries exchange information and technology as well as share resources and expertise as they work together on selected topics of mutual interest.

The identity and mandate of the working groups of Silva Mediterranea are products of the history of the Committee. Though some of the working groups were recently established, others are the continuation of thematic research networks that formed the core of Silva Mediterranea activity before 2002, when Silva Mediterranea was coordinating six research networks. Based on the evaluation of Silva Mediterranea conducted in 1999, the Committee Silva Mediterranea took the decision in 2002 at its  Eighteenth session in Rome to replace research networks with working groups. Silva Mediterranea is currently comprised of six working groups:

• Working group 1: forest fires, led by Spain. As endorsed by the Committee at its Eighteenth session in 2002, WG1 is the continuation of the research network on forest fire management that was established in 1987 at the Thirteenth session of the Committee in Zaragoza.
• Working group 2: cork oak and non-timber forest products, led by Portugal. As endorsed by the Committee at its Eighteenth session in 2002, WG2 is the continuation of the research network on the silviculture of cork oak that was established in 1992 at the Fifteenth session of the Committee in Faro. WG2 was originally focused on cork oak and was then extended to non-timber forest products in 2012 at the Twenty-First session of the Committee in Antalya.
• Working group 4: forest genetic resources, led by Italy.  WG4 was revived in 2008 at the Twentieth session of the Committee in Sofia as the continuation of the research network established in 1987 at the Thirteenth Session of the Committee in Zaragoza, on the selection of stands of Mediterranean conifers to produce seeds to be used in reforestation programmes.
• Working group 5: urban and peri-urban forestry, led by Italy. WG5 was established in 2012 at the Twenty-First session of the Committee in Antalya.
• Working group 6: desertification and restoration in Mediterranean drylands, led by Turkey. WG6 was established in 2012 at the Twenty-First session of the Committee in Antalya.

At the 2008 Twentieth session in Sofia, members of the Silva Mediterranea Committee asked each working group to develop a programme of activities for the period of 2009 to 2012. These work programmes (except Programme Activity on funding mechanisms) were presented and approved at a special session of Silva Mediterranea, held in Rome in 2009 during the COFO. These work programmes can be downloaded from the home pages of each Working Group in the Silva Mediterranea website.