Silva Mediterranea

Over 90 years of Mediterranean forest management

Project funded by the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM)

Maximize the production of goods and services of Mediterranean forest ecosystems in the context of global changes

Mediterranean forests in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East will be increasingly subject to human pressures (overgrazing, fuel wood collection, wildfire, agricultural conversions, etc.) and the effects of climate change (increasing temperatures, declining rainfall, pest attacks, etc.) As a consequence, the phenomena of deforestation and forest degradation will be especially significant in the MENA countries (Middle East and North Africa). These consequences are all the more evident where populations are strongly dependent on forest ecosystems. In this region, forest administrations and managers also have to face significant technical and financial difficulties in sustainably managing Mediterranean forest ecosystems. In this context, a regional cooperation project supported by the FAO Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions - Silva Mediterranea - and the new Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests (CPMF) emerged at the end of 2010. The Project terminated in December 2016.

The FFEM project, presented by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (MEDDE) to the FFEM Steering Committee, aimed to “maximize the production of goods and services of Mediterranean forest ecosystems in the context of climate change” in six countries in North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) and the Near East (Lebanon, Syria and Turkey) which represent a forest cover of nearly 19 million hectares. The project appraisal took place during the first half of 2011 and was discussed in several meetings of partners, including during the Second Mediterranean Forest Week in Avignon (5 to 8 April 2011) and at a workshop in Marseille (9 June 2011) where the Project Engagement Note (NEP) was validated by main partners. The first round of funding for this project was approved by the Steering Committee of FFEM on July 6, 2011, for an amount equal to 1.35 million Euros. The second round was approved by the Steering Committee at the end of November 2011 for an amount equal to 1.3 million Euros. The total financial support approved by FFEM is 2.65 million Euros. These funds were managed by two organizations: Plan Bleu and FAO with the support of the Secretariat team of Silva Mediterranea. This FFEM project was co-financed by the German Cooperation (GIZ), the European Union (EU) and the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests (MAFF) with a budget of 8.5 million euros for three years (2011-2015).

The project focused on five major components:

• Component 1: Production of data and development of tools to support decision and management of vulnerable Mediterranean forest ecosystems affected by climate change and the ability of these forest ecosystems to adapt to global change;
• Component 2: Evaluation of the economic and social value of goods and services provided by Mediterranean forest ecosystems in particular through the study of multiple issues related to environmental changes and their potential effects on the socio-economic development of Mediterranean territories;
• Component 3: Development of participatory and territorial approaches for forest governance in these Mediterranean forest ecosystems;
• Component 4: Optimization of environmental goods and services provided by the Mediterranean forests and valorization of these efforts of optimization (including carbon sequestration);
• Component 5: Support to the coordination and communication activities of the Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests (CPMF).

This project aimed to promote sustainable management of forest ecosystems by optimizing the production of goods and services (including carbon sequestration). The main goal of the ambitious and innovative project was to explore REDD+ opportunities in the Mediterranean.

The pilot sites selected for the implemetation of the project were the following:

• Algeria: Chrea, Djelfa/Senalba
• Lebanon: Jabal Moussa
• Morocco: Maarmora
• Tunisia: Barbara, Siliana
• Turkey: Duzlercami

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