An overview of the Seventh Mediterranean Forest Week: lessons learned for future planning

On 7 October 2022, the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions, Silva Mediterranea, and the members of the organizing committee of the Seventh Mediterranean Forest Week (7th MFW) met to debrief on the week-long event and to start planning the Eighth Mediterranean Forest Week (8th MFW). The hybrid meeting was held in Rome at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The 7th MFW was entitled “Forests and Ecosystem Restoration for the Next Mediterranean Generations”, and was held in Antalya, Türkiye, on 21–25 March 2022. The main themes and topics of the week were:

• youth and green jobs; 
• forest- and landscape-based solutions; 
• forest-based opportunities with a focus on young generations and gender employment; 
• social and cultural dimensions of Mediterranean forests; 
• non-wood forest products from Mediterranean forests and their relationship with sustainable food systems; 
• innovation in Mediterranean forests: case studies and calls for action; and
• communication strategies, knowledge transfer and sharing experiences. 

The agenda of the 7th MFW consisted of eight sessions and seven side events. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) was the major theme that many sessions touched upon, and more specifically, the need to ensure that the needs of local communities are met in restoration activities. There was a discussion on “active” (planting trees) versus “passive” (natural regeneration) restoration, covering issues related to costs and benefits, and the use of good quality reproductive material.  

Another session covered the financing opportunities in FLR and the income that restoration activities can generate. The role of these activities in sustaining the small-scale economies of local communities based on non-wood forest products was the focus of another session. The need for reliable and harmonized data on the extension, distribution and classification of Mediterranean forests was also an important topic discussed. As the week focused on the next Mediterranean generations, one session presented nature-based solutions and their potential to create jobs for young people.  

The side events explored the impact of tourism on forestry, fire management, desertification, non-wood forest products and forest restoration. The International Model Forest Network organized a two-day parallel side event focusing on the model forest approach and youth entrepreneurship.  

The poster session and contest were dedicated to young researchers and professionals under the age of 35. Three winners were selected: the winner of the first place was fully funded to participate in the XV World Forestry Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in May 2022, and the second and third prizes were a place in an online course on restoration for young professionals at Yale’s Environment, Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI). 

The Mediterranean Youth Taskforce was created during the 7th MFW following the Mediterranean Youth Dialogue, which provided an opportunity for young people of diverse backgrounds, interests and sectors, either from or who work or study in the Mediterranean, to come together and discuss the most prominent issues affecting the involvement of youth in forest restoration initiatives.  

Participants from 13 countries attended the 7th MFW, eight out of which were Silva Mediterranea members, and five were countries outside the Mediterranean Basin. Despite the ban on travelling and in-person gatherings due to the pandemic, approximately 150 people attended in person (about 65 percent from Türkiye) and 50 participated remotely.  

The main outcomes of the 7th MFW included the Antalya Declaration; the finalization of the proposal for a Mediterranean restoration flagship under the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration; the extension of the agreement with Italy for the seconded positions to support the Silva Mediterranea Secretariat; the nomination of the Chair and Bureau of Silva Mediterranea; the selection of the next country to host the 8th MFW; and the twenty-fifth session of Silva Mediterranea.  

Focusing on these results, the new joint organizing committee of the 8th MFW and twenty-fifth session of Silva Mediterranea will hold its first meeting in January 2023 in Rome to start the discussion on the new topics and title of the event, and to set the road map for the organizers. Most importantly, for the first time, the Mediterranean Youth Taskforce will be present during the whole planning process, providing ideas and feedback. 

Giovanbattista de Dato