Joint session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry and FAO European Forestry Commission held in November 2023
27/11/2023
The joint session of the Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Forestry Commission (EFC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was held from 20 to 23 November 2023 in the capital of San Marino, also called San Marino.
An important topic on the agenda was the role of forests in preserving and increasing biodiversity to improve ecosystem resilience. During the session, the progress made on the frameworks for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation was discussed, particularly the advancements achieved during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in December 2022, and the European Union Nature Restoration Law. This law adopted in July 2023 sets out a mechanism to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2050 in ecosystems that need restoration. The Mediterranean region, recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, will play an important role in this context.
The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) led by FAO is making progress towards its next report due to be published in 2025. Since 1946, FAO has been monitoring the world’s forest resources through periodic assessments conducted in cooperation with its Member Nations, which are actively involved in data collection and reclassification. Silva Mediterranea recently organized a workshop for data collection and training of the FRA focal points for the Mediterranean region. The aim of this process is to increase the number of sampling plots in the area to improve the map of Mediterranean forests, which was published in the first edition of the State of Mediterranean Forests 2013, and to update Mediterranean forest statistics to be reported in the third edition of the State of Mediterranean Forests, planned for publication by the end of 2024.
Forest economics and markets and the contribution of forests and forest products to the circular bioeconomy were also discussed at length, focusing on the role of wood in making this transition, and the importance of active forest management for ensuring the sustainability of forests and related ecosystem services. Participants also stressed the critical role of forests and the forest sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In the Mediterranean, the forest economy places a strong focus on business models based on non-wood forest products, the recreational uses of forests, and social inclusion.
Another topic on the agenda was forest damage and disturbance. Countries shared information on their respective work to improve forest resilience, damage detection and management, emphasizing the importance of adopting monitoring systems and enhancing cooperation among relevant international organizations.
The Silva Mediterranea secretary reported on the advancement of the committee’s tasks, presenting its recent work to align its activities with the global and regional agendas. Specifically, COFFI and EFC were briefed about the recent outcomes of the seventh Mediterranean Forest Week, the Mediterranean region as a World Restoration Flagship in the context of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Mediterranean Youth Task Force and future publications, such as the next edition of the State of Mediterranean Forests and the Unasylva special issue on restoration in the Mediterranean, both promoted by Silva Mediterranea. The members of COFFI and EFC showed a positive response and called for more activities to boost youth involvement as a way of revitalizing the forest sector, and highlighted the need for engagement of all Silva Mediterranea partners and stakeholders in the process.
The value of the State of Mediterranean Forests was highlighted as a fundamental tool and data source for forest monitoring and the production of forest statistics on the region, while Unasylva was considered an important milestone for reviewing the status of forest and landscape restoration and reporting on the progress of Mediterranean countries towards the Bonn Challenge goals.
Giovanbattista de Dato (FAO)