4 December 2018
FAO, UNEP Release State of Mediterranean Forests Report
Photo by Luis Del Río Camacho
story highlights

The report underscores the contribution of Mediterranean forests and other wooded lands to poverty alleviation, food security and rural development.

The report outlines options to create the conditions necessary to replicate and scale up forest-based solutions across the region.

27 November 2018: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and Blan Bleu, the Regional Activity Center of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) Mediterranean Action Plan, released the ‘State of the Mediterranean Forests 2018.’ The report highlights the contribution of Mediterranean forests and trees to tackling global challenges like climate change and population growth and achieving global commitments, such as the SDGs.

The second edition of the ‘State of the Mediterranean Forests’ analyzes the Mediterranean region, which encompasses 31 countries and a range of environmental, economic, political and social contexts. The region includes more than 25 million hectares of forests and approximately 50 million hectares of other wooded lands that are often interconnected with agricultural and urban and rural areas. The report underscores the role of trees outside forests in the Mediterranean context, noting that these trees are under jeopardy from climate change and population increase and other subsidiary drivers of forest degradation.

Community-based organizations and private owners in Tunisia co-manage forests and rangelands to reconcile conservation with socioeconomic development.

The report underscores the contribution of Mediterranean forests and other wooded lands to poverty alleviation, food security and rural development. As an illustration, community-based organizations and private owners in Tunisia co-manage forests and rangelands to reconcile the conservation of forests and rangelands with socioeconomic development to contribute to SDG 1 (no poverty), including through maintaining and enhancing the sector’s environmental functions and services and optimizing the sector’s contribution to socioeconomic development. The report similarly describes the forest sector’s contribution to SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action).

To address forest degradation and its drivers, the report outlines options to create the conditions necessary to replicate and scale up forest-based solutions across the region, including approaches such as forest and landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, adaptation of forests and adaptation using forests. The report recommends, inter alia: recognizing the economic value of goods and services provided by forests; changing the way society views forests in the economy; putting in place more participatory approaches and improved governance; and creating financial incentives and tools. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of strong and active regional cooperation in promoting integrated and sustainable management of Mediterranean forests in recognition of their environmental, social and economic value. [Publication: State of the Mediterranean Forests 2018] [FAO Press Release]

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