The FAO newsletter highlights activities recently undertaken by the Silva Mediterranea Cork Oak Working Group, and reports on an International Symposium on cork oak and climate change, and on a photo exhibit on the Art of Cork Manufacturing in Sardinia.
November 2010: The latest newsletter of the Silva Mediterranea, a statutory body of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), looks at cork oak landscapes and their adaptation to climate change.
The Newsletter highlights activities recently undertaken by the Silva Mediterranea Cork Oak Working Group, including developing its programme of work to, inter alia: promote best practices; promote and facilitate joint projects; and establish a knowledge center on cork oak. The Working Group aims to act as a pan-Mediterranean platform linking together various countries and actors to build a Mediterranean strategy for conservation and sustainable use of cork oak forests, as well as foster North-South synergies and collaborations on cork issues.
The Newsletter also reports on an International Symposium on cork oak and climate change, held from 17-18 June 2010, in Vivés, France. Participants heard presentations and participated in discussions on the effects of climate change on cork oak forests. They discussed whether the natural genetic variability of cork oak would allow for adaptation of cork oak forests to climate change, or if a change in silviculture practices would be needed. They further addressed climate change’s effects on forest pathogens and fires, as well as its effects on industrial cork quality.
Lastly, the Newsletter reports on a photo exhibit on the “Art of Cork Manufacturing in Sardinia,” which took place during World Forest Week, held in October 2010, in Rome, Italy. [The Newsletter]