Background

Mediterranean forests require special attention because:
(i) They play a key role in the welfare of urban and rural Mediterranean societies, by providing highly appreciated marketed goods (e.g. firewood, cork, pine kernels and mushrooms) as well as high-value but non-market services (e.g. landscape quality, soil protection, water regulation and recreation possibilities);
(ii) They constitute a unique world natural heritage in terms of biological diversity; however, this patrimony is seriously endangered;
(iii) Their conservation and management affects the availability of soil and water resources - key strategic resources for Mediterranean societies;
(iv) Their future is seriously endangered by rapid and drastic climate and land-use changes, which add to long-lasting problems related to forest fires, forest over-exploitation and the advance of desertification in the region.

Meeting the emerging challenges related to global change needs that policy-making and forest management are based on appropriate scientific knowledge. This in turn requires a transparent and inter-active science-policy-stakeholders dialogue to foster knowledge uptake in efficient manner.

In this context, the Mediterranean Forest Week, which was organized for the first time in Antalya in 2010, has emerged as a unique platform to both improve the dialogue between the Mediterranean forest research community, the policy-makers and the relevant stakeholders as well as to communicate to the International community and the society at large the relevance and challenges related to Mediterranean forests. EFIMED, Silva Mediterranea (FAO), AIFM, PlanBleu, CTFC, ARCMED, the Mediterranean Forest Model Network (MFMN), COFOR-International with the support of INRA and the Ministry of Agriculture of France organizes the II Mediterranean Forest Week, which will include targeted sessions and meetings to discuss:

• Forest governance in the Mediterranean region (Tu. 5th and Fri. 8th)
• Water and forests interactions (Tue. 5th)
• EFIMED annual meeting and Sylvamed project (Tue. 5th)
• ARCMED General Assembly (Tue. 5th)
• Silva Mediterranea FAO EEC (Tue. 5th and Fri. 8th)
• EFIMED Seminar on Biodiversity of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems: changing the paradigm of conservation (Wd. 6th)