- The course on forest resilience held at CIHEAM Zaragoza has brought together professionals from over 10 countries of the Mediterranean Arc
- Participants have become acquainted with the tools that will help them overcome climate-change-related challenges that threaten forest conservation
15-20 April 2024.- Droughts, forest fires, and pests associated to climate change are just some of the hazards threatening the conservation of Mediterranean forests. In order to improve the resilience of these ecosystems that provide essential social and environmental services, CIHEAM Zaragoza and CREAF, in collaboration with EFIMED, organised the advanced course ‘Management Strategies to Improve Mediterranean Forest Resilience’ held from 15 to 20 April.
The event attracted professionals from universities, research centres, public administration services, the private sector, and associations in over 10 countries across the Mediterranean Arc, including the CIHEAM member countries Albania, Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, and Türkiye.
The initiative was aligned with CIHEAM Zaragoza’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2026 that includes the management of forested areas as one of its fields of action. Due to the social, territorial and economic impact of forests in Mediterranean countries, CIHEAM also has a Working Group on Forests made up of experts from the four Institutes (Bari, Italy; Montpellier, France; Chania, Greece; and Zaragoza, Spain).
The training has combined theoretical sessions, practical group work, case studies and a technical visit to Poblet (Tarragona, Spain) to see in situ different actions specifically designed for adaptation to climate change.
The international panel of lecturers included representatives from CREAF, EFIMED, the University of Lisbon, the Austrian BOKU University and the French research centre INRAE.
Josep Maria Espelta (CREAF), course lecturer and scientific coordinator, commented that one of the essential values of this advanced course is that it has addressed conceptual and methodological tools that can conserve forest multifunctionality and adaptability to climate change. It has also offered an integrated vision of the management and governance of the Mediterranean forest.
The real case studies addressed during the course have included drought management in Spain and post-fire management in southern Europe: Pinus halepensis in Valencia and Catalonia; and Pinus nigra in the Peloponnese (Greece).