State of Mediterranean Forests 2013

Transcription

1 State of Mediterranean Forests 2013 Valentina Garavaglia FAO-Silva Mediterranea Drylands Monitoring Week January 2015, FAO HQ, ROME

2 The process Members of the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions-Silva Mediterranea requested FAO to prepare a report on the state of Mediterranean forests (April 2010, Antalya, Turkey) Preparation of the concept note for the State of Mediterranean Forests: Use of already-available data collected by regional and international institutions in the context of other environmental assessment processes (state of the environment and development in the Mediterranean process (Plan Bleu, 2009) and FAO s five-yearly Global Forest Resources Assessment (FAO, 2010)) Opportunity to analyze data gaps and suggest improvements for future data collection under the various environmental assessment processes The proposed approach and structure of the first State of Mediterranean Forests was presented and formally approved by member states at the 21st session of the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions-Silva Mediterranea (February 2012, Antalya, Turkey)

3 The process Coordination: Plan Bleu and FAO Collaboration of: Scientific institutions (EFIMED in Barcelona, JRC/ EFFIS in ISPRA, INRA in Avignon, Centre for Agricultural Research in Arezzo...) Technical institutions (Mediterranean Institute on Cork, Haut Commissariat aux eaux et forêts et à la lutte contre la désertification, Centre technologic forestal de Catalunya, Office national des forêts in France and Corpo Forestale dello Stato in Italy...) Non-governmental organizations (Mediterranean Model Forests Network, Association internationale forêts méditerranéennes, and the Mediterranean offices of the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for Conservation of Nature) contributed to this first State of Mediterranean Forests 2013 State of Mediterranean Forests 2013 launched during the III Mediterranean Forests Week (March 2013, Tlemcen, Algeria)

4 Table of contents 1 Towards sustainable development in the Mediterranean: challenges to face Socio-economic division on each side of the Mediterranean Increasing pressures on the environment 2 State of forest resources in the Mediterranean region 2.1 Assessment of forest resources in the Mediterranean region Extent of forest resources Forest biodiversity in the Mediterranean region Estimating the area of Mediterranean forests 2.2 Biotic and abiotic disturbances in Mediterranean forests Forest fire Insect pests, diseases and other disturbances 2.3 Good and services provided by Mediterranean forest ecosystems Wood products in Mediterranean forests Non-wood forest products Environmental services provided by Mediterranean forests Mediterranean forests as providers of social ecosystem services 2.4 Urban and peri-urban forests in the Mediterranean region 3 Legal, policy and institutional framework 3.1 Policy and legal framework National policies Forest-related international conventions and agreements Institutional framework Education and research 3.2 Public policies Formal forest public policies Cross-cutting policies Conclusion 4 Some key issues for adaptation of Mediterranean forests to climate change Biodiversity, forest genetic resources and climate change Adaptive management and restoration practices in Mediterranean forests Forest fire prevention under new climatic conditions 5 Conclusions

5 Some results: Extent of forest resources in countries of the Mediterranean region Forest area in countries of the Mediterranean region in 2010: 85 million ha 2% of total world s forest area (4 billion ha) In , forest area in the Mediterranean region increased of about 12 million ha (0.68% per year)

6 Some results: Extent of Mediterranean forest resources in countries of the Mediterranean region. FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment remote sensing survey Extent of Mediterranean forests in 2005 : 25.5 million ha Other Wooded Lands: ~ 50 million ha

7 Some results: Extent of Mediterranean forest resources in countries of the Mediterranean region. FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment remote sensing survey No significant net change in the total area of Mediterranean forest between 1990 and 2005 However, the considerable gains and losses indicate that forest cover is dynamic Impossible to estimates changes at the national level

8 Good and services provided by forest resources in the Mediterranean region Wood products The Mediterranean region is a net importer of wood and wood products. In 2010, the region collectively imported wood and wood products to the value of more than US$40 billion, 80% from non-mediterranean countries. Imports are increasing. Representation of flows of roundwood (top) and woodbased panels (bottom), in the Mediterranean region and with other regions of the world, 2010 Green arrows = imports from Mediterranean countries; red arrows = imports from non-mediterranean countries; orange arrows = exports to non-mediterranean countries

9 Some results: Good and services provided by forest resources in the Med region Non-wood forest products Wild honey and beeswax; tonnes; 3% Raw material for utensils, handicrafts and construction; tonnes; 2% Wild meat; tonnes; 4% Raw material for colorants and dyes; tonnes; 0.4% Fodder; tonnes; 1% Living animals; tonnes; 0.15% Exudates; tonnes; 0.4% Ornamental plants; 434 tonnes; 0.03% Other edible animal products; 37 tonnes; 0.002% Raw material for medicine and aromatic products; tonnes; 4% Other plant products; tonnes; 15% Hides, skins and trophies; tonnes; 29% Food; tonnes; 42% NWFP removals in the Mediterranean countries, 2010

10 Some results: Examples of NWFP provided by Mediterranean forests Cork oak (Quercus suber) Algeria ha 11% Tunisia ha 4% Morocco ha 18% France ha 3% Spain ha 27% Italy ha 3% Portugal ha 34% Total cork oak area: over 2 million ha Top producer : Portugal (50% of tot production) Top cork product: stoppers Top importer: France (235 million ) Top exporter: Portugal (805 million ) 1% 9% Natural cork stoppers 20% 44% Other types of stoppers Pavements, insulation, flooring, etc. 26% Cubes, plates, sheets, strips Other cork products

11 Biotic and abiotic disturbances in forest resources in the Mediterranean region Forest fire More than fires were reported in the Mediterranean region in , an average of just under per year Burnt area More than 2 million ha were burnt in the Mediterranean in that period, an average of more than ha per year Number of fires Bulgaria % Algeria % Turkey % France % Greece % Portugal % Morocco % Italy % Spain % Other %

12 Challenges Difficulties in collecting data on Mediterranean forests vs forests of the Mediterranean countries Large amount of data available in several institutions/organizations all over the Mediterranean region (how to select the information?) Heterogeneous data (how to summarize the information?) Need for new specific indicators on Mediterranean forests? Need to avoid multiple requests for data to countries (and so the need of multiple focal points)

13 Challenges Conclusions Despite the difficulties in collecting the information for the first State of Mediterranean Forests 2013: The strength of the collaborative effort showed that regional cooperation on Mediterranean forests is alive and proactive Countries and partners of FAO-Silva Mediterranea are strongly interested in collaborating at regional level for the next edition of the SoMF There is a large amount of information already available to be shared (no need to produce new data for the first edition of SoMF 2013): need of capitalization of available results and information The first edition of the SoMF 2013 stimulated the interest of less active countries involved in FAO - Silva Mediterranea: a new dynamic for Mediterranean forests? Next edition of the SoMF 2016/2017 to be improved: strong interest on the initiative on monitoring drylands for further collaborations.

14 Thank you for your attention