Mediterranean forests and woodlands, which cover 73M ha, are the main ecological infrastructure in the region. They provide valuable ecosystem services, relevant for the most strategic resources of the region to sustain life: water, soil and biodiversity.
However, the sustainable provision of forest goods and services is seriously threatened by drastic and rapid climate and land use changes. The challenge is to find ways to finance adaptive forest management strategies, given the low profitability of traditional forestry. Payments for environmental services (PES) are increasingly acknowledged on the policy arena as an approach to recognize the value of ecosystem services and to generate financing for effective ecosystem management.
The ThinkForest forum, facilated by EFI, is organising a seminar called Payments for Environmental Services: a Way Forward for Mediterranean Forests? which will be concentrating on the above-mentioned issues. The seminar will be take place on 27 November 2012 at 16.00-18.30 in the European Parliament, Brussels.
The objectives of the event are to:
- discuss the specific economic nature of Mediterranean forests and their goods and services;
- present the latest scientific knowledge on payments for environmental services and their practical implementation in the Mediterranean region and
- discuss the potential of PES to address specific problems of Mediterranean forests (e.g. forest fires, deforestation).
A detailed programme of the event is available at the ThinkForest website. Registration is currently open, and an online registration form is available here. Please register before 19 November!
