CIHEAM Press Review

The 8th edition of the Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW) takes a major step forward with the launch of its official website mediterraneanforestweek.org. The 8MFW website serves as a central hub for all information regarding the upcoming event, taking place from 4 to 8 November 2024, in Barcelona, Spain. This edition, “Working together for sustainable and […]

How did the largest wildfire in Spain’s history reshape the landscape of fungal communities? Research unravels the intricate dynamics of mycological guilds in the aftermath of a mega-fire, revealing proliferations and ecological turnovers which take place at the beginning of a period of successional recovery within a Mediterranean forest ecosystem.

Despite the fact that Europe is a data-rich region, a future forest monitoring system will integrate and complement existing national systems. The aim of this webinar is to discuss how results from Horizon Europe research projects can contribute to the development of a future forest monitoring system and how to use its information for co-designing forest-based policy pathways to achieve climate and biodiversity goals. A common European forest monitoring system is crucial as it:

Practitioners from 11 Mediterranean countries participated in a public survey to identify and understand the principal needs, barriers, bottlenecks, innovation, and knowledge gaps needed to make agriculture and forestry systems resilient to socioeconomic and climate changes.

Emboscar is a Catalan verb that has two main definitions. From the more poetic and literary “to get lost and go deep into the vastness of a forest” to the more commonly used, specifically in the field of defence: “to be in a hidden place to surprise the enemy”. Someone who is emboscat / emboscada, therefore, is someone who gets lost in the woods and feels good about it but also someone who is ambushed.

In this forest policy brief for Greece by researchers from the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, the emphasis is on fostering sustainable forestry practices and environmental conservation. The recommendations underscore the need for a balanced approach on the national forest sector, addressing economic development while prioritizing measures for community involvement. These suggestions are drawn from […]

The powerful connection between trees and culture will be at the centre of a new National Geographic Society project lead by Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, principal scientist of the European Forest Institute Mediterranean Facility and Professor at Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. Developed together with other two National Geographic explorers, Maria Contreras Coll and […]

Forests barely exist in Jordan, a parched country of 10 million people.
Illegal logging and rampant construction have shrunk its already sparse tree cover, while the grazing of farm animals undermines the ability of wild trees to reproduce.
"Herds eat the sprouts and prevent regeneration of the forest,” Mr Pharaon says. “In Jordan, the man-made threat is more prominent than climate change.”

Forests have been growing in size in the EU over recent decades, but why are there such large discrepancies across the continent

After a megafire burned across the southern part of the regional unit of Evros in northeastern Greece for 17 days, olive farmers and experts are assessing losses and considering steps toward regeneration.

This French winemaking commune utilises oak and olive trees to preserve biodiversity and mitigate climate impacts.
In the picturesque hills of Vinsobre in southeastern France, winemakers are using biodiversity to help cushion their vineyards from climate change.
A wine appellation - or ‘protected designation of origin’ - is all important, as drinkers savour the tasting notes of its particular surroundings.

The Groupe Interacadémique pour le Développement (GID) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), with the support of the Académie d'Agriculture de France, the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are organising the 10th PARMENIDES Conference to be held at the CIHEAM Institute in Chania (Greece) on 24, 25 and 26 October 2023: "Trees and forests in the face of global change: Mediterranean Countries At The Forefront".

During the 151st Governing Board meeting of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) held at the Institut Océanographique of Paris (France) on 18 November 2022, Mrs. Frida KRIFCA was elected President of the Governing Board and Mr. Teodoro Miano as Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation. The President will take office on 1 April 2023 and the new Secretary General on 1 March 2023.

For each kilogram of cork produced, the trees can capture 73 kg of CO2, according to Portugal's leading cork company.
Portugal is the world’s leading producer of cork. In 2023, cork exports achieved a record value of €1.2 billion, 75 percent of which came from cork stoppers, according to APCOR, the Portuguese association of cork producers.

Discover how agroforestry mosaic landscapes in La Plana de Manlleu, Catalonia, Northeastern Spain, with multifunctional vineyard firebreak buffers, prevent wildfires while offering socio-economic benefits and enhancing ecosystem services.

You are warmly welcome to our next ThinkForest webinar, which explores the issue of sustainable finance, forests and biodiversity. Biodiversity is heavily threatened, both in Europe and globally. Immediate action to stop further loss and to maintain and enhance biodiversity, especially in forests, is needed. Public finance plays an important role, but privately financed activities are becoming more and more important.

The emblematic Mediterranean stone pines are being attacked by an insect called the pine tortoise scale. This pest is currently affecting numerous populations in Italy, and controls are being carried out to reduce it. However, total eradication is unlikely due to the effects of climate change.

In early 2024, the European Parliament will have a final vote on the ‘Nature Restoration Law’ (NRL), a hotly debated regulation that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in Europe. An international team of scientists including Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, Principal Scientist at the EFI Mediterranean Facility, in the framework of the SUPERB project has investigated the prospects of the new […]

For Lebanon’s Christians, cedar trees are sacred. These tough evergreens that survive the mountain’s harsh snowy winters are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. The trees are a symbol of Lebanon, pictured at the centre of the national flag.

A new study by the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems (IMFE) in Greece focuses on climate change and extreme weather outcomes in Greek forests. The research relies on data from the Scopus and Mendeley databases as well as few official reports and identifies two to four knowledge gaps and one to three key challenges related […]

Eucalyptus trees are a common sight in Portugal, and they have been a part of the country's landscape for many years. These trees are known for their unique physical characteristics, rapid growth rate, and numerous uses. However, the use of eucalyptus trees in Portugal has also raised concerns about their impact on the environment.

The  Groupe Interacadémique pour le Développement (GID) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), with the support of the Académie des Sciences de France, the Académie d'Agriculture de France, the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organised the 10th PARMENIDES Conference at the CIHEAM Institute in Chania (Greece) from 24 to 26 October 2023, entitled “Trees and Forests in the Face of Global Change: Mediterranean Countries at the Forefront”.

Around 20 people from various environmental associations, gathered in Porto to say “enough with eucalyptus” and to demand the reforestation of native trees to stop desertification, drought, loss of biodiversity and fires.

The climate-fuelled wildfires unleashed the same CO2 emissions last month as over 222,000 cars driven in a year.