EFI Mediterranean Network Forum 2026
Photo by:
Gabriela Moscardini, EFI
The second edition of the EFI Mediterranean Network Forum renewed collaboration and invited new participation in EFIMED’s network connecting forest researchers, policymakers, and practitioners across the Mediterranean. In 2022, the inaugural EFI Mediterranean Network Forum in Barcelona saw the launch of the Mediterranean Forest Research Agenda (MFRA) 2030. The event offered wide-ranging collaboration on key themes and cross-cutting issues for Mediterranean forest management for resilience, which were explored in the MFRA. In 2026, the second edition of this milestone event again offered the opportunity for the EFIMED network to meet in person, fostering new partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
The forum featured:
- A high-level session with policymakers to explore the role of forests as powerful tools for diplomacy, fostering cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean, and how development cooperation funding can play a key role in financing environmental projects.
- Mid-term review of Mediterranean Forest Research Agenda (MFRA) 2030 reflecting on achievements, challenges, and opportunities since its launch in 2022, and continuing and new needs going forwards.
- Interactive sessions focussing on hot topics identified by the Scientific and Technical Committee organising the event as particularly relevant to Mediterranean communities. Topics werechosen to spark debate and reflect diverse perspectives in a space for open and inclusive dialogue. To ensure that a diversity of voices were heard, the sessions will include keynote presentations, panels, live interactions with the audience, and poster flash talks.
- Networking opportunities, with interactive components in all sessions and a dedicated networking session to connect innovators and participants.
- Youth engagement through the continued involvement of leading youth organisations (i.e. the International Forestry Students Association and the FAO Mediterranean Youth Task Force) and a featured session spotlighting new voices from Mediterranean forests.
- Field visits connected to the topics of the interactive sessions.
- Back-to-back to the event, a thematic workshop focussed on a characteristic Mediterranean tree species (Ceratonia siliqua) and its role in the regional landscape, culture, and economy, giving space to groundbreaking innovations.
Webinars
These sessions provide scientists, researchers, and professionals with a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge, gain fresh insights, and connect with peers joining the Forum in Valencia. Together, we delved into three important topics and explored how they might shape the future of Mediterranean forests.
Session #1 - Forest health: an essential pillar for the resilience of forest ecosystems
Date: 5 February 2026
Time: 10:00 CET
Forest pests and diseases are among the most serious threats to Mediterranean forest ecosystems, a challenge increasingly intensified by climate change, global trade, and cross-border movements. This webinar explores the transboundary dimension of forest pests and diseases in the Mediterranean, examining their impacts on forest health, key management challenges, and the need for coordinated regional responses.
The session brings together national and regional perspectives, with an overview of the current situation in Lebanon alongside a broader discussion on cross-border dynamics across the Mediterranean Basin. Topics include pathways of spread, monitoring and early warning systems, management approaches, and selected case studies from the region. The webinar contributes to the wider discussions on forest resilience within the framework of the EFI Mediterranean Network Forum 2026.
Watch the webinar on forest health
Programme
- Introduction and objectives of the session
Dr Chadi Mohanna (Ministry of Agriculture, Lebanon) - Forest insect pests, biodiversity, and resilience: lessons from Lebanese forest ecosystems
Dr Nabil Nemr (Holy Spirit University of Kaslik – USEK, Lebanon) - Regulatory and legislative frameworks for forest pest management
Dr Chadi Mohanna (Ministry of Agriculture, Lebanon) - Safeguarding Mediterranean forest health: invasive species native pest outbreaks and forest diebacks
Shiroma Sathyapala (FAO) - Panel discussion and Q&A
Session #2 - Forest therapy: integrating environmental science, medicine and economics
Date: 17 February 2026
Time: 10:00 CET
This webinar explores the emerging role of forest therapy as a multidisciplinary practice linking environmental science, public health, and sustainable rural development. The session opens with a strategic overview of Mediterranean forest cooperation, followed by scientific, clinical, and socio-economic perspectives.
Watch the webinar on forest therapy
Programme
- Introduction to the Mediterranean Model Forest Network and the Montagne Fiorentine Model Forest
Mediterranean Model Forest Network and the Montagne Fiorentine Model Forest Association, with an overview of the FORSA project
Toni Ventre (MMFNS – Mediterranean Model Forest Network Secretariat) and Marcello Miozzo (FMMF – Montagne Fiorentine Model Forest, President) - Environmental theme – Forest therapy and ecosystem services
Scientific evidence on forests and human well-being; environmental prerequisites
Francesco Meneguzzo and Federica Zabini (CNR-IBE – National Research Council of Italy, Institute for BioEconomy) - Economic theme – Investing in natural well-being
Socio-economic impacts and development opportunities linked to forest therapy
Davide Pettenella (University of Padua & Etifor | Valuing Nature) and Ilaria Doimo (Etifor | Valuing Nature, spin-off of the University of Padua), with Andrea Dini (GAE – Guide Ambientali del Mugello, environmental guides in the Mugello area, Italy) - Medical theme – From prevention to rehabilitation
Clinical value of forest therapy for mental and physical health
Elio Rossi (RT – Regione Toscana / Tuscany Regional Authority) and Letizia Proserpi (Medical Doctor) - Panel discussion and Q&A
Session #3 - From suppression to governance: Towards integrated fire management in the Mediterranean
Date: 4 March 2026
Time: 10:00 CET
The webinar presents Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in the Mediterranean and how management choices shape fire regimes and biodiversity. It introduces the proposed Mediterranean Indicator on Forest Fire Management Effectiveness, developed under StrategyMedFor, including its rationale, methodology, and initial mapping results.
The session discusses wildfires as a complex socio-ecological challenge influenced by land-use change, governance, and human–environment interactions, promoting a more holistic approach to forest resilience and risk management.
Watch the webinar on governance
Programme
- Integrated fire management and regional dynamics in the Mediterranean
Carolina Gallo Granizo (FAO) - Fire-adapted Mediterranean ecosystems and implications for management
Çağatay Tavşanoğlu (Hacettepe University) - Wildfires as a territorial phenomenon
Carmen Rodriguez (EFI) - Assessment of Forest Fire Management Effectiveness (as part of a Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Forest Management) indicator and spatialization
Gavriil Xanthopoulos (CIHEAM MAICh)
Panel discussion and Q&A
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