Pooling resources for EU-Med forest research
Protecting, preserving and conserving what is left of forests require close Euro-Mediterranean collaboration. The EU-funded 'Advancing Mediterranean forest research capacities' (AGORA) project aimed to expand the scope, through research, of the sustainable management of forests in selected MPCs. AGORA set out to enhance scientific cooperation and networking and targeted capacity building between forest research centres across the EU and those in the Mediterranean region. In addition to an active virtual network, AGORA organised four international workshops for its partners, in France, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey. These events gave participants the opportunity to network and establish new collaborations and partnerships. AGORA implemented an international twinning action plan, linking research organisations in Morocco and Tunisia with designated forest research centres of excellence in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. This led to the development of new tools in the management of Mediterranean forests. More than 50 knowledge exchange visits took place. For instance, Italy's University of Padova and the European Forest Institute (EFI), the AGORA project coordinator, have transferred valuable know-how, particularly in the area of forest economics, to project scientists from ENFI, Morocco's National School of Forest Engineers. Similarly INRA, France's national institute for agricultural research, worked with researchers from INRGREF, the Tunisian national research institute for agricultural engineering, water and forestry, to update and enlarge research capacities as well as transfer new knowledge on multidisciplinary approaches in ecophysiology and forest genetics. ISA, Portugal's Superior Institute for Agriculture, and the Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey also transferred important knowledge in the area of multi-resource forest inventory and the modelling of growth and yields of multiple forest products. Lastly, a policy brief was produced that outlined lessons learnt and laid down recommendations to policymakers on future forest research strategies in Morocco and Tunisia. AGORA bolstered the forest research capacity of scientists in Morocco and Tunisia through partnerships, networking and knowledge transfer. The project should give impetus to sustained dialogue on the challenges facing Mediterranean forests.
Keywords
Forest research, Mediterranean forest, networking, research centres