Empowering women in forestry, strengthening international networking among women and finding new ways and opportunities to involve young people in the forestry sector was the aim of an international conference held last month in Slovenia. 114 experts from 25 countries attended the event “Equality and diversity in forestry: changing the image of forestry” on 24 – 25 October in Portoroz (Slovenia), organised by Women in Forestry International (WOFO) and within the framework of the European project Fem2forest.
A delegation from Catalonia presented the exhibition “Emboscades.Dones i bosc – Women and the Forest”. The exhibition highlights the role of women in the Catalan forestry sector and in the management of forests in Catalonia and was inaugurated during International Women’s Day events in March 2024 at the Palau Robert in Barcelona. The exhibition is an initiative and was produced by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food through the General Directorate of Forests and Environmental Management, with the collaboration of the General Directorate of Dissemination, and which has received the support from the Catalan Women’s Institute. It is presently a travelling exhibition scheduled to visit various locations in Catalonia and Spain during 2025.
The Catalan delegation which travelled to Portoroz was composed by: Francesca Famades – Centre de la Propietat Forestal (CPF), Ester Blanco – Forestal Catalana, S.A., Anna Sanitjas – Diputacio de Girona, Michele Curel photographer and audiovisual producer of the exhibtiion, Tania Anglada – Grup Especial per Prevencio d’Incendis Forestals (GEPIF) and Barbara Navarro – Forestal Catalana, S.A.
WOFO was founded in 2024 and is an International network for women in the forestry and timber industry which acts as a contact for politicians, the media and companies which initiates and supports research and projects on women in the forestry sector.
Francesca Famades, Ester Blanco and Michele Curel
