The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Silva Mediterranea – the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions – launches the third edition of the Status of Mediterranean Forests (SoMF 2025) report on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, from 12:00 to 13:10 UTC+3. The event takes place as a dedicated webinar and side event of the 6th Near East Forestry Week, organised alongside the 27th Session of the Near East Forestry and Range Commission meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
A comprehensive overview
Building on the 2013 and 2018 editions, SoMF 2025 provides the most extensive overview yet of Mediterranean forests and their trends. The report addresses urgent challenges such as degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change impacts and the growing threat of wildfires. It also highlights nature-based solutions already being applied across the region, including forest and landscape restoration, integrated fire management and post-fire recovery.
The new edition also showcases advances in forest monitoring, research and innovation, illustrating through case studies how sustainable socio-economic actions and responsible management can benefit both communities and ecosystems.
EFIMED’s contribution
The European Forest Institute’s Mediterranean Facility (EFIMED) played an important role in shaping this edition. EFI’s Researcher Mercedes Caron, Expert Eduard Mauri and Principal Scientist Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat contributed an in-depth analysis of the main drivers of degradation in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Their study examines how climate change, land-use change, grazing and wildfires interact in complex ways to reshape forest landscapes.
The team highlights the consequences of rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and more frequent extreme events, stressing the need for coordinated regional adaptation strategies. They also analyse the historical and contemporary dimensions of land-use change, offering recommendations for sustainable land management adapted to local contexts. Grazing, a practice of major socio-economic importance in the region, was assessed both for its ecological role and for its positive and negative impacts on forest dynamics.
Finally, their contribution provides a clear overview of wildfire trends, causes and impacts, drawing attention to human influence and regional variability. These findings highlight the pressing need to advance adaptive forest management, conserve biodiversity and strengthen international cooperation.
Looking ahead
The launch of the report reflects Silva Mediterranea’s long-standing mission to connect science, policy and practice, reinforced by the collaboration of partners and by strengthening regional cooperation within global frameworks such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Restoring Mediterranean Forests Flagship.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in the discussion, exchange knowledge and experiences, and contribute to advancing collective action for resilient Mediterranean forests.
