Dear Readers,
Wishing you all the very best for the holidays and a joyful New Year! We would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for following and supporting us throughout 2024.
This year for the Mediterranean Model Forest Network and the entire International Model Forest Network has been full of satisfaction in the many activities carried out by the various Model Forests of the Network and the Secretariat. Mediterranean Secretariat for which the Tuscany Region renewed its commitment for management of the until 2028 recognizing a perfect alignment of shared values and principles in the vision for forest and landscape management.
The list of activities and collaborations implemented during this 2024 would really be too long but just to mention a few, we recall the conclusion of the restoration project in the MFs of Morocco carried out in collaboration with FAO's FLRM and funded by IKI; the development of the H2020 projects DIGIMEDFOR and SINTETIC involving the MFs of Italy (Florentine Mountains), Croatia (Istria) and France (PACA); the first result of the IMFN Climate fundings such as the EDUCASE workshop and the following provision of innovative educational tools for the MFs; the highly participated territorial events (Festival of Forests) in the MFs of Western Macedonia (Greece) and Istria (Croatia) to the enthusiastic relaunch of the MF of Palencia (Spain). In any case, we invite you, for those who would like to learn more about individual activities, to visit our website and/or those of the individual MFs.
Furthermore, we would like to subline the further development of the Mediterranean Network, which at the time of writing has 13 MFs (including official, candidate and initiatives) in ten countries but counts seven more applications for membership in five different countries. We emphasize this not as an exercise in vanity, but as proof that the Model Forest process - more than 32 years after its conception - remains a highly valuable and innovative governance tool. It empowers rural areas to implement territorial development policies grounded in landscape enhancement, the strength of community participation, and the sharing of knowledge and experiences at local, national, and international levels.
This takes on even greater significance in the Mediterranean basin - and beyond - at a time when complex environmental challenges are further exacerbated by severe international socio-political crises. These circumstances bring to a lack of hope that risks confining us all to our own narrow spheres, whether personal or professional. Yet, Model Forests strive to keep nurturing hope for change, for harmony between humanity and the planet, and for connection among diverse communities.
This is our greatest wish for 2025. Happy New Year to all!
Toni Ventre - General Secretary
and MMFN Secretariat Team
