On Tuesday July 7, 2020 the various members (candidates and non-candidates) of the Mediterranean Model Forests Network, the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Network and that of the International Network, met in conference calls to update themselves on the activities they are carrying out and coordinate on any new projects. The meeting initially focused on a report related to the activities carried out by the new secretariat of the Mediterranean Network, which focused on starting new projects, sponsoring others and implementing communication activities.

Do you know what the LIFE Program is? LIFE is a program introduced by the European Union in 1992, with which projects on environmental issues proposed by member countries are co-financed. The aim is to provide specific support for the development and implementation of Community environmental policy and legislation, in particular pursuing the objectives of the seventh Community environment action program. Funded projects can be proposed by operators, bodies or public and private institutions.

The MMFN secretariat, availing itself of the partner Union of Municipalities Valdarno and Valdisieve, yesterday (2020, 19th June) presented a project for the AICS call intended, if funded, to create a new Model Forest in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Networks are an unprecedented relational capital to face the changing world. Especially if these networks operate on similar lands and with the same purposes as the protection of biodiversity and the improvement of the ecological status of forest landscapes and rural territories. In 2015, the MAVA foundation created the Medforval network which deals with forest landscapes and high ecological value forests in the Mediterranean area. The network was born with the aim of exchanging good practices and to implement common projects. Since 2019, the Oikos Institute has coordinated the secretariat of this network, previously coordinated by AIMF.

The Tuscany Regional Council, in its role as MMFN Secretariat, approved a memorandum of understanding with Slow Food International on 25 of May, which has as its main objective the desire to create synergies aimed at promoting the enhancement of rural communities, stimulating the promotion of territorial projects and the agri-food and forestry resources of the territories and which have the key principles for their implementation in economic, environmental and social sustainability.

On May 28, a Skype meeting was held between the International Secretariat (IMFN), the Mediterranean Network (MMFN) and the Russian and Northern European Networks. In addition to the updates on the various ongoing activities, the meeting aimed to increase the collaboration between the various European Model Forests starting from what are the possible collaborations also through common projects. In recent months, the MMFN secretariat had already worked on a project dedicated to the exchange of students in the various Model Forests of the Mediterranean, Russian and North Erupea Networks, unfortunately at the moment postponed due to the current world health situation. The goal, however, is to continue working on projects that bring our Model Forests closer and closer by activating ever more supportive and effective collaboration channels.

For almost 3 years now, NGEurope has developed a set of resources very useful to people leading NGOs or wanting to create their own civic movement. The project is coming to an end and on the 29th of May they will present the results and outcomes of the project, the lessons learned and the outputs available. They will also showcase successful Portuguese NGOs that do very important work in their communities both from the environmental and social points of view.

For almost 3 years now, NGEurope has developed a set of resources very useful to people leading NGOs or wanting to create their own civic movement. The project is coming to an end and on the 29th of May they will present the results and outcomes of the project, the lessons learned and the outputs available. They will also showcase successful Portuguese NGOs that do very important work in their communities both from the environmental and social points of view.

Do you remember the ROSEWOOD project that has developed a broad European network for the transfer of Best Practices and innovations in sustainable wood mobilisation? Version 4.0 was born from this! This new project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, builds on the ROSEWOOD network of regional hubs, extending this well-established network both in geographical reach and the breadth of tools and solutions shared with stakeholders across Europe.

The MMFN Secretariat supports the Forest Film Festival – The driving force of the Earth, an event that saw its 2018 debut in Mantua (North Italy) within the World Forum on Urban Forests. The Festival aims to become an international point of reference for forestry issues since it boasts the singularity of being the only European event that tackles major environmental problems through cinema.

The H2020 ROSEWOOD project has developed a broad European network for the transfer of Best Practices and innovations in sustainable wood mobilisation. In January 2020, the final event of the Project was held in Florence, in conjunction with the Forest Innovation Workshop, where the set objectives and the results achieved by Rosewood were reported.

Following the meeting held last december in FAO office in Rome, two collaborations with the FAO have been endorsed, following the recent change at the head of the Secretariat of our Network.