The consultation panel is coordinated by the Mediterranean Regional Office of the European Forest Institute EFIMED

These stakeholders participate in the definition of the MEDfOR contents according to their perception of professional needs, and in the promotion of the MEDfOR programme. The MEDfOR consultation panel contributes to enhance and strengthen the interaction of the MEDfOR with stakeholders and the Mediterranean forest community.

The consultation panel includes the following key stakeholders:


“Forestis –The Forestry Association of Portugal, is a national, nonprofit and public utility associative movement. It was founded in 1992 to actively support management, advocacy and associativism in private and community forests. As a result of its activity, in 2001 was recognized as being equivalent to a Non-Governmental Organization of the Environment. Currently, it has 31 associated Forestry Proprietary Organizations (OPF), with a subregional scope, that represent and technically support more than 17,500 forest owners.”

“The International Model Forest Network (IMFN) is a voluntary global community of practice whose members and supporters work towards the sustainable management of forest‐based landscapes and natural resources through the Model Forest approach.

“A Model Forest can be described as a large-scale landscape encompassing many different land uses; a specific partnership-based approach to sustainable forest management; and a long-term process that adheres to a broad set of principles to promote sustainability. The partnership is voluntary and made up of stakeholders – such as local community associations, indigenous people, governments, academia, and industry – representing the environmental, social and economic forces at play within the landscape. The partnership works to define a shared, locally relevant operational vision of natural resource management and then collaborate to achieve it in concrete terms for the benefit of all stakeholders. Model Forests brings joint solutions and innovative strategies to shared challenges such as climate change, wildfires and pests, market access and livelihoods, health and well-being, and land-use conflicts.
In the Mediterranean Network of Model Forests, the peculiarities of the Mediterranean regions are studied. Common objectives are agreed, work dynamics are generated and collaboration guidelines are established among its members. It promotes the exchange of knowledge, cooperation in areas of common interest, and the collective development of capacities for innovation.”

“The International Association for Mediterranean Forests (AIFM) is an international and interdisciplinary non-governmental organization founded in 1996, dedicated to knowledge, sustainable management and protection of Mediterranean forest ecosystems. It set as its goal to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience on forests and other wooded lands of the Mediterranean basin. Its core business is the leading and coordination of networks in the Mediterranean, participation in the Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests (CPMF) and cooperation projects engineering.”

“The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of the wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.

WWF has teams of experts working in over 100 countries to protect the natural resources that sustain and inspire us: our forests, rivers, ocean, climate, food and wildlife.  WWF harnesses the collective power of supporters around the world, communities, companies and governments to create real solutions for people and the planet themselves.”

“The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.”