Celebrating forests

(Vatican Radio) March 21st marks the first International Day of Forests. The day coincides with the publication of “The State of Mediterranean Forests” report which was launched this morning in Tlemcen, Algeria.

FAO Assistant Director-General of Forests, Eduardo Rojas-Briales spoke with Lydia O’Kane from Algeria about the report, highlighting both positive trends and threats.


“There is positive news in the sense that deforestation in the North has ceased quite a number of decades ago and deforestation in the Southern East is about the cease” However, he adds that climate change is expected to hit Mediterranean forests hard. “If the worst scenarios are confirmed and the temperature rises more than two degrees and rainfall decreases more than 10 to 13 per cent, vegetation will not be able to adapt because it’s already leaving the border of the desert.”


The “The State of Mediterranean Forests” report was presented at the Third Mediterranean Forest week which runs from the 17 to the 21 March.


Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Eduardo Rojas-Briales