Towards a supportive policy framework for Mediterranean forest lands

The objective of this paper is to analyse the social frame changes which have taken place over the past few decades in the Mediterranean European countries as they move from primary to tertiary societies and the consequences for forested areas become evident. The potential for abandonment and the widespread incidence of forest fires are currently the main issues to be addressed. A new policy framework for Mediterranean forests is proposed and specific innovations recommended. These innovations are based on the legal structure, economic and institutional governance, non wood production, environmental and recreational services and estate value optimisation, assuming that the higher the value of Mediterranean forests, the better the means will be to protect them from threats like large-scale forest fires. Recent developments in environmental policies such as the climate change debate, green taxation or the water directive reform are identified as opportunities to strengthen the framework supporting Mediterranean forest lands.