The Regional Government has joined the board of directors of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes in Spain (PEFC), an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering sustainable forest management.
The appointment was formalized during the meeting of the organization's governing bodies, following the board of directors meeting and the 36th General Assembly, which was attended by the Director General of Environment and Forest Management, Anna Torres.
In a press release, the Ministry of Territory, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Balearic Islands stated that with this affiliation, the Balearic Islands have become part of the organization's governing body, along with representatives from 12 autonomous communities. La Rioja also joined this year.
The Director General of Environment and Forest Management, Anna Torres, highlighted that this presence on the board of directors will allow "strengthening collaboration with other administrations and organizations linked to the forestry sector and advancing the promotion of sustainable forest certification in the Balearic Islands."
In this regard, she added that one of the Government's objectives is to allow forest owners, owners' associations, and companies in the sector to progressively adopt forest certification schemes, which will help to "enhance the value of forest resources, facilitate access to new markets linked to sustainability, and strengthen the sector's competitiveness."
PEFC Spain promotes sustainable forest management through forest certification, fosters the sustainability of the forestry sector, and contributes to improving the environmental, social, and economic value of forest ecosystems through an internationally recognized system.
Coinciding with the General Assembly, Torres also participated in the 'The Forest as a Solution: The Value Chain That Reduces the Carbon Footprint and Builds the Future' dialogue forum, where he spoke at the roundtable dedicated to ecosystem services, forest restoration, and new opportunities for the region.
During his speech, he outlined the main areas of work promoted by the Government in the fields of wildfire prevention, climate change adaptation, and the forest bioeconomy.
The Director General advocated for the need to move to an 'active' and 'sustainable' forest management model that would increase the resilience of Mediterranean forests to the effects of climate change and reduce the risk of large-scale wildfires.
In this regard, he highlighted the role of preventive silviculture as a key tool for managing the region, reducing the accumulation of forest biomass, and improving the ecological condition of forests.
Torres also highlighted the concept of 'carbon silviculture,' based on silvicultural measures that simultaneously contribute to fire prevention, forest restoration, and carbon sequestration, while generating new ecosystem services and opportunities linked to the circular bioeconomy.
Furthermore, he noted that the Balearic Islands have a significant area of Mediterranean forest that is 'particularly vulnerable' to the effects of climate change, which makes it necessary to move towards management models that 'strengthen the resilience of forest ecosystems and their role as natural carbon sinks'.
Finally, he advocated for the need to move toward adaptive forest management based on criteria of sustainability, active conservation, and prevention, in collaboration with forest owners, local authorities, industry professionals, and forest certification bodies.