Through its Mediterranean Forest Restoration Certification Pilot Project, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is developing and testing a new “seal of approval” for forest restoration. The aim is to verify the quality of field-based restoration projects, providing guidance, structure, and an auditing process for ecological restoration. The project has started in the Mediterranean region and, if successful, will expand to other geographies worldwide. In parallel, SER has co-authored a new set of “Standards of Practice to Guide Ecosystem Restoration”, launched this year in partnership with the FAO and IUCN as a contribution to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In the next SUPERB/IUFRO Forest Restoration Talk, organised in collaboration with SER, George Gann, SER’s International Policy Lead, will present insights from the Mediterranean project and an overview of the new Standards of Practice, discussing how they can support the design, implementation and funding of restoration actions.
He will be joined by Dr Michael Kleine, Deputy Executive Director & Coordinator at IUFRO’s Special Programme for Development of Capacities, who will provide views from a practitioner’s standpoint, discussing opportunities and challenges to apply the guidelines on the ground across Europe.
Speakers:
- George Gann, International Policy Lead, Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
- Michael Kleine, Deputy Executive Director & Coordinator, International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Special Programme for Development of Capacities (IUFRO-SPDC)
Moderators:
- Magda Bou Dagher-Kharrat, Principal scientist at the Mediterranean Facility of the European Forest Institute and coordinator of the SUPERB project
- Andreas Bolte, coordinator of the IUFRO Task Force “Transforming Forest Landscapes for Futures Climates and Human Well-Being”