Silva Mediterranea

Working Group on “Cork Oak in the Mediterranean Region”

2009-2012 Work Plan

Submitted by

João DE SOUSA TEIXEIRA/ Maria Carolina Varela Coordinators

Direccao-general dos Recursos Florestais

Lisboa (Portugal)

A. Background and context

The cork oak “Quercus suber”, limited in natural range to the western part of the Mediterranean basin (2 million ha, approximately), is the only species allowing a sustained and economical production of cork suitable for the production of stoppers.

Direct economic benefits from cork exploitation and indirect products of its canopies (acorns, fodder, organic matter) and their underneath goods and services (forage, fungi, aromatic and medicinal plants, shade, cropping, grazing, hunting) put the cork oak in a unique position. Moreover, the species range often coincides with areas in which other sources of income and employment are limited, on both the northern and southern sides of the Mediterranean basin, which further increases its importance.

Cork has a number of intrinsic qualities that give it potential advantages in a promotional campaign of this nature. First and foremost, it is a natural product made from renewable resources following an environmentally friendly process that does not even require harvesting of the trees. A second aspect is the clear, demonstrated importance of the cork industry in maintaining the ecological stability of the fragile and threatened Mediterranean ecosystem. A third is the importance of the cork industry in terms of providing employment and income

Cork and the cork oak have occupied a key role in Mediterranean forest development. They can and should have a continuing role in the future. The most efficient way to protect such an forest ecosystem is to guarantee its economical profitability by a sustainable and balanced management.

B. Baseline and rational

Promotion of the CORK®MARK (international cork symbol) – the Committee Silva

Mediterranea is:

• one of the most privileged and well positioned partners to effectively contribute to a solid implementation of the CORK®MARK, thus ultimately contributing to the promotion of cork and cork oak.

• the appropriate headquarter to encourage and host a discussion/brainstorming focused on

gathering as many ideas as possible on how the CORK®MARK can be promoted.

• in a position to widely disseminate that list of ideas to target countries (e.g. cork producers, cork consumers, particularly wine producers), due to its nature and credibility and also due to its membership. It will provide the countries with a wide range of tools to promote the CORK®MARK. Each country may further develop and adequate the most suitable ideas to its own reality.

Cork promotion by enhancing its overall advantages – by addressing Mediterranean Basin’s forest-related issues, the Committee can contribute:

• in a decisive way to the promotion of the use of cork. It can be neither withdrawn nor dismissed from this responsibility. Without strong and peremptory efforts to promote cork, we may reach a situation where we will be confronted with lack of interest on cork which will lead to cork stand abandonment and subsequent replacement by other land uses. The exceptional economic, environmental and cultural values of cork oak stands must be truly recognised and the multiple uses of these areas have to be emphasised.

• in playing its role in the co-ordination of the promotion activities to be launched, avoiding duplication of efforts and benefiting from synergies.

Agriculture subsidies/financial support to the development of cork oak stands – the Committee can contribute to the dissemination of information on the available financial tools to support the development of cork oak stands amongst interested stakeholders as it can promote the gathering of as much information as possible on the available and specific and/or potential financial support to cork oak stands. The added-value of focused cork oak-related financial support has to be analysed and, eventually, recommendations should be made.

C. Objectives in the next 4 years

The development objective of this 4-year working plan is to promote the cork and its overall advantages in order to ensure the conservation and sustainable management of cork oak forests, in the Mediterranean Basin, and to improve rural livelihoods of the populations directly or indirectly dependent on these stands goods and services.

Objective 1: Appropriately managed cork oak stands

Activity 1: To carry out best management practices for a better valorisation of cork oak stands, erasing the idea of the irreversibility of their illness and demystifying the cork and Holm oaks stands’ decline/decay.

Activity 2: To promote the valuation of cork oak stands’ multifunctional – demonstrate that besides cork, cork oak stands do provide other relevant goods and multiple services,

Objective 2: Increased use of cork

Activity 1: To demonstrate the renewable and important environmentally characteristics of cork

Activity 2: To underline that defending cork is defending the use of cork stoppers, the key product of the cork chain

Activity 3: To promote the different uses cork can have besides cork stopper (bio-architecture, links to climate change mitigation, industrial and commercial innovations, etc.)

Objective 3: Hermetic technical language simplified

Activity 1: To intensively disseminate information among target groups (producers, general public, final consumers, politicians)

D. Implementation

The list of events, international and national, is expected to be further enlarged with the suggestions both from interested member countries and from observer organisations of the Committee Silva Mediterranea. Active participation at these constructive events will certainly contribute to the promotion of cork and cork oak stands.

International

2008 • VIVEXPO 2008 (17-20 June, Vivés, France) – Biannual Fair of Cork and Mediterranean Forest • European Forest Week (20-24 October, Rome, Italy) – participation in the Side-Event

focused on Silva Mediterranea and possible statement at the formal session (Rome)

2009 • World Forestry Congress (18-25 October, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

2010

• VIVEXPO 2010 – Vivés, France

2011

• International Year of Forests (United Nations Forum on Forests) National

2008 • European Forest Week (20-24 October) - celebration/events preferably linked to cork, cork

oak and cork oak stands (and to Silva Mediterranea)

• Portel Fair (November/December) – one week event that could integrate a discussion forum or any other cork-related event

2009

• Tree Parade (eventual integration of a component on cork or cork oak) • National Forest Congress • Portal Fair/Cork Oak Stands Fair (November/December) – one week event that could

integrate a discussion forum or any other cork-related event • Tree Parade(eventual integration of a component on cork or cork oak)

2010

• Portal Fair/Cork Oak Stands Fair (November/December) – one week event that could integrate a discussion forum or any other cork-related event

2011

• Portal Fair/Cork Oak Stands Fair (November/December) – one week event that could integrate a discussion forum or any other cork-related event.

E. Stakeholder involvement

Once the Work Programme becomes consolidated and agreed at Committee Silva Mediterranea level, interested member countries are welcome to participate in its implementation. In addition, it can be presented to relevant observer organisations of the Committee with a view to have all interested parties engaged in its implementation.

For the time being, only the following two organisations can be officially involved (as they are responsible for this work programme proposal):

• Estação Florestal Nacional - Carolina Varela (Coordinator of WG2 on Cork Oak) • Direcção-Geral dos Recursos Florestais/Autoridade Florestal Nacional – National Forest

Authority

Other potential partners, international and national, to be contacted at a later stage:

• C.E. LIÈGE – Confédération Européenne du Liège • RETECORK – the European Network of Cork-related Territories • AIFM – Association Internationale Forêts Méditerranéennes

• IML - Institut Méditerranéen du Liège • IPROCOR - Instituto del Corcho, la Madera y el Carbón Vegetal • Sardegna - Stazione Sperimentale del Sughero • Confraria do Sobreiro e da Cortiça (Brotherhood of Cork Oak and Cork) • Corticeira Amorim • UNAC - União da Floresta Mediterrânica • APCOR - Associação Portuguesa de Cortiça • LPN - Liga para a Protecção da Naturaza • INETI – Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação • Câmara Municipal de Portel • Ecomuseu Municipal do Seixal

F. Sustainability, replicability, constraints, limitations and risks

The development of this work plan depends on countries’ implications, through effective focal points and the funds availability.

G. Budget

• Estimated total 4 years budget:...................................USD

• Country Coordinator’s contribution..............................USD

• Others contributors (to be identified)..........................USD