The Status of Mediterranean Forests 2025 report (released in 2025 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO) serves as a critical overview of the region's forest resources, dynamics, and the mounting threats they face, particularly from climate change and wildfires. The report emphasizes the need for decisive and coordinated action to reverse forest degradation and invest in long-term resilience.
Key Insights
Forest Area Expansion: The forest area in Mediterranean countries expanded by 12 percent between 1990 and 2020, though this expansion has slowed down recently in the Western Mediterranean.
Total Cover: Forests and other wooded lands cover 28 percent of the Mediterranean region's land area.
Climate Change Impact: The Mediterranean is a climate change "hotspot," warming faster than the global average, leading to prolonged droughts and increased pest outbreaks.
Wildfire Crisis: Between 2010 and 2023, the Mediterranean biome experienced an average of 1,590 fires per year, burning approximately 395,000 hectares yearly.
Vulnerability to Desertification: Around 30 percent of the region is highly vulnerable to desertification.
Land-Use Pressure: Urban land cover is projected to increase by 160 percent by 2030, putting pressure on ecosystems.
Restoration Commitment: An estimated 80 million hectares of land in the region have restoration potential. Between 2017 and 2022, 1.3 to 2.3 million hectares were put under restoration by the nine countries that endorsed the Agadir Commitment.
Global Recognition: The region's restoration efforts were recognized by the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration with the World Restoration Flagship designation.
