Titolo del Contributo: Mediterranean Forest DNA Bank, a new direction of the international environmental protection and politics. With a series of scientific pictures by the author. Speech at the International Conference held at the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, Brussels, Wednesday 16 March 2011. Text and original pictures by Fabienne (Charlotte) Orazie Vallino

Abstract

During the UNITED NATIONS International Year of Forests, it is essential that all Mediterranean countries cooperate to enhance their international collaboration on forests, on the safeguard of forests and of Biodiversity, on the cultural and social valorisation of forests, that are prominent global issues of our times. In fact, the Mediterranean Basin is the third richest hotspot in the world in terms of its plant diversity even if, today, it has the lowest percentage of natural vegetation remaining of any Hotspot: a mere five percent of the original extent of this Ecoregion contains relatively intact vegetation (for example the Syrian Mediterranean district). This poor percentage places the Mediterranean Basin amongst the four most severely depleted and degraded Hotspots on the earth, due to the intensive human impacts on its ecosystems for thousands of years.