27 February 2014, ForestEurope news - Experts on the valuation of forests ecosystem services (VFES) from different countries and international organizations (such as the European Forest Institute and the European Commission) met this Thursday, 27 February, in Madrid (Spain).
The work of this expert group started in June 2012, when FOREST EUROPE organized a kick-off meeting, also in Madrid. This gave an initial boost to this part of the FOREST EUROPE Programme of Work the aim of which is, among other things, to promote the VFES in the pan-European region.
During this latest meeting, experts presented the results of the work carried out by the three FOREST EUROPE working sub-groups dealing with different aspects related to the economic valuation of the broad range of services provided by forests.
The exchange of opinions and brain storming during the day fed interesting debates related to the identification of FES, the different valuation approaches coming from countries and organizations, and the potential implementation of the VFES.
Finding pan-European approaches to VFES is actually a great challenge, the experts agreed. And the challenge is even greater when focusing on how to put into practice a topic that, up to now, has been addressed more from a theoretical than a practical perspective. Therefore, learning from practical examples is a key issue when discussing about VFES implementation, participants in the meeting stated.
The expert group will now continue working in the light of the conclusions reached during this meeting. Furthermore, a FOREST EUROPE workshop will be convened in Belgrade after the summer in order to share the main outcomes of the work carried out by the expert group, to consolidate its proposals, and to identify priorities and measures to promote the implementation of VFES in the pan-European region.
