Mediterranean Mosaics Project

The project “Mediterranean Mosaics” (MM) stemmed from a debate between several organisations active in the fields of environmental protection and rural development, and seeking innovative solutions to address the threat that socio-economic and climate change pose to the survival of the extensive agro-silvo-pastoral landscapes that for many centuries supported rural society thanks to their wealth of biological diversity and ecosystem services, shaping the core natural and cultural heritage in the Mediterranean region.

The project started in 2012, with the aim of designing and field-testing adaptive measures for biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, and rural development, to help build “disturbance-smart” socio-ecosystems at the landscape level.

The approach chosen by the project is to engage local societies and decision makers in the formulation of a long-term, shared “landscape visions” while, at the same time, testing and implementing innovative measures to manage and restore ecosystem connectivity and functionality, and for the sustainable management of natural resources, through pilot fieldwork within each of the two target landscapes in Lebanon and Italy.

The current phase of Mediterranean Mosaics will run for 36 months, from May 2016 to April 2019. MM Phase II builds on the achievements, lessons learned, and network of partners of the previous phase, and it is shaped around the five, following lines of work:

1. Adaptive management and conservation of water resources through applied research, mapping of water resources, the use existing of policy frameworks (Water Framework Directive), and the implementation of innovative measures for water conservation using a mix of traditional know-how and innovative technology.
2. Adaptive management, restoration, and conservation of forests, through applied research, and the implementation of forest restoration and management measures using a mix of traditional know-how and innovative technology, with a focus on the promotion of renewable energy (biomass).
3. Integrated, participatory land planning and the support to diversification of the rural economy as means to restore landscape multi-functionality, with a focus on the agriculture, tourism, and energy sectors. 
4. Capacity building for the key stakeholders in the project landscapes to plan and implement adaptive natural resource management through training and mutual learning. 
5. Generating new knowledge to enhance the resilience of critical Mediterranean landscapes (wetlands, high mountains) and the streamlining of lessons learned through policy dialogue , targeting key decision makers and processes at the local, national, and international levels.