Students from 14 countries attended the MEDfor Winter School organised by the Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute in Palencia, Spain. The forest science students, from Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Brazil, Egypt, Ukraine, Syria, Germany, Spain, Togo & United States, spent four weeks in January and February as part of the MEDfor Erasmus Mundus Master course which they are studying at the universities of Lisbon (Portugal), Padova (Italy) and Lleida (Spain).
The focus of the Winter School was on forest models and biological control of forest pests and diseases. Participants also had the opportunity to attend the XIth edition of the International Young Researchers Meeting on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Systems celebrated in Valsaín (Segovia) on the 30 & 31st of January.
The programme has two main objectives: first, that students should gain knowledge about management and research experiences in Spain which they might replicate in their own countries; second, that students from many different countries can exchange academic and cultural experiences useful for their future careers.
MEDfor is formed of a consortium of seven prestigious universities in the field of international forestry, also including the universities of Valladolid (Spain), Karadeniz (Turkey), Tuscia (Italy) and Portugal (Portugal) in addition to the students’ host universities.
The MEDfor consortium is supported by a consultation panel, coordinated by EFIMED, which includes leadership from international research and dissemination organisations in areas of scientific interest for Mediterranean forest activity and management of natural resources.
