2017 EFUF Forum
| Subject: Infrastructures
AMB, host of the main European forum on urban forests
The European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) this year celebrates its 20th anniversary in the metropolis of Barcelona. It is a congress open to international researchers and professionals interested in reflecting on how the fringes of urban forests can be seen as opportunities to connect and structure territories. This edition was sponsored by the AMB and the Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC).
From 30 May to 2 June, the meeting brought together more than 150 experts, including architects, urbanists, environmentalists and professionals from 19 countries all around the world.
Ramon Torra, the general manager of the AMB, highlighted in his welcome speech that ‘the metropolis of Barcelona is a space in which urban forests and green infrastructure are becoming more important. The public needs to realise that, despite appearances, more than 50% of the spaces in the metropolitan territory are green or at least free or with some degree of protection. This has become a symbol of identity of our city of cities'.
Accordingly, metropolitan Barcelona contains green infrastructure with great environmental and social wealth made up of more than 60 different habitats that are home to more than 5,300 species. They are distributed in different types of space: rivers (Llobregat and Besòs), natural parks (Collserola, Garraf and Serra de Marina), 32 km of metropolitan beaches, the metropolitan park network, urban parks, and other green spaces integrated into the city such as its streets, squares, balconies and roof gardens.
The numerous presentations given at the congress covered subjects such as ecological connectivity, the compatibility of ecosystem services, biodiversity and disturbances, and also subjects like the social aspect of forestry management and the planning of pavements with reference to the new leisure culture.
EFUF 2017 website
