With a view to safeguarding this heritage for future generations, and so as to foster the sustainable management of these resources, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the member governments and the European Community :
4.1 to draw up and implement a forest policy and action plan to regenerate and maintain the Mediterranean forest ;
4.2 to improve methods of fire prevention and step up the fight against forest fires ;
4.3 to improve the management of forests, in particular by reinforcing forestry services ;
4.4 to guarantee the existence of reference forest ecosystems such as nature reserves ;
4.5 to encourage the diversified use of forests on a permanent basis (for wood, leisure, hunting, gathering, while instructing users on the danger of fire, etc.) in order to keep the forests healthy and at the same time foster the development of rural areas and job creation ;
4.6 to embark on a campaign of afforestation and reforestation avoiding the conversion of fire damaged areas to other uses ;
4.7 to eliminate the forest's other principal enemies, particularly atmospheric pollution ;
4.8 to step up information, education, training and research on all aspects relevant to Mediterranean forest ecosystems and give a specific role to the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies in this regard ;
4.9 to organise a European forest year so as to make the public, and particularly young people, aware of this resource and its importance to global and European ecosystems, and to promote international co-operation in this area ;
4.10 to organise regular conferences of European ministers responsible for forests so as to implement a coherent, co-ordinated policy for the long-term management of forested areas.
