Eduardo Rojas, a lecturer at the ETSEAMN-UPV and a researcher with the ICTs against Climate Change (ICT VS CC) group at ITACA-UPV, has been appointed Chair of the CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies) Advisory Board, succeeding Chadi Abdallah, research director at the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research and the Remote Sensing Center.
This appointment reinforces CIHEAM’s commitment to an integrated and strategic vision of rural development in the Mediterranean region. In his address, Rojas expressed his gratitude for the support and confidence placed in him, highlighting the need to broaden the institution’s traditional focus.
“CIHEAM has had a strong presence in the agri-food sector, but a much more limited one in the forestry field. However, in recent years it has reached a key dual conviction: on the one hand, that forestry is a strategic element of the rural world, especially in more disadvantaged areas such as mountain regions; that it represents the most important source of biomaterials; and that, in addition, agri-livestock and forestry uses are both necessary and complementary, particularly in the prevention of natural hazards such as wildfires or floods exacerbated by climate change, as evidenced by Mediterranean systems”, highlighted the ITACA researcher.
For all these reasons, he announced that during his term, the Advisory Board will promote an agenda aimed at strengthening the integration of agricultural and forestry policies, fostering resilience to climate change, and promoting sustainable rural development models adapted to Mediterranean realities, as well as supporting population retention and decent livelihoods in rural areas.
Noticia elaborada por ITACA FORWARD, financiada por Ivace+i Innovación y la Unión Europea a través del Programa Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) Comunitat Valenciana 2021-2027 (Referencia del proyecto: INNVA2/2025/17)
