PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified Mediterranean ecosystems as being among the most likely to be affected by climate change, with a clear tendency towards drier and hotter conditions. Substantial warming and a significant decrease of precipitation is likely to occur in the period to 2050, although at local level changes might be even more dramatic, with an increase in extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, heavy rain, windstorms or storm surges.
These events will probably lead to a depletion of surface and ground waters, depletion of aquifers, salinisation in coastal areas and desertification. These phenomena could lead to changes in vegetation, soils, water availability and local climate to the point of unsustainable support for key soil ecosystem services. Shortage of water availability is also expected to significantly decrease crop productivity and forest and biomass extent, resulting in the likely crossing of critical thresholds of ecosystems services, especially in the summer period. Climate change has already resulted in significant biodiversity loss, range contraction of species, erosion, salinisation, land degradation and loss of agro-biodiversity.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE DESERT-ADAPT aimed to demonstrate the positive effect of an integrated ecosystems approach that combines climate change adaptation and mitigation targets with improved socioeconomic development opportunities in areas subjected to land degradation and desertification. It intended to:
- Demonstrate Desertification Adaptation Models (DAMs), aimed at countering aridification and subsequent land desertification in one region of Italy, of Spain and of Portugal. These DAMs included innovative adaption technologies concerning land use, soil conservation and plant support – they demonstrated combinations of techniques and species variations with regard to soil, plants and seeds, growing aids, mycorrhizae and facilities for ecosystem services. By incorporating climate change variables and structural and functional landscape complexity they sought to optimise resilience and adaptation to climate change, targeting the improvement of ecosystems and the socioeconomic system;
- Develop a farmer adoption system – a commercial approach with short supply chains providing economic incentives for farmers to adopt DAM land use systems – to maximise outreach to farming communities;
- Promote and replicate the DAMs and the project’s unique combinations of techniques and income sources from products and services among different stakeholders. In particular, local farmers seeking opportunities from climate resilient and profitable land use and policy-makers, to enable upscaling in the project’s regions and beyond;
- Contribute to climate change mitigation through the climate-resilient land use systems introduced to enable the recovery of vulnerable and desertified land areas. These led to an increase in overall carbon sequestration in the soil and in above-ground vegetation and lower the carbon footprint of the farmed products.
RESULTS
LIFE DESERT-ADAPT aimed to demonstrate the positive effect of an integrated ecosystems approach that combines climate change adaptation and mitigation targets with improved socioeconomic development opportunities in areas subjected to land degradation and desertification. It successfully defined and implemented 9 Desert Adaptation Model (DAM) Plans in about 1,000 hectares of land managed by pilot farms, demonstrating how agro-forestry practices with balanced and diversified management of land could lead to significant improvements in soil quality, higher and more stable revenues in the long term, and an overall improved sustainability of farming practices in areas at risk of desertification. The tested models were very successful, raising interest in the proposed practices at the local level and eventually leading to a very successful replication of project ideas, with 85 replicators for a total of about 10,000 hectares of land in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The products coming from pilot farms were marketed to 130 potential customers, eventually leading to 37 concrete business collaborations and higher incomes for the farms involved.
At the environmental level, the main results include an average carbon sequestration in biomass (either planted or better managed) of about 2.1 tons CO2/ha/year, a particularly remarkable result in areas prone to desertification, an increased soil water retention of about 3%, a reduction of soil loss (e.g. run-off) of about 40% (15 tons/ha), a reduction of soil compaction (-7%), an increased Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen by about 50% (about 8 g of carbon/kg of soil) and improved mycorrhizae colonisation of plant roots by about 40%. Plant survival rate was also increased by 350% on average thanks to growing aids and improved soil conditions. Biodiversity also improved, with a 40% increase in bird abundance and a 30% increase in insect taxa. Overall, an improvement in most of the analysed indicators was registered, with significant amelioration in soil properties in physical (e.g., texture, water retention, etc.), chemical (e.g., carbon and nitrogen contents), and biological (e.g., bacteria and mycorrhizae) terms, with a reduced severity of the desertification level achieved for some of the pilot areas.
Dissemination activities were also very successful, with more than 5,000 people involved directly through events, networking (14 concrete collaborations/exchange of knowledge), school involvement (more than 1,000 students participating in lessons and open tours of pilot farms) and training (capacity building with 15 courses and almost 400 participants), and more than 300,000 people reached through the website, social media, surveys and publications (press and scientific papers).
At the policy level, the project identified potential gaps in the national/regional policy framework, where incentives from the CAP and how the related measures are implemented locally seem to foster land degradation. These aspects were also discussed through participation in international events (e.g., COP26) and direct exchanges with DG CLIMA and DG AGRI. A policy paper was also produced, providing a short summary of proposed actions for policy makers and a detailed analysis of the policy gaps identified. The project also contributed to the debate and development of national/regional laws on desertification and agro-forestry management.
