Carbon sequestration through sustainable forest and grassland management for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation in mining areas

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have increased by 49% from the pre-industrial global average level to the current level; and what is worse, the growth rate has accelerated dramatically. Increasing concentrations of CO₂ in the atmosphere contribute to climate change, which causes pronounced worldwide negative changes to ecosystem structure and function. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times, seriously threatening the health of the planet, with relevant social and economic consequences. It is therefore necessary to develop sustainable plans and methodologies to reduce anthropogenic carbon emissions, while re-capturing atmospheric CO₂ by enhancing the natural capacity of ecosystems to sequester carbon. In this regard, forests are a crucial ally and are essential to both mitigate and adapt the environment to the impacts of climate change. Thus, ecological restoration is now a priority for governments, organisations, companies and researchers. Projects that ecologically restore degraded areas, where intensive industrial activities (such as mining) have severely damaged the environment, while enhancing the natural capacity of ecosystems to sequester carbon, are urgently needed.

OBJECTIVES

The LIFE CARBON2MINE project aims to contribute to the development of plans and methodologies to ecologically-restore terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, the project team will restore land in Asturian mining areas in Spain, to enhance the natural sequestration of carbon through the establishment and validation of sustainable forest and grassland management strategies and models. In addition, the project team will deliver a decision-making digital tool for landowners to select management models for their lands, and an assessment tool for evaluating and monitoring the carbon sequestration of restored ecosystems in former coal mining areas. Both strategies, together with numerous dissemination and social-engagement activities, will positively contribute to the mitigation of climate change, and increase the adaptability and resilience of terrestrial ecosystems. The project’s new land and vegetation management models will be designed to optimise the carbon sink effect in mining areas, while also contributing to a cleaner energy production and circular economy.

Specific aims are to:

• Restore mining areas through silvicultural models that maximise carbon fixation, to improve carbon storage and sequestration capacity, biodiversity, and the supply of ecosystem services.
• Implement the circular economy model in the management of the territory, through the introduction of circular economy in the management of forests and grasslands, and by incorporating combustion ashes (residues) from nearby bioenergy production processes as fertilisers to forest plantations.
• Decarbonise electricity generation, using forest biomass and by studying new silvicultural models aimed at producing primary and secondary forest biomass.
• Promote a new model of economic reactivation, based on business activities framed within the forestry field with a remarkable capacity to generate employment, attract people and stimulate the local economy, particularly in rural areas.
• Replicate the project’s model in other mining areas (on the basis of case study results), to maximise the project‘s impact, ensuring long-term carbon storage.

RESULTS

Expected results:

• Replicable management models for the LULUCF mining areas that allow the optimisation of carbon fixation and sequestration. 
• Improvement of the carbon storage and sequestration capacity, biodiversity, and supply of ecosystem services of forest areas and degraded mining areas.
• Tool to evaluate and monitor the traceability of carbon sequestration.
• Decision-making tool (geoportal web app) to provide sustainable management models to landowners offering the best practices for their forest management.
• Circular economy models for forest and grassland management.
• Associative formulae for the management of forest properties in the Asturian mining areas, and networking system between landowners and biomass stakeholders, including a local market for biomass and carbon credits.