PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Under the EU Climate Law, the European strategy is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Central to this effort is the Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, which includes forests, cropland, grassland, wetlands, and settlements, as well as changes in land use such as afforestation and deforestation. The LULUCF sector acts as a significant carbon sink, offsetting about 7% of the EU’s emissions from other sectors, and is subject to quantified national targets to help reach an EU-wide goal of -310 Mt CO2e of net removals by 2030. The mitigation potential of forests and natural ecosystems, especially through reducing deforestation, increasing carbon sequestration in agriculture, and restoring ecosystems is crucial. Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems, such as seagrass meadows and mangroves, are also important for their effectiveness in sequestering carbon and supporting climate adaptation. The revised EU regulations 2018/841 and 2018/1999, amended by 2023/839, aim to improve governance at national and EU level, by enhancing the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of emissions and removals, and to foster synergies between climate mitigation and environmental protection. However, the LULUCF sector is complex and volatile, influenced by both natural processes and human activities, and is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts like wildfires and floods, as seen in Greece in 2023. Additional challenges are posed by the involvement of multiple stakeholders with differing priorities.
The LIFE LULUCF ATLAS aims to develop methodologies and tools to enhance the capacities of public and private actors and improve governance in the LULUCF sector, thus contributing to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality objective.
OBJECTIVES
The project aims to:
- Develop geographically explicit inventories for the LULUCF sector, covering all of Greece and a pilot area in Bulgaria. This will utilise existing EU and national data collection systems (such as LUCAS, LPIS/IACS, and Copernicus) to identify and monitor land use, land use changes, and the effects of natural disturbances.
- Apply advanced techniques to enhance the MRV of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in the national GHG inventory for the LULUCF sector. This includes improving activity data and calculation factors, incorporating additional carbon pools, and using at least Tier 2 methodologies for all pools.
- Develop and pilot a methodology for including coastal wetlands (e.g., seagrass meadows) in the national GHG inventory, starting with Greece.
- Establish a comprehensive monitoring framework for forests, focusing on growth, health, natural disturbances, and harvesting.
- Enhance climate monitoring by creating a dedicated network for forests, applicable to both natural and urban/peri-urban environments.
- Design land and coastal management practices that sustain and enhance carbon sinks in soils and woody biomass, and promote carbon storage in long-lasting products, addressing climate-related challenges and opportunities in Greece and Bulgaria.
- Develop methodologies and tools for the ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of policies and measures in the LULUCF sector (forest land, grassland, and cropland), assessing mitigation, adaptation, and added value or synergies with other policy areas. Pilot these approaches in Greece and Bulgaria.
- Establish operational linkages between carbon certification schemes, national GHG inventories, and policies and measures in the LULUCF sector.
- Raise awareness of climate change impacts and the need for mitigation and adaptation actions by engaging stakeholders and interested parties through targeted activities.
RESULTS
Quantifiable results of the project will be:
- Comprehensive Land Use Monitoring: Achieve geographically explicit land use monitoring for 100% of Greece’s territory by the end of the project. For Bulgaria, coverage will increase from 6% at project completion to 100% within five years post-project.
- LULUCF Sector MRV System Enhancement: Improve the MRV system for GHG inventories in the LULUCF sector by 60% for Greece and 64% for Bulgaria during the project, reaching 100% in both countries within five years after project completion.
- Carbon Flux Estimation in Seagrass Meadows: estimate carbon fluxes in Greece’s seagrass meadows, adhering to IPCC guidelines and TACCC (Transparency, Accuracy, Consistency, Comparability, Completeness) principles of the UNFCCC. This initiative will facilitate their future inclusion in the national inventory reports of the EU member states, as no European country currently includes them.
- Forest Monitoring Framework Implementation: Establish a Forest Monitoring Framework in 10 local forest services during the project, with 15 additional services to be included after project completion.
- Climate Monitoring Network Expansion: Set up a climate monitoring network for bioclimatic variables at two pilot sites in Greece, with three more stations to be added by the end of the project.
- Policy and Measures Prioritisation for LULUCF: Define priorities for policies and measures (PaMs) in the LULUCF sector, based on a climate-oriented SWOT analysis and ex-ante evaluation of adopted or planned PaMs. This process will involve consultations with key stakeholders.
- Impact Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitor the impact of implemented PaMs and conduct ex-post evaluations to assess their effectiveness and outcomes.
- Institutional Strengthening: Enhance collaboration between public administration, local authorities, and research institutes in Greece and Bulgaria, both during and after the project.
- Capacity Building for Key Stakeholders: Provide training and support for data providers on reporting requirements, as well as for forest managers, protected area managers, research institutes, and policy-makers on mitigation potential and adaptation actions in Greece and Bulgaria.
- Stakeholder Engagement on Carbon Removals and Registries: Engage stakeholders in Bulgaria and Greece regarding carbon removals, carbon registries, and the connections between carbon certification schemes, national GHG inventories, and PaMs.
- Official Reporting : Produce eight official/governmental reports based on data from the improved MRV system.