PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Mountain areas are the major source of freshwater for lowlands thanks to their perennial and intermittent rivers. As such, effective land management of these areas should include climate change adaptation measures in Southern European regions. These areas are also vulnerable to many physical and anthropogenic impacts, such as the recent rural abandonment of mountain slopes, which in turn has dramatically reduced landscapes diversity. These impacts make Southern European mountains highly sensitive to climate change, particularly in terms of downstream water resources. An excellent climate change adaptation approach is to convert and/or maintain heterogeneous agro-forest-pastoral land mosaics. Such landscapes support higher biodiversity, provide vital ecosystem services, and are more resilient to climate change. Landscape diversification also makes agricultural and forest environments more sustainable and boosts their economic potential.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of LIFE MIDMACC was to promote climate change adaptation measures in marginal mid-mountain areas of Spain, while improving socioeconomic development.
The project had the following specific objectives:
- developing and implementing landscape adaptation in marginal mid-mountain areas to improve their environmental and socio-economic resilience to climate change;
- assessing the socio-economic and ecologic effectiveness of such measures, working across sectors and at multiple scales and determining related implications through widespread monitoring and modelling;
- engaging key managers and economic and environmental agents in the design, development and assessment processes and work to involve affected regional committees in early decision making processes;
- creating a coordinated policy framework among regional governments to improve the sustainable use of marginal mid-mountain areas;
- developing integrated climate change adaptation guidelines for mid-mountain areas;
- raising awareness at local and regional levels about societal and environmental climate change adaptation in mountainous areas;
- supporting application of and adjustments to European policies on climate change adaptation in mountainous rural areas.
RESULTS
The project activities focused on restoring the agro-silvo-pastoral mosaic to reverse degradation processes and adapt mid-mountain areas to CC impacts. Several practices were considered to promote socioeconomic development and serve as reliable CC adaptation measures, such as:
- pasture recovery involved clearing scrubland and introducing extensive livestock farming to create a more resilient landscape mosaic. Pilot tests in La Rioja and Aragon evaluated the effectiveness of these measures in reducing fire risk and improving water resources without increasing soil erosion;
- adaptive forest management aimed to reduce forest fire risk and improve forest health through selective thinning and understory clearing. Pilot tests in black pine, black poplar and holm oak forests in Aragon and Catalonia showed significant reductions in fire risk and improved water availability in managed areas;
- optimisation and introduction of mountain vineyards involved converting scrubland into vineyards and adapting agronomic practices to climate change. Pilot tests in Catalonia and La Rioja determined the best practices for vineyard cultivation in mid-mountain areas. Results indicated that cover crops improve soil health and water retention but may reduce crop yield.
The project also included a detailed analysis of the risks and vulnerabilities of Mediterranean mid-mountain regions to climate change impacts in La Rioja, Aragon and Catalonia. Practical guidelines for climate change adaptation in mid-mountain areas were developed, including recommendations for scrub clearing, forest management and vineyard cultivation. These measures aimed to enhance the environmental and socioeconomic resilience of the territories. The results show high degree of replicability and can be transferred to other regions at local, national, and European levels.
LIFE MIDMACC involved extensive participation from regional committees and a supra-regional working group, which helped identify barriers, propose adaptation measures and validate vulnerability analyses. The project also focused on raising awareness and training local and regional population on climate change adaptation.
In terms of governance, the project adopted a robust participatory approach, focusing on identifying and engaging all relevant stakeholders within local communities of the target areas. Central to the project’s success was incorporating the perspectives and insights of key stakeholders into an adaptive and participatory integrated management model. Approximately 290 stakeholders actively participated in 19 dedicated meetings.
Some remarkable benefits and outcomes generated by the project include:
- improved environmental and climate performance, with pilot experiences showing better environmental and climate performance compared to control plots. For example, well-established cover crops in vineyards led to a higher reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) compared to conventional soil management. Adaptive forest management positively impacted GHG reduction, forest stability and vitality. The project also observed a reduction in the risk of crown fires due to forest management and grazing activities;
- biodiversity and soil quality, with monitoring of the effects of different livestock intensities on pasture recovery, soil properties and biodiversity. Managed pastures had better soil moisture retention and higher biodiversity compared to unmanaged areas. In La Garcipollera (Aragon), species richness increased significantly in cleared plots, with the number of species per square meter rising from 11.8 in control plots to 23.5 in cleared plots without grazing. In San Román de Cameros (La Rioja), the number of herbaceous species per square meter increased from 13.6 in control plots to 16.2 in plots with high grazing. The project also increased the area under sustainable forest management by 2.6 ha and improved habitat suitability for protected species;
- water resources, with a demonstration of increase water availability through adaptive forest management. In La Garcipollera (Aragon), the runoff coefficient was higher in cleared plots with medium grazing (0.23) compared to control plots (0.04). In Ajamil de Cameros (La Rioja), the runoff coefficient in cleared plots with high grazing was 0.30 compared to 0.00 in control plots. Additionally, in the Anyet River basin, forest management led to an 18% increase in the average monthly flow. However, the expected decrease in infiltration with scrubland clearing was not observed, and infiltration was lower in control plots due to vegetation interception;
- economic impacts, with an analysis of the economic costs and benefits of implemented measures. For example, the cost of clearing activities ranged from approximately EUR 150/ha for simple mechanised clearing to EUR 5 100/ha for more comprehensive activities. The increase of 1 hm³ of water resources had an economic impact of EUR 3.5 million, with EUR 275 424 directly benefiting the agricultural sector.
