PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In Europe, the Mediterranean region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, due to increasing temperatures, irregular precipitation, and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (droughts, heat waves and storms). Therefore, it is essential to increase the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems against these threats and their related impacts, such as forest fires. Agroforestry systems are the combination of woody vegetation with agricultural or livestock production systems to obtain benefits resulting from their ecological and economic interactions. So far, most of the studies related to silvo-arable systems (woody vegetation combined with crops) have been developed in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Regarding silvo-pastoral systems (woody vegetation combined with livestock grazing), most studies until now have focused on the pasturelands of the Western Iberian Peninsula. Outside these areas, the uptake of agroforestry practices is still much lower than its potential.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the LIFE AgroForAdapt project is to promote agroforestry systems for climate change adaptation of the agrarian and forestry sectors in the Mediterranean. The aim is to implement agroforestry systems in areas where they are still generally unknown, such as in Catalonia and Castile-Leon, Spain. Work will be focused on two types of agroforestry systems: silvoarable and silvopastoral. These systems will improve resilience to drought and forest fires, while enhancing the delivery of multiple ecosystem services such as biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration. They will also provide socio-economic benefits, such as income diversification, increased farm profitability and enhanced landscape/sociocultural values, through the production of new products for emerging markets.
The project is aligned with EU climate policies, especially those explicitly promoting agroforestry systems as a tool: the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the European Green Deal, and the LULUCF Regulation. The new PAC 2021-2027 is also in line with this use of agroforestry systems. Furthermore, the project will generally boost regulatory and policy changes to better exploit the potential of agroforestry systems as an adaptation measure.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Establishment of 23 demonstrative silvoarable systems (164.5 ha), improved management through climate change adaptation criteria in 16 additional ones (126.3 ha), and promotion of their replication in 300 ha in the medium term;
- Establishment of 11 demonstrative low-density silvopastoral systems (176 ha), promoting their further replication in 275 ha;
- Establishment of demonstrative silvopastoral systems to reduce fire vulnerability in 12 forests (335 ha), promoting their further replication in 800 ha;
- An assessment of the performance of these demonstrative agroforestry systems, compared to conventional agriculture, grazing and forestry in terms of yield, profitability, carbon fixation, forest structure and composition, pasture diversity, vulnerability to forest fires, tree vitality, extreme temperatures buffering, air humidity, soil moisture, light availability, water balance, and biodiversity;
- Promotion of changes in regulations, policies and adaptation plans to facilitate agroforestry in Catalonia, Girona province, Barcelona Metropolitan Area, and Occitanie/Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
