Description

The Green Link

LIFE The Green Link “Restore desertified areas with an innovative tree growing method across the Mediterranean border to increase resilience”.

Mediterranean societies are increasingly facing floods, water scarcity, heat waves, prolonged droughts, flows variability, temperature rises and decreased rainfall with related impacts on vegetation. The impact of these phenomena is expected to intensify the existing risks of desertification and forest fires, particularly in regions where water scarcity is already a concern. Developing adaptation measures aimed at reducing the vulnerability of these ecosystems and strengthening their resilience is therefore of crucial importance.

The Green Link project seeks to contribute to the development of effective adaptation strategies across the Mediterranean region by testing an innovative growing method to restore desertified areas. This consists of replacing traditional irrigation techniques with the Cocoon, a water-efficient, low-cost and 100% biodegradable, through six trials in three different Mediterranean countries suffering from desertification.

In addition, the project has a strong European added value since it is in line with current EU policies and legislation such as: the EU Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (carbon sequestration, soil conservation), EU Strategy on Green Infrastructure (contribution to Natural and Semi-natural Areas Network), EU Cross-Border Cooperation, EU Rural Development Policy (Green Jobs), Common Agricultural Policy (“Greening”) and EU Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (ecosystem services, landscape biodiversity, agro-sylvo-pastoral systems).

Objectives

What is this project trying to achieve?

The Green Link aims to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of an innovative tree growing method that has the potential to restore desertified areas across the Mediterranean border.

Through six trials in Spain, Italy and Greece in areas that suffer from desertification, the project will:

1. Demonstrate that Cocoon technology can help combat desertification and climate change
2. Demonstrate the economic feasibility of an improved and more sustainable technology to plant trees
3. Design specific ecological interventions (study of assisted migration of species)
4. Integrate novel methodologies for the assessment of climate change impact and resilience in the future.
5. Map ecosystem services for adaptation strategies in order to gain a better understanding of the positive outputs of the project.
6. Replicate the project experience and actively engage stakeholders

In this way, The Green Link project expects to contribute to the climate objective by especially addressing climate resilience and carbon sequestration. Halting desertification processes in 3 Mediterranean countries through the creation of ‘green pockets’ while creating a ‘green link’; a corridor that will interconnect habitats and help the system become more resilient so that they are less likely to experience disturbances. In addition, the landscape features between habitat patches, have a role in enhancing connectivity and the capacity of the ecosystem to provide goods and services.

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