MEDACC: innovative methodologies for adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean area

Image author: IRTA- Fundació Mas Badia / Fototeca CENEAM

The LIFE MEDACC project aimed to develop innovative solutions to adapt our agroforestry and urban systems to the impacts of climate change in the Mediterranean. A series of adaptation measures in the fields of agriculture, forestry and water management were implemented on a pilot basis. The results of the project have contributed to quantify how adaptation can reduce the vulnerability of natural systems and human activities to climate change, and what are the economic and environmental costs associated with the implementation or non-implementation of these adaptation measures.

The project focused on three representative basins in Catalonia: The Muga, the Ter and the Segre, with the aim of making the results and methodology applicable to the design of similar experiences throughout the Mediterranean area.

Case Study Description

Challenges:

Both forests and crops in the Mediterranean area could be - indeed were already being - seriously affected by climate change, by episodes of severe water scarcity and drought combined with extended periods of very high temperatures. This aggravated, in the case of forests, water stress and fire risk and, in the case of crops, generated increases in water demand that could hardly be met in a generalised context of water scarcity in the basins.

MEDACC took the river basin as a frame of reference. The three basins chosen - those of the Muga, Ter and Segre rivers - represented a great diversity of topographic, climatic, and environmental conditions, as well as different land uses and water demands. In addition, they were subject to different pressures on water resources, pressures that could worsen in the future. By way of example, while in the Segre agriculture accounted for 95% of water demand, in the Ter urban consumption reached 74%. Over the last six decades, the reduction in circulating flows in the headwaters of the rivers analysed because of the increase in temperature, the reduction in precipitation (especially in summer) and the increase in evapotranspiration had been a cause for concern. Thus, in the Segre basin, the reduction in headwater flows was 28%, in the river Muga, 49% and in the Ter around 42-57%.

In the field of forestry, the project highlighted the need to intervene in Mediterranean forests which, after being subjected to heavy exploitation for centuries, have been abandoned in recent decades due to rural depopulation and the widespread use of fossil fuels. This has resulted in very dense and immature forest stands, which are consequently very sensitive to water stress and at elevated risk of fire.

Objectives:

Different pilot actions were designed, implemented, and monitored to help quantify the effects (positive and negative) of implementing adaptation measures in the following sectors:

Domestic and urban water use: the project investigated optimal water management processes to achieve savings in an environmentally, energy and socially efficient manner.
Agriculture: the project sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of water stress reduction measures linked to agricultural consumption. This included working with different crop varieties, irrigation systems and sustainable soil management techniques.
Forestry: pilot actions helped to quantify the effects of forest management on forest health, water availability and fire risk.

In addition, the impacts of climate and land use changes and the vulnerability of selected watersheds were assessed in detail.

Adaptation measures implemented in the case study:

Structural/physical: Technology options

Structural/physical: Ecosystemic options

Solutions:

Overall, those areas, systems, and economic sectors most sensitive to climate change were identified. A diagnosis was made of which adaptation measures had previously been applied in the study basins and what effect they had had. Based on the results obtained in the modelling of socio-economic and climate scenarios in the 3 basins studied for the 2030-2050 horizon, we proceeded to propose which adaptation measures should be implemented in water management and new adaptation measures were also defined and some of them were implemented as pilot tests (agriculture and forestry).

The effects of the pilot tests were monitored in the three basins. The results were disseminated in different networks and platforms. The project field-tested different adaptation strategies aimed at reducing the vulnerability of Mediterranean forests and crops to climate change and assessed the economic and environmental costs associated with the implementation - or not - of the various measures.

In the field of forestry, the project highlighted the need to intervene in Mediterranean forests which, after having been heavily exploited for centuries, have been abandoned in recent decades due to rural depopulation and the widespread use of fossil fuels. This has resulted in very dense and immature forest stands, which are consequently very sensitive to water stress and at elevated risk of fire. The proposal made by LIFE MEDACC was to reduce the density of trees to accelerate the natural process of succession towards more mature forests. For this purpose, different treatments - thinning and thinning - were applied in different environmental conditions, slope, soil depth, etc. In this way, it was possible to check which treatments worked best in each situation and to find out their costs, to then determine the appropriate management recommendations in each case.

In addition to these specific forest management practices, the need to strengthen extensive livestock farming and to maintain and recover traditional mosaic agroforestry landscapes, which are home to greater biodiversity and are less vulnerable to the different impacts, was also highlighted.

About agriculture, various methods were evaluated on maize and apple crops that allowed - at very low costs - water savings of between 20% and 30%, while maintaining production. The methodology was based on applying simple technologies to know, as accurately as possible, the environmental conditions and weather forecasts in the different crop plots and, with these data, to calculate exactly the weekly water inputs that each plot required. This information was passed on to the farmers, who were thus able to significantly increase irrigation efficiency, reduce costs and at the same time contribute to improving water availability in the basin.

Importance and relevance of the adaptation:

Case developed, implemented, and partially funded as a Climate Change Adaptation measure for agroforestry and urban systems in the Mediterranean area.

Additional Details

Stakeholder engagement:

The Catalan Office for Climate Change coordinated the development of the project and the work of the different participants, especially dealing with the tasks of institutional relations, the link with the different actors in the territory and the impact of the project on the environmental policies of Catalonia.
The Ecological Research and Forestry Applications Centre (CREAF) carried out the technical coordination of the project, placing special emphasis on the assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change in the study basins, the compilation and analysis of adaptation measures already applied, the definition of new adaptation measures and the implementation of pilot tests in the forestry sector.
The Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE) participated in the hydro-climatic modelling of the study basins and coordinated the integration of the data collected in the project and its results in an information platform.
The Food and Agricultural Research and Technology Institute (IRTA) contributed its knowledge and experience in the agricultural field and coordinated the implementation of the pilot tests.
Different actors in the territory - from the administration, academic, environmental, service and tourism sectors, etc. - participated in different phases of the project, contributing their knowledge and experience.

The results were disseminated in different networks and platforms, as well as in conferences, international workshops, technical seminars, agricultural fairs, among others.

The Life Shara - Awareness and knowledge for climate change adaptation project presented in three formats (video interview-report, written report, and exhibition panel) the climate change adaptation initiative and actions of the Life MEDACC project.

Project interest:

The project field-tested different adaptation strategies aimed at reducing the vulnerability of Mediterranean forests and crops to climate change.

The results of the project have contributed to quantifying how adaptation can reduce the vulnerability of natural systems and human activities to climate change, and what were the economic and environmental costs associated with the implementation or non-implementation of these adaptation measures. Thus, it was possible to verify which treatments worked best in each situation and to know their costs, to then specify the appropriate management recommendations in each case.

Success and limiting factors:

The MEDACC project highlighted the need to strengthen efforts to conserve and improve forest stands, especially at the headwaters of rivers, given the enormous environmental services they provide, not only in terms of aesthetics and recreation, but also in terms of water availability and quality, air quality, maintenance of biodiversity, etc.

It also revealed the urgency of implementing public adaptation policies for agroforestry systems, for which it was essential to improve the urban-rural dialogue so that society would bear the costs of keeping the rural environment alive.

Budget, funding and additional benefits:

The project budget was €2,548,841, with a European Commission contribution of €1,266,208.

The combination of hydrological simulations and three land cover scenarios showed a strong influence of the forested area on flow generation. In some pilot tests, a seasonal increase in soil moisture was observed where forest management was implemented. During spring and summer, higher soil moisture showed a favourable correlation with tree growth and tree health, as well as reduced flammability and combustibility of vegetation in periods of high fire risk, and in some cases, reduced decay.

In agriculture, various methods were tested on maize and apple trees, which allowed - at very low costs - water savings of 20-30% while maintaining production. In the case of apple trees, the production value of the plot using this method was 32,850 €/ha, an increase of 4.2% compared to the control plot.

On the other hand, in a study framed within the project, it was proposed for the Alt Pirineu area (Segre basin) to allocate half of the current usable agricultural area (in which crops for animal feed predominate) to crops for human consumption, which are much better adapted to climate change scenarios for the 2030-2050 horizon and are more economically profitable. This would be compensated by an increase in extensive grazing, which over time had become less important in favour of livestock farming. This study concluded that the gross income of the agricultural sector in this future scenario could reach 181.1 M€ compared to 84.3 M€ at present or 76.7 M€ in the same scenario 2030-50 if current management is maintained.

Legal aspects:

Compliance with the Catalan Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (ESCACC 2013-2020):

MEDACC was designed to contribute to the design and development of adaptation strategies and policies in the Euro-Mediterranean area. It was a key tool in the deployment of the ESCACC, which meant that the project had to align and comply with the guidelines and objectives set out in this regional strategy.

Implementation of Regional and National Adaptation Guidelines and Policies:

The project acted within the framework of adaptation policies being developed at regional and national levels, ensuring that its activities and outcomes were effectively integrated into broader climate change adaptation efforts.

Environmental and Resource Management Regulations:

Project activities, especially those related to water management, agriculture, and forestry, had to comply with local and national environmental laws regulating these sectors. This included compliance with regulations on water use, forestry management and sustainable agricultural practices.

Integration with Research and Innovation Initiatives:

Since MEDACC was also branded as a research and innovation project, it had to adhere to relevant regulations regarding experimentation and application of new technologies and methods in natural and urban settings

Implementation time:

5 years (1 July 2013 – 30 June 2019)

Reference Information

Contact:

Gabriel Borràs

Tel: 93 444 50 00

Av. Diagonal, 523-525 08029 Barcelona

info@medacc-life.eu / gborras@gencat.cat

Websites:

http://www.medacc-life.eu

Sources: