The Eurecat technology centre highlights the importance of promoting a new rural bioeconomy based on innovation, participation and sustainability, with initiatives such as the development of a carbon credit model for Mediterranean crops, regenerative tourism and the creation of green jobs in nature-related sectors, with the aim of preserving rural territories as one of the keys to achieving climate neutrality.
Coinciding with the International Day of Climate Change, the Director of the Climate Resilience Centre, Carles Ibáñez, emphasizes that “the innovation driven by Eurecat aims to ensure that this transition is fair, sustainable and replicable in other Mediterranean regions.”
Along these lines, the Bioresilmed project, led by Eurecat, has deployed a network of pilot farms in the Ebro Delta and in the AlVelAl territory on the high plateau of Almería, Granada and Murcia to promote bioeconomy and climate resilience. It has also implemented a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane, in coastal rice fields and to capture carbon dioxide in woody crops.
“Mediterranean rural landscapes are highly vulnerable to climate change and are suffering from the abandonment of traditional activities and depopulation. Coastal wetlands, such as the Ebro Delta, are threatened by erosion, salinization and biodiversity loss, while inland landscapes, such as the AlVelAl territory, face drought, desertification and wildfires,” explains Nil Álvarez, Director of Climate Solutions and Ecosystem Services (CLIMSES) at Eurecat.
With the aim of reversing these effects, Bioresilmed has also carried out actions such as the creation of the Ebre Bioterritori Living Lab, a pioneering space for the co-creation and experimentation of climate adaptation strategies. In this context, a community of practice has been formed with representatives from pioneering regenerative tourism companies, farmers, public administrations, conservation organizations, scientists and citizens. Together, they have co-created a proposed action plan to promote the bioeconomy in the Ebro Delta, with a 25-year vision for territorial transformation.
The project has also developed a semi-automated environmental monitoring system that provides real-time data on habitat evolution, which is used to design climate change adaptation and mitigation plans.
Since its launch, Bioresilmed “has contributed to the restoration of wetlands in the Ebro Delta (Ullals de Panxa), the reduction of methane emissions in rice fields and increased carbon capture in woody crops. It has also promoted sustainable agricultural practices that improve biodiversity and soil quality, as well as volunteer programs and environmental education initiatives to raise public awareness,” adds the Director of Climate Solutions and Ecosystem Services at Eurecat.
The Bioresilmed consortium, led by Eurecat, includes partners such as the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF, UAB), the Aland Foundation, the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, the Fundación Empresa y Clima (FEyC), SEO/BirdLife and Rovira i Virgili University. The AIVeIAI Association collaborates with the initiative and has hosted pilot trials in its territory.
The project is funded by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
