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REstoration of WETlands to minimise emissions and maximise carbon uptake – a strategy for long term climate mitigation

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Restoring wetlands to tackle climate change

Wetlands capture CO₂ from the atmosphere, storing more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. The EU-funded REWET project will accelerate the sustainable restoration and conservation of freshwater wetlands, peatlands and floodplains, and help mitigate climate change. It will create a wetlands inventory with carbon sink potential and models for wetland greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration in various situations, including climate change. The project will also produce policy recommendations for wetland restoration, business models and a replication roadmap. The goal is to improve the knowledge base on the status of European wetlands and to provide support for cost-efficient restoration and monitoring procedures that are green, suitable for tomorrow’s climate and deliver several ecosystem services.

Objective

The REWET project will facilitate the sustainable restoration and conservation of terrestrial wetlands – freshwater wetlands, peatlands, and floodplains. To do so, REWET draws upon the network of carefully selected seven demonstrators (Open Labs ≥ 2400 ha in total) that cover a range of local conditions, geographic characteristics, governance structures and social/cultural settings to fully understand the wetlands-carbon-climate nexus and provide an replication plan to boost successful wetlands restoration throughout Europe and internationally. In the Open Labs, the most fit-for-purpose technologies will be applied for the monitoring of GHG (Eddy Covariance towers, satellite imagery, field measurements), biodiversity, and meteorological events. Furthermore, the social aspect will be analysed, by evaluating gender differences, locals, and key stakeholders acceptance. REWET has two additional strong scientific pillars: the assessment of EU wetlands status in Europe and modelling. Together with the Open Labs, they will fill out the gaps on wetlands science and provide guidance for cost-effective restoration and monitoring practices that are environmentally friendly, compatible with the future climate and provide a wide range of ecosystem services. As main outcomes, REWET will deliver a wetlands inventory with carbon sink potential, models for wetlands GHG emissions/sequestration under different scenarios including climate change, policy recommendations for wetlands restoration, sound business models and a roadmap for replication. The REWET consortium is a transdisciplinary partnership between researchers, industry partners (SME), non-profit entities, responsible agencies at the local and watershed/regional level and one international organisation, dedicated to achieving the desired outcomes of the project.

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Call for proposal

HORIZON-CL5-2021-D1-01

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Funding Scheme

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Coordinator

IDENER RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AGRUPACION DE INTERES ECONOMICO
Net EU contribution
€ 1 376 067,00
Address
Calle early ovington 24-8
41300 La rinconada sevilla
Spain

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Region
Sur Andalucía Sevilla
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Other funding
€ 0,38

Participants (17)

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EC signature date 5 May 2022
Last update: 10 March 2023

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101056804

European Union, 2023