Project description
Natural rewilding and proforestation contribution to net zero emissions
Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is vital to limit global warming to 1.5 °C and meet the Paris Climate Agreement targets. To mitigate the situation, we must combine renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, forest preservation and CO2 removal. Low-cost, nature-based solutions must be identified, assessed and promoted on a large scale for CO2 sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The EU-funded WILDCARD project will evaluate the impact of natural rewilding and proforestation on carbon sequestration and biodiversity at various scales. Combining field observations, remote sensing, and economic, societal and political analyses will be used to inform policymakers on the potential contribution of nature-based solutions to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Objective
Reaching net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is key to limit global warming to 1.5 °C and achieve the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Mitigation approaches such as renewable energy sources, improved energy efficiency and forest preservation, need to be combined with active carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (CDR). Low-cost nature-based solutions need to be identified, assessed and promoted on a large scale for both CO2 sequestration and biodiversity conservation. WILDCARD will, for the first time in Europe, assess the overall potential impact of natural rewilding of abandoned agricultural land and proforestation on carbon sequestration and biodiversity at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Combining field observations, remote sensing, and vegetation modelling with economic, societal and political analyses, WILDCARD will inform national and European policy makers on the contribution potential of nature-based solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The project will investigate the regulatory, cultural and economic barriers to natural rewilding and proforestation, and identify which social innovation mechanisms, models and incentives can better support our CDR approach. WILDCARD will use a dedicated cross-scale analysis, linking site-based in-depth knowledge on rewilding impacts and socio-economic consequences to a European-scale assessment, embedded in the current EU policy context and informed by global scenarios from IAMs and ESMs. The final project’s aim is to offer concrete and realistic policy options aimed at enhanced uptake of rewilding as a significant solution to achieve global climate objectives.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
33100 Udine
Italy