Protecting forest carbon stocks in the Mediterranean: INFORMA’s contribution to the Climate Credit System of Catalonia
Climate change, water scarcity and biodiversity decline are challenges that go hand in hand in the Mediterranean Region, mutually reinforcing each other. This principle holds true in INFORMA’s case study region in Catalonia, the Segre-Rialb basin, where climate change is not only increasing the risk of mega-fires – which threaten important forest carbon stocks – but also the danger of water shortages due to extended periods of drought. Forest management can work as a nature-based solution, contributing to climate adaptation, water regulation and biodiversity protection.
In this context, the Government of Catalonia is developing several integrative solutions to engage small forest owners in forest management activities that lower the vulnerability of forests. One of those was the creation of a new voluntary credit system of unique “Climate credits” in 2023, to which INFORMA is contributing.
Rather than just focusing on carbon, the new climate credits jointly consider the provision of different ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, blue water availability and biodiversity conservation. This system is meant to be applied to forest, agricultural and aquatic environments and has already been launched for the forestry sector. For that, a methodology was developed within the Life Climark project.
The Climate Credit System of Catalonia includes a broad set of forestry practices that go beyond tree planting and are context-adapted, such as thinnings that integrate biodiversity conservation measures or fire prevention measures in strategic areas. Currently, Catalonia has 10 adaptation and mitigation forestry projects in the pipeline that are beginning to be financed through the new system.
The Catalan system is now finalising its internal protocols, such as the final list of eligible Improved Forest Management practices, MRV methodologies, and its alignment with the European Carbon Removals & Carbon Farming Certification (CRCF), among others. INFORMA has been actively contributing to this process by providing information and insights to fine-tune and further develop the protocols.
The work, led by the Forest Ownership Centre (CPF), an INFORMA partner, is carried out on two fronts: joint participatory research on modelling and best monitoring methodologies (remote sensing and on-field techniques), and participating in focus group discussions to make Mediterranean voices heard in the process. Regarding this latest point, different focus groups are being organised by the INFORMA project partner I4CE throughout 2024 and 2025. Results will be presented at the Carbon Farming Summit in Dublin in March 2025, as well as in the European CRCF group of experts where I4CE is an official member.
This work will also feed into INFORMA’s general recommendations to enhance the contribution of Improved Forest Management to carbon markets at the European level, making sure the southern Europe specificities are considered.
Training sites for knowledge transfer and outreach
Connecting to INFORMA’s work on the topics of carbon credits and forest management, two new training areas are being established in Catalonia’s counties of Alt Penedes and La Garrotxa with the support of the European Forest Institute (EFI). They include demonstration plots and training sites known as marteloscopes, where the effect of forest management decisions can be simulated in real time.
The Catalan marteloscopes belong to the European Integrate Network of marteloscopes, facilitated by EFI. The training areas aim to broaden the debate on the role of fire prevention and post-fire management in carbon balances, as well as on the need to develop new value chains for long-life forest products, where carbon is stored on a more permanent basis, compared to alternative short-life products such as firewood, pallets or biomass for energy.
The marteloscopes will also help to convey new knowledge obtained by INFORMA to interested stakeholders, such as different pathways for forest management under climate change, depending on the forest manager’s goals and objectives.
Banner photo: Thomas Baertl