Science for Nature Foundation has started working on a strategic LIFE project for carbon emissions monitoring in the land use and forestry sector

We are thrilled to announce that the Science for Nature Foundation team has officially started work on the new international project: “Addressing Key Challenges in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting in the Forestry and Land Use Sector,” short name LIFE LULUCF ATLAS (101212908 — LIFE24-GIC-EL-LIFE-LULUCF-ATLAS).

The project is designed to enhance the management and accounting of carbon emissions and removals within the LULUCF sector (Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry) in Bulgaria and Greece. This initiative supports the achievement of EU objectives regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050 through the development of more accurate, transparent, and science-based monitoring and reporting systems.

The LULUCF sector plays a pivotal role in climate policy, as forests and land can function as both carbon sources and sinks. However, significant challenges persist, including incomplete datasets, underdeveloped monitoring systems, and uncertainties in the assessment of carbon fluxes. These issues hinder the preparation of precise national inventories and the implementation of effective policy decisions.

A further challenge involves the limited inclusion of certain ecosystems, such as coastal zones and seagrasses, which possess substantial carbon sequestration potential. The lack of integrated and harmonised methodologies across various data sources and systems also restricts the efficiency of sectoral management.

The primary objectives of the project are:

• Improving Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems within the LULUCF sector;
• Establishing a detailed, spatially-explicit system for tracking land use and land-use change;
• Enhancing the accuracy of national GHG inventories through the implementation of higher methodological tiers (Tier 2);
• Developing new methodologies for assessing carbon fluxes, including those in coastal ecosystems;
• Supporting the development of sustainable land and forest management policies and practices;
• Increasing the capacity and awareness of relevant stakeholders.

During the past month, our experts participated in the kick-off meeting with partners from Greece and Bulgaria. This project is a natural extension of the Foundation’s efforts to apply a scientific approach to environmental conservation. Within the framework of LIFE LULUCF ATLAS, our team will collaborate with seven partners, including the National Technical University of Athens, the Executive Environment Agency (EEA) in Bulgaria, the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, and other leading scientific institutes and organisations.

More information about the project can be found at: LINK

The meeting was held within the framework of the LIFE LULUCF ATLAS project (101212908 — LIFE24-GIC-EL-LIFE-LULUCF-ATLAS), co-funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority (LIFE Programme) can be held responsible for them.