PROJECT COOPTREE

Participating Beneficiary Entities:

GEIE FOSPIR
    National Forestry Office DT Midi-Méditerranée
    Regional Center of Forest Ownership
    Regional Center of Forest Ownership Nouvelle-Aquitaine
    National Center of Forest Ownership - Regional Center of Forest Ownership Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
    Union of Forest Municipalities of the Grand South
    Center for Forest Science and Technology of Catalonia Multifunctional Forest Management
    Forest Property Center
    Government of Aragon Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment General Directorate of Natural Environment and Forest Management
    Environmental Management of Navarra S.A.
    Hazi Foundation
    Forest Services and Promotion Foundation and Industry of Castilla y León Forestry and Climate Change Area
    Galician Agency for Food Quality-Center for Forest Research of Lourizán Spain
    University of Extremadura-University Center of Plasencia
    Extremadura Regional Government Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Population and Territory General Directorate of Forest Policy
    Andalusian Regional Government Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy General Directorate of Forest Policy and Biodiversity
    University of Lisbon Superior Institute of Agronomy UI - Center for Forest Studies
    Andorra Public Sector Private Foundation Research and Innovation

Objective:

To increase the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity, and green infrastructures, also in urban areas, and to reduce all forms of pollution. Priority: Preserving natural capital and strengthening adaptation to climate change in the SUDOE. Scope: 079. Protection of nature and biodiversity, heritage and natural resources, green and blue infrastructures

Summary:

The SUDOE has vast and varied forest areas that provide numerous services (wood production, soil stabilization, CO2 storage, water quality, rich biodiversity, etc.). The forest and the services it provides are increasingly threatened by various dangers such as human impact, fires, pathogens, and climate change. The COOPTREE project aims to preserve these resources for their current and future value (both economic and ecosystemic) and provide future foresters with a body of knowledge and experiments to make informed decisions. These strategic objectives are based on the creation of an expert knowledge base in this area, applied to the forests of the territory. Therefore, it is proposed to design a transnational strategy for the knowledge and conservation of genetic resources of interest. This work will be complemented by a better understanding of the ability of these forest species to withstand water stress and drought. The valuable legacy of numerous past experiments (plantations and management) will also be leveraged. As the issues have evolved, the project will finally propose the implementation of pilot actions to preserve and improve the forest resilience of the territories. The southern location of the SUDOE positions it as a sentinel for European territories that will have to face significant climate changes and, therefore, consequences for their forests. Working on the scale of the SUDOE offers considerable gradients of situations (pedological, biological, topographic, and historical) and climatic influences. Forest actors are numerous and have very varied competencies and complementary experiences. The diversity of ecosystems and species that develop there is unique and must be preserved, while also constituting a decisive element for the adaptation and resilience of forests.