Environmental & Climate Changes

Human societies are confronted with a myriad of environmental challenges including climate change (CC), dwindling resource availability, degradation of ecosystems, and loss of biodiversity. Addressing these challenges has become increasingly intricate due to the cross-system interactions between human being and the environment.

These issues have profound implications for production systems, societal well-being, developmental trajectories, and environmental stability. Interdisciplinary studies are imperative to strategise and prepare for the anticipated consequences of global transformations. The research endeavors will be cross-sectoral within MED's Thematic Lines (TL).

Research questions will encompass:

1) adaptation of Montado systems to CC;

2) vulnerability of pasturelands and adaptation strategies to CC;

3) management of disturbance regimes (e.g., rural fires) and landscape dynamics;

4) impacts of CC on livestock health (e.g., emergent diseases);

5) influence of water availability on crops and soils (e.g., water stress);

6) development of animal breeds and plant genetic lines resilient to CC;

7) natural dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems at large scales and adaptive mechanisms at different organisational levels;

8) a nature-based approach to production systems towards sustainability, highlighting the interconnectedness between landscape management and ecosystem services.