The European REACT4MED project, directed in Spain by Artemi Cerdà, a researcher at the University of Valencia (UV) and with the aim of restoring Mediterranean ecosystems, has been exhibited at the UN Conference on climate change (COP27) which is held until this Friday in Egypt. This initiative, included in the PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) project, seeks to provide innovative solutions that prevent soil degradation and desertification, two of the greatest risks for the conservation of ecosystems and livelihoods of Mediterranean communities.

The research group led by Cerdà, Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group (SEDER) of the University of Valencia, participates in the REACT4MED Project as a partner and head of the working group responsible for implementing erosion control measures in crop fields. Every year, the Mediterranean area loses about 0.5 tons of fertile soil per hectare due to soil erosion, almost double the European average, with water resources under constant pressure due to intense weather events and anthropogenic causes such as climate change, urbanization, population growth and overexploitation of resources.

At the climate summit the project was presented by one of the climate summit's researchers, Professor Pandi Zdruli from CIHEAM Bari, who showed the project at a side event. The main result was that immediate action must be taken and greater economic resources invested to reduce the risks of land degradation, a key factor, since it increases food security, improves livelihoods and increases natural and climatic resilience to erosion. The REACT4MED project is led by the Hellenic University of the Mediterranean.

Among the issues to be discussed at COP27 there are a series of critical issues to address the climate emergency, such as the urgent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, building, resilience and adaptation to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to meet commitments to finance climate action to developing countries.

Featured researcher

In addition, Artemi Cerdá stands out as the first Spanish researcher (among 111) in the first edition of Research.com, in the area of Earth Sciences. This is a classification based on the number of scientific publications and citations of his articles.