Land-Based Mitigation Technologies for Portugal
As part of the LANDMARC deliverable “D2.1: National Narratives” the Portugal team has been refining the technology focus of the case study
Portugal shares similar climate-change related challenges and characteristics to the ones in Spain. It is a country with a proven track record of climate policy, being one of the 14 countries in the European Union (EU) with the best performance in effective emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that have met the objectives defined in the targets of the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the 2020 targets for reducing emissions, energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy sources. The assessed LMTs are:
Cropland: Sustainable practices in agriculture, such as organic and conservation agriculture, and precision agriculture reduce GHG emissions from different sources over time, such as reduction in the use of synthetic fertilizers and substitution by organic compost. In addition, the opening of agricultural markets to countries outside the EU has boosted these practices with consequences for the production of crops for which the country has more competitive advantages, such as vegetables, dried and fresh fruits and olives.
Agroforestry: The Agroforestry system Montado, in Portugal, and Dehesa, in Spain, is a High Nature Value system characterized by a high complexity as a result of the interactions between climate, soil, pasture (natural pastures, fertilized natural pastures, and sown biodiverse permanent pastures rich in legumes), trees (e.g., pure or mix stands of cork oak, holm oak, stone pine), and animals (e.g., sheep, pigs, cows, goats). Montado/Dehesa is one of the most prominent and best-preserved low-intensity farming systems in Europe. The integration of traditional land use and biodiversity conservation that is characteristic of this system is an exemplar for the wise management of the countryside. Thus, with a good management plan, these systems can be strong carbon sinks with low GEE emissions.
Pastures: Montado/Dehesa pastures are generally established in low fertility and high spatial variability soils. However, pasture biomass production can increase three times more and organic matter can rapidly grow in the soil with small and cheap changes such as low soil inputs correction. Moreover, improving the balance between legumes and grasses in the pasture will reduce nitrogen fertilization and promote floristic biodiversity to pollinators. Thus, fertilization and soil correction should be applied to improve soil fertility and, consequently, productivity/quality of pastures. In this context, monitoring the pasture quality is a key element in the decision-making process of a farm manager since these pastures are the main source of animal feed in extensive animal production systems in Portugal and Spain.
Forests: The forest area present in Portugal, about 1/3 of the national territory, presents problems of degradation of the forests and particularly of the soil due to the poor management of the forest stands, of incorrect agricultural practices and of the intensive exploitation of the eucalyptus. The tragic fires of 2017 exposed the problems of forest management. Since then, the government has been developing a forest defense plan that places emphasis on active forest management aimed at planning and prevention, as well as reforming the firefighting system. This plan also includes improvements in forest management and production, and consequent reduction of the burnt area.
