Grasslands cover a significant portion of Earth’s land surface and store a substantial amount of carbon. However, poor management and overuse have led to degradation and desertification.
This project aims to assess the potential of improved grassland management and silvopastoral systems to enhance carbon storage, nitrogen cycling, and soil health globally. The project will investigate how environmental conditions and management practices affect Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in grasslands and pastures.
The project will develop standardized datasets and a framework for assessing the impact of different management options on carbon stocks while improving productivity and livelihoods.
Paired grassland sites across ten regions will be studied to analyze management impacts, restoration potential, and soil characteristics.
Various methods, including laboratory analysis and modeling, will be used to evaluate soil carbon stocks and processes, aiming to inform decision-making for sustainable land management practices.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the project funders or partners concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
|
Name
|
Institution
|
Contact
|
|---|---|---|
|
Julián Chará
|
CIPAV, Centre for Research on Sustainable Agriculture
|
|
|
Julián Rivera
|
CIPAV, Centre for Research on Sustainable Agriculture
|
|
|
Gonzalo Villegas
|
CIPAV, Centre for Research on Sustainable Agriculture
|
|
|
Marta Benito
|
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Agricultural Production
|
|
|
Eduardo Vázquez
|
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Agricultural Production
|
|
|
Luis Mendes
|
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Agricultural Production
|
|
|
Natalia Banegas
|
National Institute of Agronomic Technologies – INTA
|
|
|
Luis Colcombet
|
National Institute of Agronomic Technologies – INTA
|
|
|
Luis Gándara
|
National Institute of Agronomic Technologies – INTA
|
|
|
Anina Gilgen
|
Agroscope Agroecology & Environment
|
|
|
Lutz Merbold
|
Agroscope Agroecology & Environment
|
|
|
Camille Rousset
|
Agroscope Agroecology & Environment
|
|
|
Mike Dodd
|
AgResearch - Grasslands Research Center
|
|
|
Marta Alfaro
|
AgResearch - Grasslands Research Center
|
|
|
Jiafa Luo
|
AgResearch - Grasslands Research Center
|
|
|
Felix Ngetich
|
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). Department of Plant, Animal and Food Sciences (PAFS)
|
|
|
Peter Bulli
|
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). Department of Plant, Animal and Food Sciences (PAFS)
|
|
|
Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
|
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institute of Meteorology and Climate
Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU)
|
|
|
Batnyambuu Dashpurev
|
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institute of Meteorology and Climate
Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU)
|
|
|
Rahimi Jaber
|
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institute of Meteorology and Climate
Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU)
|
|
|
Jacobo Arango
|
CIAT Tropical Forages
|
|
|
Mike Bastidas
|
CIAT Tropical Forages
|
|
|
Sonja Leitner
|
International Livestock Research Institute
|
|
|
Yuhao Zhu
|
International Livestock Research Institute
|
|
|
Michael Graham
|
ILRI Mazingira Centre for Environmental Research and Education
|
|
|
Laura Cardenas
|
Rothamsted Research Net Zero and Resilient Farming
|
|
|
Carmen Segura-Quirante
|
Rothamsted Research Net Zero and Resilient Farming
|
CIPAV, Centre for Research on Sustainable Agriculture
The project CarboGrass participated in the EJP Annual Science Days 2024 that took place in Vilnius, Lithuania on June 10-14 with the poster presentation “Impact of grassland management on soil carbon storage, CarboGrass” that presented a summary of the aims and methods applied for assessing the impact of improved grassland management and silvopastoral systems on soil C and N cycling.
We are thrilled to announce that the session “Impact of Grassland Management on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling: Field and Modelling Studies,” led by CarboGrass project members at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) conference, was a huge success! Grasslands, which represent 40% of the Earth’s ice-free surface, are vital for climate regulation, and this session showcased their incredible potential for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas mitigation. The presentations were diverse and dynamic, covering a large spectrum of topics from innovative grazing strategies to the role of forage species and nitrogen regulation. The energy in the room was great as experts shared cutting-edge research on how sustainable grassland management can be a game-changer in our fight against climate change. This session took place on April 19th, 2024. More information can be found at https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-024-00345-2.
The project kick-off meeting was hosted by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain on November 22-24, 2023. The meeting was an opportunity to define the main research protocols, share information about project sites, agree on specific roles of each institution and define additional collaboration between project partners.