MONALISA
MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion
Finanziamento: Horizon Europe
Periodo: Settembre 2024 – Agosto 2028
Budget totale progetto: € 7.325.993,75
Budget totale CNR IIA: € 658.499,90
Responsabile Scientifico: Cristina Tarantino

Abstract del progetto

The main goal of MONALISA is to identify and promote the expansion of innovative and tailored solutions to prevent and reverse land degradation and desertification (LDD) while showcasing their socio-economic and environmental effectiveness. MONALISA will put in place a transdisciplinary approach to integrate scientific and local knowledge, emerging from newly and established social learning spaces with multi-sector stakeholders and multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary researchers. Work will be carried out in six Mediterranean case studies (CS), encompassing different levels of aridity across five countries (European: Italy, Spain and Greece; and non-European: Tunisia and Palestine). In the CS, the following solutions to prevent and restore LDD will be assessed and scaled-out: (i) innovative grazing systems (e.g. adaptive multi-paddock grazing systems); (ii) microbial-based solutions (e.g. biofertilizers and symbiotic N-fixing rhizobia); (iii) conservation agriculture practices (e.g. cover crops and reduced tillage); (iv) ecological restoration practices (e.g. harvesting and seeding of residual plant materials in protected grasslands, green infrastructures); (v) water harvesting techniques; (vi) treated wastewater reuse in agriculture.

The activities will be carried out in four LLs (Berchidda-Monti -IT, Los Pedroches-ES, Alta Murgia-IT, Medenin-TU) and in two LHs (Palestine-PA, Crete-GR). On the one hand, üin the LLs, researchers and social actors ( stakeholders,decision makers, farmers…) will be gathered to activate shared learning and decision-making processes necessary for the sustainable adoption of innovative prevention and restoration practices. On the other hand, implementation or testing and evaluation of such practices will be carried on at specific LL. Other specific practices proved to be highly impacting on avoiding/restoring desertification and land degradation will be showcased in lighthouses for which its local actors will also be engaged in several co-learning experiences at LL scale in order to create the conducive conditions for lighthouses being transformed into LLs. As a result of WP2, a series of recommendations on co-design and implementation of innovative solutions in agriculture, agroforestry and natural/semi-natural ecosystems will be produced to better orient and inform policies and interventions against desertification and land degradation processes.
The objective is to provide an innovative methodological proposal that can be effective in assessing the phenomenon of land degradation and desertification (LDD), intended as an extreme stage of degradation. The potentialities to assess a Desertification Risk Index will be explored, useful to evaluate and communicate the potential damages for the hotspots and to evaluate the soil health concerns also in terms of ecosystem services provision (ref.EJP SOIL SERENA and MINOTAUR project). The methodology will be set for both Mediterranean area and LL spatial scales. Particular attention will be paid to harmonise datasets for the characterization of environmental, social and economic conditions, integrating Earth observation satellite data products and thematic data at different spatial scales.
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI SASSARI (Coordinatore)

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION ECOLOGICA Y APLICACIONES FORESTALES
HELLENIC SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURE
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS
ISTITUTO SUPERIORE PER LA PROTEZIONE E LA RICERCA AMBIENTALE
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
INSTITUT DES REGIONS ARIDES
COMMISSARIAT REGIONAL AU DEVELOPPEMENT AGRICOLE DE MEDENINE
CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE HAUTES ETUDES AGRONOMIQUES MEDITERRANEENNES
AGRICOLUS AGRITECH SPAIN SL
FONDAZIONE MEDES
WE WORLD-GVC ORGANIZZAZIONE NON LUCRATIVA DI UTILITA'SOCIALE
AARHUS UNIVERSITET
ASOCIACION ADROCHES PARA EL DESARROLLO RURAL DE LA COMARCA DE LOS PEDROCHES
UNIVERSITATEA DIN BUCURESTI
INOSENS DOO NOVI SAD
COOPERATIVA PRODUTTORI ARBOREA - SOCIETA AGRICOLA
ENTE PARCO NAZIONALE ALTA MURGIA
RESEAU POUR LA RECHERCHE INTERNATIONALE SUR LA DESERTIFICATION
UNIVERSITAT BASEL
UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE

Cristina Tarantino
Maria Adamo
Saverio Vicario
Fabio Rana
Rocco Labadessa
Eros Manzo
Alessandro Mei
Laura Tomassetti
Paolo Mazzetti
Lisa Sella
Elena Ragazzi
Federico Filipponi