A viabilidade económica da gestão sustentável do montado de sobreiro. Caso de estudo - Aldeia das Amoreiras

Dissertação de Mestrado, Economia do Turismo e Desenvolvimento Regional, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016Este estudo avalia a viabilidade económica e financeira da gestão sustentável do montado de sobreiro e discute as práticas que determinam a sustentabilidade forte ou fraca do montado. A análise centra-se na freguesia de São Martinho das Amoreiras, numa zona de fronteira entre três paisagens na região do Baixo Alentejo e a informação foi obtida através de 9 entrevistas a proprietários e da observação participante pelo autor. Os resultados mostram que a gestão sustentável é financeiramente viável embora esta viabilidade dependa de muitos fatores, nomeadamente da dimensão da propriedade. Em propriedades de 50 hectares necessita de um aproveitamento integrado da multifuncionalidade dos vários produtos do montado, sendo muito importante o apoio ao investimento quando o ponto de partida forem propriedades degradadas. A existência de pastores e a utilização de grandes áreas para a utilização do pastoreio como estratégia de gestão do sob-coberto florestal são dois dos fatores determinantes para o aumento da viabilidade económica dos montados de sobro. A gestão sustentável do montado de sobro é financeiramente viável com 50hectares se for feita uma gestão cuidada e de proximidade, integrando o proprietário nos trabalhos de manutenção do montado. A sustentabilidade depende também de uma auto-motivação de todos os envolvidos, sendo que os apoios públicos promovem mas também limitam a sustentabilidade do montado. Sendo difícil obter a viabilidade financeira na gestão sustentável do montado, deve ser considerado como forma de apoiar esta escolha o pagamento pelos serviços de ecossistema prestados pelos Montados sustentáveis. Existem ainda vários produtos e formas de gestão inovadoras por explorar no montado que podem potenciar a gestão sustentável. A base de toda a sustentabilidade e definição do montado continua porém a ser o sobreiro, a cortiça e o conhecimento de proximidade em espaço rural.This study evaluates the economic and financial feasibility of the sustainable management of the cork oak forest and discusses the agricultural practices that determine its strong or weak sustainability. The analysis is done based on the district of Sao Martinho das Amoreiras, in the south of the Alentejo region in Portugal. The data was obtained through nine interviews and participant observation by the author. Results show that the sustainable management of the cork oak forest is financial feasible although this feasibility is dependent on many factors, namely the area of the farm. In farms with 50 hectares (about the average size of the farms in this region) the financial feasibility depends on exploring the multifunctionality of the cork oak forest, named Montado. If the farm land is degraded to begin with, then financial aid to investment is determinant for financial feasibility. Animal grazing is one of the main factors that promote sustainability and profit but it is dependent on the existence of shepherds and the area needed for large herds that can create the shepherds income. Another important factor for financial feasibility is the integration of the real estate owner as a farm worker and manager of the farm. The more his income is a result of his work, the easier it becomes to have a profitable farm. Sustainability is dependent on the motivation of the farmer and rural workers. Public subsidies are considered to promote but also limit sustainability. There are still several solutions, practices and products to be explored in the cork oak multifunctional system that can support the strong sustainable management of this ecosystem. Since the strictly financial feasibility of the sustainable management of the Montado system is possible but difficult, public payment for ecosystem services should be considered in order to promote and support the choice of farmers in adopting strong sustainability management practices

Participatory Approach to Build Up a Municipal Strategy for Coastal Erosion Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change

The Ovar coastline is characterized as one of the coastal areas with the highest vulnerability and risk of erosion in the Portuguese coast. The high-energy coast is further threatened by a permanent sediment deficit of anthropic origin, as well as sea level rise due to climate change. It is essential to define modern coastal adaptation strategies to minimize the impacts of these issues on the local communities, while considering social, environmental, and economic factors. It is in this territory that the INCCA project’s case study is located, involving stakeholders with technical, scientific, and operational knowledge in the co-management of the coastal stretch. In the scope of the involvement intended for the project’s development, five participatory events were held, involving local authorities, civil protection, public entities, academia, and the general community. These events allowed a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder analysis of the challenges and possible solutions to mitigate coastal erosion, representing the definition of a shared vision for the coastline’s future in this municipality. This work presents the main results of this participatory process as well as reflections on the importance of active citizenship instruments and stakeholder involvement for integrated coastal management in the 21st century.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using and Creating Microclimates for Cork Oak Adaptation to Climate Change

In Mediterranean climate regions, climate change is increasing aridity and contributing to the mortality rate of Quercus suber, reducing the success of reforestation efforts. Using and creating microclimates is a recommended climate adaptation strategy that needs research. Our hypothesis is that planting Q. suber in north-facing slopes and water lines results in a higher survival rate than those that are planted in ridges and south-facing slopes. Secondly, our hypothesis is that existing shrubs (in this case, Cistus ladanifer) can be used to create microclimatic sheltering and increase the survival of Q. suber plantations. In experiment 1, we tested the survival of Q. suber plantations in four different topographic conditions. For that, 80 Q. suber plants were planted over four different topographic conditions, where soil probes were installed to monitor soil moisture and temperature. Two years after, the results show an increased survival rate in the north-facing slope and water line when compared to the ridge area (p = 0.032). In experiment 2, we tested if planting in the shade of rows of C. ladanifer increases the survival rate of Q. suber plantations. For that, 1200 Q. suber plants were planted; 600 in a Montado open area with no shade and 600 under the shade of rows of C. ladanifer shrubs. A total of 17 months after plantation, there was a significantly higher survival rate of the shaded plants (p = 0.027). We conclude that microclimates created by topography and shrubs can have a significant impact on the survival of Q. suber plantations and discuss the situations in which these can apply.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Climate adaptation, transitions, and socially innovative action-research approaches

Climate change may be a game-changer for scientific research by promoting a science that is grounded in linking the production of knowledge and societal action in a transition toward more sustainable development pathways. Here, we discuss participatory action-research (PAR) as a way of thinking and leading investigations that may promote incremental and transformative changes in the context of climate change adaptation research. Our exploration is addressed in the Portuguese context, where PAR and sustainable transition studies are still marginal, and adaptation processes are a recent topic on political agendas. We describe the characteristics of PAR and use two studies of adaptation to illustrate how research and practice co-evolve through interactive cycles. The two studies are works in progress, rather than completed PAR processes. Climate change adaptation is an ongoing and long-term process. Moreover, in Portugal, as in many regions of the world, climate change adaptation is a fairly new topic. Thus, both case studies are now initiating a long-term process of change and adaptation. The completion of one research cycle is a realistic expectation that we have achieved in the two case study experiences. In our discussion of the case studies, we consider how these experiences provide insights into the role of PAR for long-term regime changes. We conclude by pointing to the societal needs addressed by PAR, as a pragmatically oriented and context-specific research design. The approach can be complementary to other frameworks in sustainable transition studies such as transition management. Being more pragmatically oriented, PAR cycles may influence incrementally transformative changes that can be guided by transition management’s long-term design for governing sustainable transitions

Participation, scenarios and pathways in long-term planning for climate change adaptation

This article describes a climate change adaptation planning process triggered by a group of researchers and stakeholders in a context where no collective responses or long-term plans for protecting a vulnerable coastal system had been initiated, despite local perceptions of vulnerability and risk. The case study shows the application of two methods: scenario workshops and adaptation pathways in the context of a participatory action research methodological design. Participatory action research and qualitative scenario methods are highlighted as accelerators of climate change adaptation processes by calling to action, facilitating and connecting diverse social groups with a stake in a long-term plan towards a more adapted society. The experience leads to the conclusion that planning climate change adaptation has to go far beyond the technical dimension and take into account those affected (in the present and the future) by decisions made. A holistic approach to climate change adaptation planning will depend on the interrelations of managerial and top-down approaches with localized initiatives driven through an inclusive and collective action research process.The research leading to this paper has been done in the context of the FP7 project Bottom-up Climate Adaptation Strategies for a Sustainable Europe (BASE, http://base-adaptation.eu/)], Directorate-General for Research and Innovation grant agreement no. 308337. The contents of the paper do not reflect the views or opinions of the European Commission. The Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) was responsible for the financial support of Gil Penha-Lopes (scholarship SFRH/BPD/65977/2009) and of André Vizinho (FCT grant PD/PB/113929/2015). Ce3C is a beneficiary of the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia FCT Unit funding Ref. UID/BIA/00329/2013. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

Framework for Climate Change Adaptation of Agriculture and Forestry in Mediterranean Climate Regions

Planning the adaptation of agriculture and forestry landscapes to climate change remains challenging due to the need for integrating substantial amounts of information. This information ranges from climate scenarios, geographical site information, socio-economic data and several possible adaptation measures. Thus, there is an urgent need to have a framework that is capable of organizing adaptation strategies and measures in the agriculture and forestry sectors in Mediterranean climatic regions. Additionally, this framework should provide a cause effect relation with climate vulnerability to adequately support the development of adaptation planning at municipal and local (farm) level. In this context, we propose to test and evaluate a framework for climate adaptation of the agriculture and forestry sectors, based on the local causal-effect relation between adaptation strategies and measures and the level of vulnerability reduction achieved for Mediterranean areas. The framework was developed based on the combination of the DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses) and Vulnerability frameworks and reviewed 162 practical adaptation measures, further organized into strategies, complemented by a set of efficacy indicators. The framework was tested with 70 stakeholders in six stakeholder workshops for the planning of two farms and one municipal climate adaptation study, that are now in actual implementation and monitoring. The framework is composed by a set of eight adaptation strategies in which adaptation measures are clustered and assessed using efficacy indicators. In the evaluation of the adaptation framework, 96% of stakeholders considered its content as good or very good and 89% considered the final outcomes as good or very good. Finally, the framework was also used to assess and compare the adaptation strategies and measures presented in the climate adaptation plans of the three case studies. On average, 52.2% of the adaptation measures selected by the three case studies are dedicated to Ecosystem Resilience, 30.9% to Adaptive Capacity, 9.1% to Microclimates, 7.4% to Protection, and 0.3% to Mitigation strategies. This framework was considered effective in supporting adaptation planning at farm and municipal levels and useful to assess and compare adaptation plans in the frame of vulnerability reduction. Future studies can further contribute to support adaptation planning in these sectors by using, developing and streamlining this framework to additional and different socio-ecological contextsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

INCCA: adaptação integrada às alterações climáticas para comunidades resilientes

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Investigating mechanisms of collective action initiatives’ development in the energy sector. Report on the comparative case studies, COMETS H2020 project

One of the emergent trends in the sustainable energy transition is the development of distributed power generation. In Europe, it is estimated that up half of citizens of the European Union (EU) could be energy self-sufficient, potentially supplying 45% of Europe’s final energy demand by 2050 (Kampman, et al., 2016). While there are many challenges with a move towards more distributed, citizen-led energy projects, they are nevertheless supported and promoted by the EU in the RED II (EU Renewable Energy Directive as part of the 2016 “Clean Energy of all Europeans” initiative, directive 2018/2001/EU), which secures the right for citizens and communities to produce, store, consume and sell renewable energy, and other rights such as consumer’s protection or access to all energy markets directly or through third parties. Socially, this often takes the form of community energy projects in the form of collective action initiatives (CAI). CAIs, which include energy cooperatives, prosumer networks, and other citizen-led energy projects, are examples of social innovation (Gregg, et al., 2020) in how they organize and gain power through a social movement mechanism. Social innovation is the development of activities and services to meet a social need, and social innovations are primarily social in both their ends and their means. Among other things, energy CAIs are typically characterized by a focus on the community, open and voluntary participation, democratic governance, and autonomy and independence (ICA, 2021). The social benefits of energy CAIs include: developing local economies, addressing energy poverty, raising awareness about sustainable energy, promoting energy justice, giving a voice to the community, developing local skills and promoting social cohesion. Current research on CAIs explores how they are defined and the different ownership structures (Gorroño-Albizu, 2019), and how they mobilize and attain power (Gregg et al., 2020). Other research traces the history of their development within specific contexts or geographical areas, and how they influence or are influenced by national energy policies (Wierling et al., 2018). Still other research uses the lens of organizational and institutional theory to understand the historical development of energy CAIs (Mey and Diesendorf, 2018)