The European Commission checks on the ground the progress of the PYRENEES4CLIMA project for adapting the Pyrenees to climate change
07 | 11 | 2025
With the goal of checking how the PYRENEES4CLIMAproject measures to make the territory more resilient to the effects of climate change are influencing the territory and the people who live there, the European Commission visited five pilot projects that are being developed in the Aragonese and French Pyrenees. These examples are part of the 33 pilot cases promoted by the PYRENEES4CLIMA project and in which the Biodiversity and Environment Institute BIOMA of the University of Navarra collaborates. The field visits put the finishing touch to a three-day meeting in which the 46 entities that make up PYRENEES4CLIMA presented to two European representatives, Pepa Diamantopoulos and Veronica Soporska, the progress of the actions carried out throughout 2025.
Esther López Torres, European project manager at the BIOMA Institute, attended the meeting where she was able to learn about the current status of the various work packages of the project. BIOMA Institute participates in subtask 3.1.4, which studies peatlands as a regional indicator to assess carbon fluxes, the evolution of greenhouse gases, hydrological fluctuations, oxygenation regimes and nutrient fluxes. As well as subtask 5.1.2., which explores methodologies for the analysis and assessment of air quality in extreme climatic situations in the Pyrenean territory.
"We want to show on the ground and with concrete examples how we can address adaptation, specifying all the knowledge and integrating local actors to determine what is most appropriate for each territory. These are examples that will help us to make a faster transfer and replication", explains the coordinator of the Pyrenees Climate Change Observatory and the PYRENEES4CLIMA project , Eva García-Balaguer. This manager added that the project "is an unprecedented opportunity to adapt collaboratively and with a multidisciplinary vision, taking advantage of our resources to an increasingly common and pressing reality".
The role of the forest and the case of fruit trees
The field visits made it possible to verify in Canfranc the importance of the protective role that the forest can play against avalanches or landslides. This work, led by EGTC-Pyrenees-Pyrenees-Pyrenees) is being carried out in parallel in Benasque and in the Ossau Valley (Atlantic Pyrenees). Another point has been Biescas, where an innovative agricultural diversification project based on aromatic plants and fruit trees is being developed, led by the quotation research center and Agrifood Technology of Aragon). This initiative is also being carried out in Ara (Jaca) and Ligüerre (Aínsa).
The diary included projects of great relevance for the sustainablemanagement of natural resources, such as the local water pact promoted by AUDAP in the Nay valley (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), aimed at promote a supportive use and manager of this vital resource . In Hoz de Jaca, the European representatives learned about the land stewardship agreements led by SEO/BirdLife, which involve small Pyrenean municipalities in adapting to climate change and protecting sensitive ecosystems.
In addition to the field work , the representatives of the European Commission attended the formal follow-up meeting ELMEN-CINEA held in Jaca to present the status and progress of the PYRENEES4CLIMA project . During these work sessions, the 46 project partners reported on the steps taken to date. The conference were attended by Yann Hélary, University Secretary of the CTP (Community of work of the Pyrenees) and Olvido Moratinos, president of the Jacetania region. At the opening, Hélary highlighted "the very important value of the partnership and cooperation that PYRENEES4CLIMA carries out and that financial aid us to continue advancing in the European objectives".
20 million euros until 2031
The project, C June 2023 by the LIFE program, has a budget of around 20 million euros and will run until April 2031. Its actions are aligned with the Pyrenean Climate Change Strategy (EPiCC), a pioneer in Europe for its cross-border approach and approved in November 2021 by the seven Pyrenean territories of Spain, France and Andorra. The EPiCC seeks to improve the resilience of the mountain region, protect its natural capital and ensure the well-being of its citizens by strengthening cooperation through knowledge transfer and innovation.
With PYRENEES4CLIMA, the Pyrenees are consolidating themselves as a livinglaboratory of climate solutions at the service of Europe, demonstrating that cross-border cooperation is a core topic to respond effectively to one of the greatest challenges of our time.
