The aim of SWATCH is to develop a unique information system for quantifying savanna water use and biomass production on a regional scale, with the ultimate objective of supporting decision-making processes. This effort directly addresses the European H2020 priorities of sustainable rural development and food security. Savannas are among the most complex, variable and extensive agrosilvopastoral systems on Earth (~20%). One fifth of the world's population depend upon them, although they are extremely vulnerable to changes in land use and climate. These changes affect not only ecosystem functioning, but also the land-atmosphere linkages and regional carbon cycle, in ways still unknown. Since savannas are greatly influenced by human activities, private/institutional practices play a key role in their conservation. The integration of Earth Observation data into process-based models will enable us to map the evolution of the ecosystem health, improving their management, productivity and resilience. However, to map savanna fluxes, besides the mechanistic understanding of how the climate (dry periods) and the canopy structure (patched multiple canopy layers) interact with land-atmospheric processes, robust techniques to upscale the ecosystem parameters and fluxes over space and time are needed. This project intends to bridge this gap and contribute to: 1) a better mechanistic understanding of savanna water/energy/carbon fluxes, using long-term eddy covariance and ground measurements 2) more accurately modelling these fluxes on a regional scale with different-scale EO data 3) the development of an operational information system to be integrated into decision-making processes, evaluating a pilot experience located over dehesa (Spanish productive savanna).The outgoing phase with Prof. Baldocchi's group (UC Berkeley, USA) intends to cover first and second objectives, while the third one will be address on the return phase, with Dr. Gonzalez-Dugo's group (IFAPA, Spain).

<< Objectives >>With NEWCAP, we want to improve the attractiveness of our goat sector and the profession of breeder in order to perpetuate European dairy and farm production and create a network of European goat regions.The profession of dairy farmer has a deficit of attractiveness which has been reinforced by the crisis that the sector had to face between 2009 and 2012. The outlets exist because the consumption of goat cheese is well oriented and benefits from an excellent image.<< Implementation >>To achieve this, we are going to carry out 3 activities: A diagnosis on each territory on employment, training offer in the goat sector - 31collaborative workshops - Workshop 1 Transmission -Transition/Innovation - Workshop 3 - Regional alliances and at the end a consolidated alliance network which would take the form of a European cluster and a new project KA2 Strategic partnership.<< Results >>The results we wish to obtain with this simplified project:A diagnosis on the state of employment in the goat sectorThe constitution of a European network of the goat sectorThe animation of 1 workshops of 3 days on the territories about Transmission/training and Transition/InnovationIn order to find ways of working towards a more sustainable sector that meets the requirements of the young people who will be the players in the sector tomorrow.

Microalgae were always an exciting target for Aquaculture and Biotechnology, as they represent a largely untapped reservoir of novel and valuable bioactive compounds. ALGAE4A-B (ALGAE For Aquaculture and Beauty) project seeks to exploit the microalgae diversity, as a source for state-of-the art high-added-value biomolecules in aquaculture and cosmetics. The diversification of microalgae biomass production towards two independent applications will allow the microalgae industry to gain access to alternative markets in an uncertain, highly competitive and fast changing commercial environment. The project will combine both basic and applied multidisciplinary research in the fields of –omics technologies, biochemistry and applied biotechnology in order to: a) Develop and optimize of low input and application-based microalgae culture systems, b) Develop of “-omic” resources for both microalgae and fishes, c) Develop of downstream processing of high value added products from microalgae, with an emphasis in polysaccharides, proteins, enzymes, antioxidants, d) Develop, formulate and in vitro evaluate a new range of cosmetic and nutraceutical products for aquaculture. The implementation of the project will offer the industrial partners the opportunity to translate scientific research into well defined knowledge-based end products and analytical tools. Apart from scientific objectives the ALGAE4A-B will provide a platform for an efficient dissemination, transfer of knowledge and training between academic, commercial partners and society. Overall, ALGAE4A-B aspires to foster both the European capacity building and the strategic objectives of EU Blue Growth and Marine Biotechnology to harness the untapped potential of Europe's seas and coasts for training and sustainable growth.