IURC Regions Explore Joint Climate Adaptation Strategies for Forestry and Viticulture

Climate change is increasingly reshaping landscapes, ecosystems, and agricultural systems across the globe. To explore practical responses to these challenges, the region-to-region Community of Practice (CoP) #2 – Resilient Agri-food Industry & Forestry – recently brought together experts, researchers, policymakers, and regional representatives from Europe and Australia for a webinar focused on the impacts of climate change on forestry and viticulture.

The event provided an opportunity for participants from Germany, Greece, France, Poland, Western Australia and New Zealand to exchange experiences, discuss emerging research, and identify opportunities for future collaboration. Building on previous Regional Cooperation Opportunities Platform (RCOP 2) activities, the webinar shifted from traditional presentations towards a more interactive discussion designed to explore practical solutions and potential joint projects.

Water at the Centre of Climate Resilience

A recurring theme throughout the discussions was the critical role of water in determining the resilience of both forests and vineyards.

Presenting research from Western Australia, Gavan McGrath highlighted how advanced geophysical mapping, remote sensing technologies, and field observations are helping researchers better understand the factors driving forest vulnerability. His work has linked shallow bedrock and specific soil characteristics to drought-related forest dieback and demonstrated how management interventions such as ecological thinning can improve water availability at the landscape scale.

However, McGrath also identified a major challenge facing researchers worldwide: existing hydrological models often fail to adequately represent plant responses, while physiological models rarely capture the complexity of landscape-scale water systems. He argued that future adaptation efforts will require a new generation of integrated models capable of connecting subsurface water movement, geology, and vegetation responses.

Echoing these concerns, Eva Verena Müller presented evidence of increasingly severe drought conditions across Germany, where earlier soil drying, declining groundwater reserves, and more extreme rainfall events are placing growing pressure on forest ecosystems. She stressed the importance of identifying ecological thresholds before irreversible changes occur and highlighted the potential of mixed-species forests to improve resilience under future climate conditions.

Müller also shared examples of applied modelling tools that are already helping forest managers identify drought hotspots, runoff-prone areas, and opportunities to improve groundwater recharge. She emphasised that understanding the stability limits of forest systems will become increasingly important as climate impacts intensify.

New Approaches for Climate-Resilient Viticulture

The viticulture discussions revealed similar concerns about water availability and rising temperatures.

Richard Fennessy described how wine-growing regions in southwest Western Australia are experiencing long-term drying trends and more frequent climate extremes. He proposed establishing long-term rootstock and grape variety trials to identify planting material better adapted to future climatic conditions. According to Fennessy, these trials should span at least fifteen years to provide meaningful evidence on drought tolerance, productivity, and wine quality.

He also highlighted practical innovations that could be implemented in the short term, including affordable soil- and plant-water monitoring technologies, improved irrigation management, wastewater reuse, and the recycling of winery organic waste to improve soil water retention. In addition, he outlined viticultural and winemaking techniques that could help moderate rising alcohol levels while maintaining wine quality.

Dimitrios Taskos provided an overview of climate challenges facing Central Macedonia, one of Greece’s most important wine-producing regions. He explained that accelerated warming is affecting grapevine development and threatening the connection between terroir and wine typicity that underpins many protected wine regions. While yield remains important, he noted that preserving the distinctive characteristics of regional wines may become one of the sector’s greatest adaptation challenges.

Taskos proposed a structured adaptation pathway beginning with improved genetics and vineyard management practices, followed by irrigation optimisation and, only where necessary, relocation of production areas. He also advocated for future projects that combine scientific research with practical policy recommendations capable of supporting wine-growing regions across Europe.

From Research to Practical Action

Beyond scientific findings, participants explored how climate adaptation measures can be translated into practical actions for land managers, forest owners, and wine producers.

A key topic was the economic reality faced by private forest owners. Müller noted that although many landowners support water conservation measures, they often struggle to justify investments that may only generate environmental benefits over the longer term. This prompted discussion about the potential development of indicators and compensation mechanisms capable of recognising the hydrological services provided by forests.

Building on this discussion, Pablo Gándara proposed developing a comparative position paper exploring long-term eco-compensation and payment systems for private forest owners. Such mechanisms could help align environmental objectives with economic incentives while encouraging wider adoption of sustainable forest management practices. Participants expressed interest in further exploring this idea as part of future cooperation activities.

The discussion also highlighted growing interest in practical guidance for adaptation. Participants identified opportunities to develop recommendations on species selection, plantation density, site suitability, vineyard management, and water conservation practices based on long-term observations and modelling results.

The SMAP Reforestation Project: Creating a New Forest for a Changing Climate

The group welcomed Benoît Mayjonade from Val d’Oise. He presented the SMAPP joint authority project for creating a new forest twenty kilometres west of Paris, describing land acquisition of about one thousand hectares. Planting on roughly six hundred hectares began in 2019, with use of mixed-species plots, and an interest in data, modelling, soil measurements, and tools to guide species choice and assess impacts. “International exchanges such as this webinar provide valuable opportunities to learn from regions already experiencing the challenges that climate change is bringing to European forests.” – said Benoît Mayjonade.

Towards a Shared International Project

One of the clearest outcomes of the webinar was agreement that forestry and viticulture should not be viewed as separate challenges. Instead, participants recognised that both sectors are confronting many of the same climate-driven pressures, particularly regarding water availability and landscape resilience.

As a result, the group expressed support for developing an umbrella project focused on climate adaptation and water resilience, with two dedicated forestry and viticulture components operating under a shared framework. Such an approach would enable regions to exchange knowledge, share monitoring and modelling tools, and jointly develop practical adaptation solutions while maintaining sector-specific research priorities.

The webinar concluded with agreement to continue discussions through smaller working groups and bilateral exchanges. Participants will explore opportunities for sharing methodologies, conducting site visits, identifying research gaps, and developing future collaborative projects.

By bringing together expertise from diverse regions facing common climate challenges, the event demonstrated the value of international cooperation in accelerating adaptation efforts. Through IURC, participating regions are building the partnerships and knowledge networks needed to transform scientific understanding into practical solutions that strengthen the resilience of forests, vineyards, and communities in a changing climate.

Next Steps

The webinar concluded with agreement to continue cooperation through targeted working groups and bilateral exchanges. Participants committed to further discussions on knowledge gaps, shared methodologies, measurement protocols, and opportunities for practical pilot projects. There was also strong interest in developing future proposals that combine scientific research, policy development, and on-the-ground implementation.

By bringing together expertise from diverse regions facing similar climate challenges, the event demonstrated the value of international cooperation in accelerating adaptation efforts. Through the IURC programme, partners are building the networks, knowledge, and collaborative frameworks needed to develop practical solutions that strengthen the resilience of forests, vineyards, and regional communities in an increasingly uncertain climate.

As climate impacts continue to intensify worldwide, such international exchanges will play an essential role in transforming research findings into effective actions and supporting more sustainable and climate-resilient regional development.

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