Regenerative Chestnut agroforestry management for maximizing carbon dioxide sequestration by promoting carbon credit business models and habitats restoration in Iberian environments (CHESTNUTRAP), No. 101294476
Project No. – 101294476
Project value – 1,796,611.32 EUR
Project duration – June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2031
Project implementer – UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (Spain)
Project partners: Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania); Cool Nature Bio S.L. (Spain); Fundación Centro de Servicios y Promoción Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León (Spain).
Project Leader at MRU: Dr. Paulo Alexandre da Silva Pereira
Project summary: Climate change, the abandonment of agricultural land, and pests threaten agroforestry systems involving chestnut trees in Southern Europe, reducing their productivity, biodiversity, and resilience. At the same time, rural communities face declining incomes and limited access to emerging carbon markets. Therefore, there is an urgent need for innovative, reliable, and easily scalable management models that combine climate change mitigation, ecosystem restoration, and new economic opportunities for farmers.
To address these challenges, the LIFE CHESNUTRAP project will demonstrate the application of restorative management methods in chestnut agroforestry systems as an easily adaptable solution for mitigating climate change, restoring biodiversity, and increasing the resilience of rural areas.
Across 104.44 ha of demonstration sites in Spain and Portugal, the project will implement adaptive forestry, soil restoration measures, and the use of plant residues based on circular economy principles. The aim is to increase carbon sequestration, improve nut yields and quality, and reduce the risk of forest fires.
A digital prototype for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) will be validated, aligned with the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and ISO standards. It will enable the certification of carbon dioxide removals and allow small landowners to participate in carbon and natural capital credit markets.
Over the five-year duration of the project, the following results are targeted:
- sequestration of at least 2,250 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent;
- issuance of more than 800 verified credits;
- an 18% increase in crop yields;
- more than 120 small landowners included in collective carbon farming schemes.
These results will help develop management models and MRV protocols for the cultivation of perennial crops that can be adapted to other regions. The project will directly address the LIFE program’s climate change mitigation priorities (Area 6) and contribute to the practical implementation of EU climate legislation, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) ecological schemes, and the EU Forest Strategy.
The project is funded by the European Commission under the European Union’s LIFE Program (LIFE25).