Pathfinder – Exploring future demands, assessing potential for innovations to meet those demands and identifying barriers to their deployment.
Pan-European, co-ordinated from France
The French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)
Dr Fabienne Trolard, INRA
Sustainable Land Use
Imperial College London
National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IBIMET)
Veolia Environment
ECOLE des MINES d’Alès (Subcontractor)
Neteem (Subcontractor)
The overall goal of the Prediction of the Impact of Climate Change and Urban Sprawl on ECOsystem Services (PRECOS) project is to help local actors to preserve natural resources, land, water and minimise their exposure to risk. Climate pressure, urban sprawl and massive resource demand for economic development will affect territory’s assets. It will especially degrade water and soil, leading to heightened risks and cost of services and production.
The world’s population is growing and so is the demand for resources. However, these resources will not last forever. A balance must be found between the use of resources for meeting today’s needs and their preservation to safeguard those of tomorrow. Indeed, while it is widely accepted that climate change will affect our life and environment it is often not clear to local actors what to do about it. PRECOS endeavours to bridge the gap between short-term management decisions and climate related impacts, allowing for dynamic adaptations and corrective measures.