Between September 29th and October 2nd, the CERENA/IST-ID team joined partners from across Europe for the DRYAD Project (Horizon Europe) Joint Event in Portugal. Marking the project’s two-year milestone, the meetings took place at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia in Lisbon, Companhia das Lezírias, and the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Alentejo (CCDR) in Évora. CERENA was represented by Maria Paula Mendes, Joaquim Ramos, Vittorio Pavan, Jenyfleck Pinto, and Joana Barrelas.
The multi-day event brought together researchers and local stakeholders for a Mid-Term Event, a Stakeholders Workshop, and the General Assembly. DRYAD’s goal is to use Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) adapted to Mediterranean climate conditions to improve climate resilience in these unique environments.
Throughout the sessions, partners presented the progress of their work, shared the technologies being developed within the project, and discussed next steps together. The current ongoing effort focuses on establishing clear performance metrics, setting up practical monitoring protocols, and listening to stakeholders to ensure that the solutions implemented are effective and suited to the Mediterranean climate. Finally, a field visit gave the participants the opportunity to see NbS implemented on the ground and learn first-hand how they work in practice.
In the words of Jenyfleck Pinto, this meeting allowed the researchers to feel “much more integrated in DRYAD”, by meeting the members of the different teams in person. It also helped junior researchers fully understand how their work fits into the project's bigger picture.
True climate adaptation happens when scientific data meets the real needs of local stakeholders. CERENA is proud of the work done over the last two years and remains committed to helping build a more resilient future.
