INSTITUTUL NAȚIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE PENTRU PEDOLOGIE, AGROCHIMIE ȘI PROTECȚIA MEDIULUI –
ICPA București , "National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and
Environment – ICPA Bucharest"
in the Key Action of the EC's Fifth Framework Programme
"Global Change, Climate and Biodiversity"
(Specific Programme "Preserving the Ecosystem")
To understand, detect, assess and predict global change processes
(climate change, biodiversity loss, loss of fertile land and habitats, natural and anthropogenic phenomena in the context of the sustainable use of natural resources, etc.):
variability and change in and between biogeochemical and hydrological cycles, biodiversity, climate, etc.;
socio-economic interactions and impacts on natural resources and human health.
To foster better understanding of ecosystems
(ecosystem interactions with land surfaces and land use, soil, water, atmosphere and ocean; role of biodiversity and climate change; interactions between ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, large-scale land degradation and desertification):
global change scenarios and their impact on terrestrial ecosystems and the consequences thereof for food security and resource utilisation;
assessment of biodiversity, including losses;
assessment of global change and climate change impacts on, and risks to, key sensitive systems or areas;
identification and quantification of ecosystem role in biogeochemical cycles; land use modelling, desertification trends.
To develop scenarios and strategies for the prevention and mitigation of, and for possible adaptation to, the effects of global change, climate change and loss of biodiversity:
formulation and evaluation of options, assessing their scientific, economic, technical and policy feasibility, and their social acceptability;
conditions for decoupling economic growth and environmental deterioration;
assessment and enhancement of institutional capabilities for implementation of international treaties.
To support the development of the European component of the global observation systems for climate, terrestrial systems and oceans:
development of instruments, systems and methods to establish and process long-term consolidated data sets of key variables by both in-situ measurements and remote sensing techniques.