Madrid, February 10, 2025 – The European project EARTHONE: Environmental Analysis and Resilience for Transformative Human-Optimised Natural Environments has officially launched, set to address the pressing challenge of preserving and enhancing Earth’s natural terrestrial greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks, while fostering sustainable and resilient land-use practices. This scientific initiative brings together experts and stakeholders from across Europe, with Croatia playing a significant role due to OIKON’s involvement in contributing to environmental protection and climate change mitigation across Europe through its scientific expertise and practical experience.
The Croatian consulting company and research institute OIKON, which has been conducting research in the fields of nature conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable development for more than 27 years, will actively participate in developing innovative solutions for more sustainable land use and conducting field research in sensitive ecosystems. As part of the EARTHONE project, OIKON will lead a pilot initiative in Croatia, focusing on the protection of wetlands, field measurements, and ecosystem monitoring. Additionally, it will contribute to the implementation of advanced methods for monitoring CO₂ and other GHG emissions, forest conservation, and enhancing the resilience of natural habitats.
About EARTHONE
EARTHONE’s mission is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic, demographic, and physical drivers that influence GHG fluxes. The project adopts an innovative interdisciplinary approach, combining advanced data-driven technologies with on-the-ground data from vulnerable regions in southern and Mediterranean Europe, including Croatia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Over the next four years, EARTHONE will work to develop multi-tiered solutions that address land use, land-use change, and forestry challenges. By employing regional pilots, the project will deliver evidence-based recommendations, adaptable methodologies, and policy guidelines for a diverse group of stakeholders, including landowners, environmental experts, and policymakers.
The Partners
The EARTHONE consortium comprises 17 partners from 10 European countries, including research institutions, universities, technology companies, and land management organizations: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), Panepistimio Thessalias (Greece), GIS Forestry Institute of Slovenia (Slovenia), AG Futura Technologie DOOEL Skopje (North Macedonia), OIKON d.o.o. – Institute for Applied Ecology (Croatia), Agenzia Veneta per l’Innovazione nel Settore Primario (Italy), Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy), Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos – DIMITRA (Greece), Wyższa Łazarskiego (Poland), Fondazione Medes (Italy), Australo Interinnov Marketing Lab SL (Spain), Universiteit Twente (Netherlands), The Cyprus Institute (Cyprus), Universität Bremen (Germany), EXUS Software Monoprosopi Etaireia Periorismenis Evthinis (Greece), Sistemas Avanzados de Tecnología SA (Spain), and Cedars svetovanje, d.o.o. (Slovenia).
The EARTHONE project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
Benefits and Expected Outcomes
EARTHONE’s methodologies aim to reduce the gap in carbon sequestration and emissions, supporting progress toward the EU’s 2030 climate goals and 2050 carbon neutrality targets. The scalable solutions developed by the project will enhance resilience in land use and environmental management, ensuring the sustainable preservation of Europe’s natural GHG sinks while mitigating socio-economic and environmental risks.
