A new scientific publication co-authored by researchers connected to CONCERTO, titled “Diminished biophysical cooling benefits of global forestation under rising atmospheric CO₂” (published in Nature Communications), provides important insights into how forestation’s climate regulation potential may change in the future.

Forestation has long been recognised as a key nature-based solution for mitigating global warming through carbon sequestration. However, this new study highlights that its biophysical benefits: those linked to surface energy balance and local climate regulation, may weaken as atmospheric CO₂ concentrations increase. Using a land–atmosphere coupled model with a slab ocean module, the authors examined how large-scale forestation affects near-surface air temperature under current and elevated CO₂ scenarios.

The findings show that while full-potential forestation could currently reduce global land surface temperature by around 0.062°C, this cooling effect declines significantly under higher CO₂ levels. The study attributes this reduction mainly to shifts in large-scale atmospheric circulation and weakened temperature advection in the Northern Hemisphere, rather than to local changes in evaporation or rainfall.

This research underscores the complexity of forest–climate interactions and the importance of integrating both biochemical and biophysical processes in global climate strategies. It also aligns closely with CONCERTO’s objectives to advance scientific understanding of nature-based climate solutions and their dynamic responses under changing environmental conditions. By highlighting the need for adaptive, region-specific forest management, the study contributes valuable knowledge to the ongoing effort of optimising forestation as a sustainable climate mitigation pathway.

The publication, authored by Fei Kan, Hao Xu, Shuchang Tang, Josep Peñuelas, Xu Lian, Caspar T. J. Roebroek, Nazhakaiti Anniwaer, Kai Wang, and Shilong Piao.

A recent publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), titled “Observed declines in leaf nitrogen explained by photosynthetic acclimation to CO₂,” sheds new light on how forests are adapting to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The study, authored by Maoya Bassiouni, Nicholas G. Smith, Jacqueline C. Reu, and Trevor F. Keenan, provides valuable insights into plant physiological responses that shape the future resilience of forest ecosystems.

Drawing on observations from 409 European forest plots over 22 years, the researchers found a consistent decline in leaf nitrogen concentration - approximately 4% for every 50 parts per million increase in atmospheric CO₂. Contrary to previous interpretations that such declines indicate nutrient limitation, this study reveals that they may instead reflect an adaptive photosynthetic response. Elevated CO₂ allows plants to operate more efficiently, requiring less nitrogen investment in leaves to sustain photosynthesis.

By integrating ecoevolutionary theory with extensive field data, the authors demonstrate that this physiological adjustment represents a natural optimisation process rather than a degradation of ecosystem function. Their findings suggest that forests may be capable of maintaining productivity under future CO₂ levels with lower nitrogen requirements than previously assumed.

This research has significant implications for modelling terrestrial carbon–nitrogen cycle interactions and for predicting how forests will continue to contribute to climate regulation. It aligns with the goals of the CONCERTO project, which aims to improve understanding of how ecosystem processes respond to environmental change and to support the development of robust, nature-based strategies for climate mitigation.

A new publication in Scientific Data titled “A global database of net primary production of terrestrial ecosystems” presents a major step forward in harmonising data on one of the most fundamental measures of ecosystem functioning: net primary production (NPP). The study, authored by Marie Rodal, Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Manuela Balzarolo, and Matteo Campioli, provides the most comprehensive and standardised compilation of NPP data to date, spanning multiple terrestrial biomes and integrating both above- and belowground production.

Manuela Balzarolo, coordinator of CONCERTO and researcher at the CMCC Foundation (Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change), contributed to this research together with the project's partners from the University of Antwerp, highlighting the project’s strong scientific collaboration and contribution to advancing ecosystem knowledge at the global level.

Net primary production represents the rate at which plants convert atmospheric carbon into biomass, underpinning food, fibre, and fuel provision, while playing a crucial role in regulating the global carbon cycle. Despite its importance, NPP has long been challenging to measure consistently across ecosystems due to variations in methodology and the lack of harmonised global datasets. This new database fills that gap by compiling records from 456 sites worldwide, covering forests, grasslands, arid shrublands, northern peatlands, and tundra ecosystems.

Each record includes annual production values alongside detailed metadata on site characteristics, climate, soil fertility, management status, and methodological uncertainty. This extensive level of detail allows for robust cross-site comparisons and provides an invaluable resource for model calibration and benchmarking, particularly for Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs).

The creation of this dataset represents a significant contribution to global efforts in understanding and predicting the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental change. Its comprehensive scope and methodological transparency make it a cornerstone for future ecological and climate research. The study closely aligns with CONCERTO’s objectives of improving data integration and supporting the development of evidence-based tools to assess and enhance ecosystem services under changing climatic conditions.