Hello everyone,
My name is Michael, and I am 24 years old. I’m nearly halfway through my experience as an IVY Project Partner in the Germ of Life (GoL) project, a period I already consider as one of the most significant for my personal growth.
I have to express my gratitude to my host organization and my mentor for their continuous support and guidance throughout the past two months of my IVY experience. Additionally, I must acknowledge the IVY team who have been incredibly supportive since day one and always available to assist with any needs.
What is GoL
The Germ of Life is a project, co-financed by Interreg Euro-MED Programme. It aims to develop an innovative system of digital technologies to enhance the preventive management of drought risks. The project brings together ten entities from six Euro-Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, France and Spain) to address the critical issue of drought risks. The Mediterranean region is particularly vulnerable to droughts due to climate change, making this collaboration essential.
It’s main goal
The primary objective of the GoL project is to promote climate change adaptation by monitoring ecosystems’ vulnerability and resilience to droughts. This effort will lead to mitigation and adaptation strategies aimed at restoring ecosystem balance in Mediterranean European Countries.
Who benefits from the project
The project’s implementation is expected to benefit the local areas of the four pilot sites, each facing unique challenges due to the increasing frequency of droughts. For example, in Italy, the flora and fauna of the Piedmontese Po Park are at risk as water retreats, threatening the ecosystem and many species. In Portugal, the goal is to protect the Mediterranean Temporary Ponds habitat, where water shortages impact native vegetation and endemic species, endangering biodiversity.
As for my home country, Greece, the pilot site is located in Western Greece in a semi-mountainous area, Aegialia, known for its vineyards. Our goal is to assist the local viticulturists’ association by providing early warnings of impending drought conditions. This is crucial as droughts in recent years have significantly reduced grape harvests and damaged many vineyards. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a quality glass of wine ?
My role on the project
So far, I have been involved in several aspects of the project, contributing to the collective progress and fostering collaboration among partners. The final deliverable of the project is a Vulnerability Assessment Tool which will provide early warnings on impending drought conditions and offer adaptation strategies tailored to the different pilot sites.
To achieve this, partners had to discuss the tool’s structure in detail, including input parameters, the drought indices to be used for monitoring, and how the results would be displayed on the platform. Each of the four pilot sites submitted proposals on these topics. I assisted my mentor in drafting a summary document that consolidated all the partners’ suggestions, helping to establish a common approach for the next project phase.
Additionally, I have contributed to validating the equations that will be used in the project’s calculations needed and have reviewed relevant literature on how certain parameters might be calculated.
Lastly, I have participated in online meetings with project partners to discuss crucial details for each stage of the project’s progress. Observing experts from different countries share their knowledge and work toward a common goal has broadened my perspective and underscored the importance of EU territorial cooperation in tackling societal risks.
On an exciting note, just a few days ago the meteorological station at our pilot was set up and we started collecting our first measurements! I’m eager to apply my background in data analysis to further develop the drought vulnerability assessment tool for our project.
– Michael, IVY Project Partner at the University of Patras for the Interreg Interreg Euro-MED project Germ of Life
