Areas used by agriculture and forestry are important for storing atmospheric CO2, which is a by-product of employing conventional sources of energy. It is also one of the greenhouse gases mainly responsible for global climate change. An adequate management of agriculture and forestry resources might help to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions. In the Kyoto Protocol some strategies have already been drawn up concerning the positive effects of managing the CO2 sink capacities of forests and areas used by agriculture. These strategies now have to be implemented. As the worldwide dimension of climate change demands solutions beyond national policies, the CADSES space provides a promising field for the application of transnational approaches to manage agricultural and forest systems to improve the carbon balance. The CARBON-PRO project deals with the need for an integrated cross-border management of agriculture and forest resources to implement the demanding environmental policies and standards of the EU. These include negotiations and compensation policies with carbon credits and other policies for reducing the release of CO2 at transnational level as foreseen by the Kyoto Protocol. The project involves seven countries from Central and South-Eastern Europe. Partnership members are administrative bodies, large cities with forests, research centres and forest management bodies. Expected Results: The aim of CARBON-PRO is to share best practices for the management of agricultural and forest systems on the basis of Kyoto Protocol policies within the CADSES region. The project framework includes the creation of a complete database on agricultural and forest systems, the setting up of models dedicated to public authorities for the best management of forests and agriculture and implementation into actual case studies. The overall long-term objective of CARBON-PRO is to assess the characteristics of the main agricultural and forest systems in the CADSES area in relationship to the strategies set up by the Kyoto Protocol and to evaluate their sink capacity. Strategies and technologies for improving the management of agricultural and forest systems will be defined to obtain the best environmental and economic results and to promote sustainable development. Other expected results of the project are: - Common monitoring activities at transnational level in cross-border areas to determine the balance of carbon within an integrated methodology, - Actions to support the process of integration of spatial and rural development at regional level, - Examples and sharing of best practices concerning the management of closed carbon cycles, which then can also be implemented in other EU regions.