Background European countries are increasingly facing floods, water scarcity, heatwaves, prolonged droughts, unpredictable river flows, temperature rises and decreased rainfall with related impacts on vegetation. These phenomena are closely related to human development and climate change. Their impact is expected to intensify existing risks, particularly in regions where water scarcity is already a concern. In the Mediterranean area, the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly perceptible and severe. Many semi-arid regions are suffering significant declines in water availability and increases in temperature, which has increased the rate of desertification and the prevalence of forest fires. Dealing with dry and non-productive soils requires an integrated approach through adaptation measures that reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of Mediterranean ecosystems. The idea of replacing irrigation by using ‘water buckets’ to plant trees was tested by an earlier LIFE project, The Green Deserts (LIFE09 ENV/ES/000447). The Green Link project aims to improve the methods trialled by the earlier project in order to lower production and planting costs, thus making the technology viable for intensive reforestation activities. In this regard, the new project is strongly aligned to EU climate change adaptation policy objectives. It promotes ecosystem-based adaptation strategies and technologies for sustainable management of water and combating desertification of cross-border Mediterranean countries, and it contributes to nature conservation and biodiversity in particular through its great transferability potential. Objectives The main objective of the LIFE The Green Link project is to demonstrate an innovative growing method which replaces irrigation by using ‘water buckets’ in desertified areas where the failure rate of restoration can reach 70%. The so-called Cocoon system is made out of recycled cartoon, it is very water efficient, low-cost and 100% biodegradable and has shown survival rates of 90% in trials without irrigation. Specific objectives include: Demonstrating that the Mediterranean area can combat climate change with an effective tool through six trials in three countries suffering from desertification; Demonstrating the economic feasibility of an improved and more sustainable technology to plant trees without the use of irrigation; Designing specific ecological interventions to respond to the demands of climate change adaptation through selection of indigenous and resilient species that will survive in the predicted bio-climates for 2050-2100; Integrating novel methodologies to measure biodiversity, soil carbon stock, soil loss and human well-being in the mid-term, while allowing assessment of climate change impact and resilience in the future; Mapping ecosystem services at landscape level to improve adaptation strategies, on the basis that better understanding of positive outputs from the project will improve future scaling and policymaking; and Replicating the project experience during the project cycle by actively engaging stakeholders (research bodies, SMEs, NGOs, public authorities and local communities) in order to share methods and results for uptake across southern Europe. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following results: Demonstrate that the Cocoon technology can achieve a 90% survival rate after planting for all the species selected, thus enabling the planting of trees in dry climates and on poor soil to combat desertification phenomena; Show that the technology can cut tree planters’ costs by 30% without the use of irrigation; Improve soil quality by 20% by addressing water scarcity, promoting the growth of green cover, microorganisms and mycorrhiza to enhance the association among roots and soil, and planting along height lines to help prevent erosion and improve water retention in the project area; Enhance ecosystem services, notably by increasing biodiversity by at least 15% and promoting the positive growth of soil carbon stock over time; Model and map ecosystem services in the trial areas to demonstrate the potential for regional development and provide valuable information for climate change databases; and Increase awareness and dissemination of adaptation strategies on forest management among stakeholders (particularly on relevant EU legislation and objectives).