Soil Carbon TAP Kicks Off
On 8 April, the French National Research Agency (ANR) launched the Soil Carbon Thematic Annual Programming (TAP) action, marking a significant step toward strengthening global collaboration on soil carbon research.
The kick-off meeting welcomed 27 researchers and six representatives from funding agencies, spanning four continents.
As part of the ORCaSa project (Operationalising International Research Cooperation on Soil Carbon), the TAP aims to build a dynamic international network of research projects funded at national and regional levels.
Its goal is to enhance knowledge sharing, support interdisciplinary collaboration, identify research gaps, and promote cross-sector partnerships — including North-South and South-South cooperation.
Currently, the Soil Carbon TAP connects 30 projects and 44 researchers from countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain.
The 2025 theme, “The Role of Soil Carbon in Climate Change Mitigation”, will explore how soil management, climate change, and land use influence carbon dynamics and sequestration.
Jean-François Soussana, Chair of the Soil Carbon IRC Steering Committee, highlighted the initiative’s ambition to foster a unified global approach to soil carbon science.
Esther Diez Cebollero, Coordinator of Water JPI, contributed valuable insights from TAP actions under the Water4All initiative.
The expected impacts of the Soil Carbon TAP include:
- Identifying research gaps and proposing strategies to address them, particularly in key areas for advancing soil carbon sequestration and its role in climate change mitigation.
- Enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration to tackle challenges related to carbon stock management, climate change, mitigation strategies, and policy integration.
- Promoting the exchange of knowledge, data, and methodologies, enabling researchers to expand their expertise, share findings, and identify opportunities for cooperation and impact.
- Encouraging partnerships across sectors, disciplines, and regions to amplify the reach and effectiveness of the network.
For more information 👉 orcasa@agencerecherche.fr