Description

European Grassland Federation - 31st General Meeting
Masterclass: Measuring GHG Emissions in Grasslands
Venue: University of Évora, Mitra Campus
Date: 12 April 2026
Duration: 1 day (8 hours)

Objective: Equip participants with the skills and understanding needed to measure GHG emissions in grassland ecosystems, focusing on methodologies, innovative tools, and the role of grasslands in carbon cycling and climate change mitigation.

Agenda

09:00 - 09:30 | Welcome and Context Setting

• Introduction of participants and facilitators
• Overview of the day’s objectives
• Grasslands and climate change: their role in the carbon cycle and emission dynamics

09:30 - 10:45 | Fundamentals of GHG Emissions in Grasslands

• GHG sources and sinks:
- Methane (CH₄)
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O) from soil management and fertilisers
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux in vegetation and soil; restoration of degraded grasslands

• Unique challenges of measuring emissions in grasslands
• Introduction to global frameworks: GHG Protocol, IPCC Guidelines

10:45 - 11:00 | Break

11:00 - 13:00 | GHG Measurement Methods for Grasslands

• Direct measurement techniques:
- Chamber-based measurements for N₂O and CO₂
- Eddy covariance systems
- Greenfeed and other methodologies for animal CO₂ and CH₄ measurement

• Indirect measurement methods:
- Emission factor calculations and modelling
- Remote sensing for vegetation and soil monitoring

• Case studies: managed vs. natural grasslands

13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch

14:00 - 15:30 | Advances in Grassland GHG Measurement

• Technological innovations:
- Drone-based soil and vegetation analysis
- Use of satellite data
- AI and machine learning for predictive modelling

• Grassland GHG emissions and carbon markets

15:30 - 15:45 | Break

15:45 - 16:30 | Reporting, Standards, and Policy

• Reporting frameworks: CDP, IPCC
• Relevance of ISO 14064 standards
• Grasslands in NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions)

16:30 - 17:00 | Discussion and Wrap-Up

• Reflection on learnings and challenges
• Summary of best practices
• Next steps: resources, workshops, networking

Team

Coordinator:
• Prof. David Fangueiro — Instituto Superior de Agronomia

Speakers:
• Dr. Agustin del Prado — Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3)
• Dr. Laura Cardenas — Rothamsted Research Station, UK
• Dr. Narasinha Shurpali — Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), Finland
• Prof. José Rafael — University of Évora / Agroinsider
• Prof. Rui Bessa — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon