LULUCF Implementation in Austria
Agriculture and forestry in Austria are not only an important sector for the provision of renewable raw materials and energy sources, but also the most important sector for carbon storage and thus for achieving climate neutrality. In this context, forests play a key role in the global climate system and in the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.
National Climate and Energy Plan
For this reason, this sector holds great importance in Austria’s National Climate and Energy Plan (NEKP), which was submitted to the European Commission at the end of 2024.
In Chapter 3.1.1 “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration,” a wide range of measures were defined for the land-use sector, aimed at promoting forest management in a way that increases carbon uptake and storage. In addition, timber harvesting is to be further developed with climate protection efficiency in mind.
An evaluation of forest management measures to achieve the LULUCF targets is to be carried out based on scientific studies and findings.
The NEKP measures are closely linked with many measures of the Forest Fund as well as forestry subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy, which pursue, among other things, the goal of sustainable management. For this reason, the NEKP further agreed that the framework conditions and objectives for the energetic use of wood biomass, as well as the long-lasting material use of wood resources, should be implemented in line with the LULUCF targets.
A focus is also to be placed on increasing ecosystem resilience, as agriculture and forestry are particularly affected by the negative impacts of climate change. In many cases, there is a close connection between measures to reduce emissions and to adapt to climate change; therefore, the implementation of the National Climate and Energy Plan must be carried out in accordance with the recommendations for action agreed upon within the framework of Austria’s Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.