Remedia Workshops 2014

Dr. Julio Mosquera Losada works since 2001 for Wageningen University and Research Center (Wageningen UR) as a research scientist in the area of livestock systems and environment.

He is co-author of the measurement protocols currently used in the Netherlands to measure the emission of ammonia and greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide) from livestock buildings.

He participates in the international working group VERA (Verification of environmental technologies for agricultural production), which focus on the development of standard measurement methods for ammonia, odor and dust. In this framework, he is currently coordinating the subgroup ammonia.

He is also member of the Manure Management section of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance (GRA). In this framework, he focuses on the estimation and mitigation of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions associated to manure management (for both ruminants and non-ruminants).

Dr. Josè Luis Rubio, one of the founders of the European Society for Soil Conservation ESSC), has been its president from 1998 to 2011.

He began his scientific career at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA, Valencia) under the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), studying the dynamics of nutrients in the soils. After his doctorate degree he was awarded with a postdoctoral scholarship from the World Bank for further studies in the USA on the use of stable nitrogen isotopes (N15) in the soil plant systems.

Later, his scientific activity was directed towards environmental topics studying various aspects of Mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems. He was a pioneer in Spain in subjects such as development of empirical models of water erosion, indicators development, restoration of degraded ecosystems, use of rainfall simulators, integrated mapping methodologies and study of the impact of forest fires.

He contributed significantly, through outreach scientific activities, scientific advice and through the organization of scientific meetings at national and international level, to the emerging awareness and environmental concern. Under this perspective he was the Spanish representative at one of the first environmental committee of the European Union: Steering Group on Soil Erosion and Conservation (1984), introducing at European and Spanish level early studies and evaluations on the issue of risk of desertification.

He was the scientific advisor of the Spanish Delegation in preparing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and one of the main actors and writers of the Annex to the Convention which deals with the problems of desertification in Mediterranean Europe (1993-1995). He won the Award Jaime I of the Environmental Protection (1996); he was the founder and first director of the Center for Research on Desertification-CIDE (1996) and also the first Project Leader at the European Topic Center on Soil of the European Environment Agency EU (1996-1998). At present he is the Chief of the Department of Soil Degradation and Soil Conservation at CIDE. The main objective and activities of the Department, are the study and control of desertification processes in Mediterranean environments through knowledge of degradation processes in soil and water at different scales, emphasizing research on the processes of soil erosion, land restoration, impact of climate change, development, assessment and evaluation of environmental and impact indicators, degradation chemistry, physics, hydrology, loss of fertility and soil pollutants, the impact of forest fires, development of new methodologies, the operation of models and their application to spatial representation, the sustainable use soil through the development of assessment methodologies and environmental impact assessment, recommendations for land use, development of planning alternatives and applying new technologies to study, monitor and combat desertification. The Department also carries out training tasks and academic and advisory work at regional, national and international level.

In he context of the IPCC forecast on the Mediterranean tendency of aridification increase and the risk of desertification the Department is working through the simulation of future scenarios, using models to the design of prevention strategies and adaptation to climate change impacts such as extreme weather phenomena and climate variability.

On the subjects of their specialty he has made an intense scientific advice to many national and international organizations and institutions (CSIC, ANEP. MIMAM, European Parliament, FAO, European Commission. European Parliament, OSCE, OECD, UNEP, NATO) and the organization and direction of numerous meetings and conferences at national and international level.

He has taken part in 23 R&D Spanish and European projects, (Project leader in 11) and is author or co-author of 31 books and over a hundred scientific articles.

José Luis Rubio is directly involved in the conceptual development of soil security in the context of environmental security in connection with NATO, OSCE, UNCCD, and the Spanish Ministry of Environment. At present he is very much involved in the development of the EU Strategy of Soil Protection and the ongoing EU Soil Framework Directive.
He is also participating in the development of a global protocol on the legal and institutional frameworks for the sustainable use of soil under different initiatives such as IUCN, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and at present the Global Soil Partnership of FAO, with the objective of to create a world soil mechanism to assist to UN bodies and conventions.

He belongs to numerous committees of organizations and associations dedicated to global environmental challenges. He has been the director of Environmental Observatory of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia and is the Secretary of the Experts Committee of the Prince Felipe Museum of Science in Valencia. In 2003 he received the Gold Medal of the Polish Academy of Soil Science.

The council of the European Society for Soil Conservation, at its meeting held in Thessaloniki (Greece) during the 6th ESSC International Congress (May,2011), conferred on Prof. Dr. Josè Luis Rubio the “Gerold Richter award 2011” for his successful career of scientific contribution to soil conservation and to increased social awareness of soil degradation problems.

At present he is the Chief of the Department of Soil Degradation and Soil Conservation at CIDE and Vice-Chair of the European Soil Bureau Network – ESBN JRC, European Commission).

Effect of irrigation and fertilization on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from paddy soil during the seedling stage in NE Spain.

Maris, S.C., Teira-Esmatges, M.R., Bosch-Serra A.D., Quílez D., Català Forner M.M

Sanz-Cobena, A., Alvaro-Fuentes, J., Del Prado, A.,Doltra, J.,Tellez, A., Plaza, D., Gallejones, P.,Pardo, G., Ortiz, R

Flujos de CO2 en una plantación de palma en Sumatra.

Meijide, A.,Herbst, M., Knohl, A.

GHG emissions contribution along agricultural life cycle for several energy crops.

Lago, C.,Herrera,I., Lechón, Y.

BATFARM software: a support tool in the selection of environmental strategies in livestock operations.

Aguilar, M., Arriaga, H., Dupard P., Lalor S., Fragoso R., Pahl O., Abaigar A., Cordovín L., Boyle M., Lanigan G., Loyon L., Merino P

Propuesta metodológica para el análisis del comportamiento energético de los sistemas caprinos.

Pérez-Neira D., Gutiérrez-Peña R., Mena Y., Soler Montiel M.

Evaluación del proceso de compostaje de purín de cerdo con residuo de algodón y emisión de gases de efecto invernadero.

Sáez J.A., Tortosa, G., Yáñez D., Clemente R., Bernal M.P.