Riccardo Valentini

Riccardo Valentini is a Full Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Tuscia, Italy. He serves as Director of the Impacts Division at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) and is a Member of the Biogeoscience Committee of the European Research Council, focusing on climate change impacts and carbon cycle dynamics.

His research centers on land use changes and forestry within the carbon cycle, biodiversity, and bioenergy systems. He investigates global carbon budgets and greenhouse gas emissions with emphasis on European and African ecosystems, integrating forest ecology with climate policy development through IPCC and governmental advisory roles.

Valentini's publication record demonstrates sustained expertise in terrestrial carbon fluxes, particularly in forest ecosystems. His work analyzes climate variability impacts on carbon sequestration using continental-scale observational networks, with recurring themes in European carbon budgets, drought effects, and land management implications for climate mitigation.

Scientific awards include:

• Doctor Honoris Causa from Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, Belgium
• Nobel Price for Peace as a member of the IPCC board
• Advanced Senior Grant of the European Research Coucil (2010)

He has coordinated major EU research initiatives including CARBOAFRICA, CLIMAFRICA, and GEOCARBON, which quantify terrestrial carbon budgets and greenhouse gas emissions across Africa and Europe through large-scale observational networks.

As Director of CMCC's Impacts Division, Valentini leads a multidisciplinary research team assessing climate change vulnerabilities and developing adaptation strategies for ecosystems, water resources, and socio-economic sectors across Mediterranean and African regions.