🎙️Dear WEFE Nexus community, I am happy to share the launch of our new podcast series RETOUCH NEXUS Narratives. Every three months we provide insights from all six RETOUCH NEXUS case studies, showcasing real-world challenges and innovative solutions across Europe. We aim to create a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange, and engaging diverse stakeholders. Tune in via our website, YouTube or Spotify channels and let's stay in RETOUCH! 👉️ https://retouch-nexus.eu/retouch-nexus-narratives/

Invitation: EOTEC DevNet Regional Drought Working Group Meet-ups

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite members of the UNCCD Community of Learning and Practice (CLP) to the upcoming EOTEC DevNet Drought Working Group regional meet-ups, taking place in April. These virtual sessions will focus on sharing insights into Earth observation-based drought monitoring tools, key initiatives, and training opportunities in each region.

We believe these sessions will be highly relevant to the CLP community and offer valuable space for knowledge sharing and collaboration across networks.

More information at:
https://eotecdev.net/join-the-eotec-devnet-drought-working-group-meetin…

We warmly welcome your participation and look forward to your contributions to advancing drought resilience through Earth observation.

Kind regards,
Martyna
On behalf of the EOTEC DevNet Secretariat

From EU Science Hub
https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/european-and-global-drought-…

Current drought situation in Europe: The latest status of drought in Europe using a combined drought indicator

Drought conditions in Europe at the beginning of March 2025
Summary

From 1 to 10 March, the map shows slowly worsening drought conditions across southern and eastern Europe. Severe, enduring, and critical conditions persist in the Mediterranean, and Middle East regions. The Iberian Peninsula faces critical conditions, with extreme impacts due to alternating periods of drought and intense winter precipitation. In south-eastern Spain vegetation remains affected.

Warning and watch drought conditions

By early March 2025, the Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) shows warning drought conditions in sparse regions of the Iberian Peninsula and Italy, south-eastern Baltic Sea region, Poland, most of Belarus, central and eastern Ukraine, some regions of Greece, some areas of the Balkans, Cyprus, Malta and other Mediterranean islands, as well as Ireland, northern UK, few spots in southern France, western and south-eastern Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and most of in Türkiye.

Wide regions in central-eastern Europe, western Russia, eastern Alps, eastern Türkiye, and few areas in south-eastern Sweden, are under watch conditions due to a precipitation deficit.

Alert drought conditions

Some areas in the Mediterranean region, particularly in south-eastern Spain, central Greece and Crete are under persistent alert drought conditions, with impacts on the vegetation. This severe and prolonged drought is even more intense and worsening in most of northern Morocco, northern Algeria, and some regions in Tunisia, causing significant impacts. Alert conditions have been developing in south-eastern Türkiye, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, part of Jordan and northern Iraq.

Normal and recovery drought conditions

Scandinavia, southern Great Britain, north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, the majority of France, parts of Germany, Benelux and Switzerland, most of northern and central Italy, nearly all of the western Balkans, south-eastern Romania, and part of Bulgaria show normal or recovery conditions.

Temperatures

During this 10-day period, temperatures were above the seasonal average in most of Europe with the highest daily anomalies in northern and eastern Europe, and with short warm spells in the same regions.

Note: this analysis was performed on 18-03-2025, based on data referring to early March 2025, and computed with version 4.0 of the Combined Drought Indicator.

European Drought Observatory website is below:
https://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu/tumbo/edo/map/