Climate challenges on coastal and transitional changing areas - weaving a cross-Adriatic response (CHANGE WE CARE)

The project explores climate risks faced by coastal and transition areas contributing to a better understanding of the impact of climate variability and change on water regimes, salt intrusion, tourism, biodiversity and agro-ecosystems affecting the cooperation area. The main goal is to deliver integrated, ecosystem-based and shared planning options for different problems related to climate change together with adaptation measures for vulnerable areas, to decision makers and coastal communities who may best benefit from it. Adaptation measures are developed in cooperation with local authorities and will be discussed with other stakeholders.

The project also aims at defining a paradigm for transferring successful methods of analysis, development and implementation of adaptation measures from the pilot sites to other systems facing similar problems at the cross-border scale, by harmonizing procedures and data standards and bridging knowledge gaps for the final users. To this aim, a set of five coastal systems will be considered in order to encompass the broad variability of possible geomorphological and ecological settings, physical drivers, and threats determining coastal vulnerability in the cooperation area.

Besides extensive knowledge base on the present state and possible evolution, main project results include a set of comprehensive and versatile procedures (guidelines) for the characterization of current (WP3) and expected (WP4) environmental dynamics, as well as for the definition of participated response strategies to climate change effects. This will result in five climate change Adaptation Plans (one for each Pilot Site), monitoring and action plans, thus ensuring a Project follow-up (WP5).