Adaptation strategies to climate change for natural risk management in the transboundary Italy-Switzerland territory (STRADA)

Description:

In the context of the present and foreseen climate change, and the consequent expected variations in meteorological and hydrological variables and cycles, the STRADA Project will develop adaptation strategies in the Italy-Switzerland transboundary territory, with the aim of planning a more appropriate and sustainable management of the territory, with a wide-spectrum focus on the transboundary hydrosphere. The STRADA Project focuses, as main fields of intervention, on the management of water resources and the adaptation to hydro-geological hazards in the context of a changing climate. Main issues are, in particular,
1) the joint and shared management and regulation of the Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano transboundary waters, with the selection of the optimal management alternative taking into account all interested sectors and involving local stakeholders and policy makers;
2) the territorial definition and management of mountain water springs, with the aim of projecting the future availability of spring waters for the needs of mountain populations;
3) the characterization, mapping, modeling and management of small-to-medium-sized (or frequent) avalanches, with the aim of providing specific cartography and management strategies for vulnerable roads and ski districts;
4) the characterization of extreme precipitation events over the transboundary territory, by means of both the recovery of meteorological series and the reconstruction of precipitation fields by radar-meteorology techniques. A joint Italian-Swiss civic protection exercise drill is also scheduled for October 2012, envisioning a major Lake Maggiore flood concerning the two countries.
The partners intend to summarize their main results and outputs with the aim of defining common adaptation strategies and procedures for climate change, designing common guidelines for the management of water resources and for the application of new sustainable methodologies in risk management. To this end, a joint Technical Scientific Committee, constituted by members from all Swiss Cantons and Italian Regions involved in the Project, has been set up in order to share a common methodology and rationale for the definition of adaptation strategies and the designing of common guidelines.

Project information

Lead

Lombardy Region (IT), Ticino Canton (CH)

Partners

Aosta Valley Autonomous Region (IT); Graubünden/Grischun/Grigioni Canton – Office for Forestry (CH); Piedmont Region (IT); Regional Agency for Services to Agriculture and Forestry – Lombardy (IT); Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment – Lombardy (IT); Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment – Piedmont (IT); Valais/Wallis Canton – Service for the Protection of the Environment and Service for Forestry and Landscape (CH).

Source of funding

INTERREG IV A