EVALUATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION RESPONSES FOR MARINE ACTIVITIES - Final Report

In the CLIMAR project, a framework was set up, where adaptation measures and strategies can be evaluated for the ecological, social and economic aspects of the Belgian coastal waters. In the first phase of the research, the primary impacts of the climate changes were assessed. Further, the secondary impacts of the climate changes were assessed, both for the ecological system of the BPNS, and for the socio-economic activities. Three case studies focused on the coastal defence, on the fisheries and on the coastal tourism sector. For all three, adaptation measures can be defined and used to counteract the climate impacts or to use them at our advantage. The final goal of the CLIMAR project was the development of a tool to evaluate and compare different adaptation strategies under four alternative scenarios: a “Business-As-Usual” strategy, an adaptive approach, a more intense adaptive approach and a reactive approach.