| title | countries | description | website |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Travelling Exhibition on Coastal Management - ES | Spain | The Spanish coast has important cultural, ecological and landscape values. Nowadays, 32% of the total population is living in coastal areas which are subject to an enormous pressure due to urban expansion and the different socio-economic activities. Besides that, competences on the coastal zone are shared between different sectoral administrations at the national, regional and local level. The competence on coastal management is held by the Directorate General for the Coast (DGC). The problems and issues for which this initiative has been developed are related to massive, unplanned and unsustainable occupation of the coastal zone, deterioration of coastal ecosystems, coastal erosion, climate change effects, lack of knowledge on the coastal zones, unco-ordinated decision-making, and insufficient public participation in the decision-making process. This initiative has been promoted by the national level and implemented at the local level. This ICZM initiative is based on the information, education and awareness of the society concerning the coastal zone and its management with the aim of promoting its conservation. It planned to inform the coastal populations about the coastal system, its current state, the threats affecting it, the coastal legislation, the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain and Integrated Coastal Zone Management. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=221 |
| Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the Gulf of Finland - FI | Finland | Pressures on the coastal zone have considerably increased over the last decades in Finland, mainly as a result of holiday homes. Human activities put a high pressure on land use development. Detailed land use plans for coastal areas are needed covering, in particular, the protection of natural resources of national and European interest. One characteristic of the Finnish work is that it is also a response to the promulgation in 1997 of the law on nature conservation which requires land use plans for the coastal strip. The project was part of the EU ICZM Demonstration programme. Its main goal was to promote master planning in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Finland as an innovative exercise representing a joint planning process between local and regional administrations. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=243 |
| WATACLIC - Water against climate change. Sustainable water management in urban areas | Italy | Climate change continues to threaten the availability of water and effective tools are required to ensure that society as a whole can best respond to concerns regarding the quality and quantity of water supplies. Many water management bodies have specialised in technical aspects of maintaining water supplies. The remit of these bodies now needs to extend and encompass appropriate communication capacities that are capable of informing customers about options and actions to safeguard sustainable water consumption patterns. This includes providing information about lifestyle changes as well as technical and financial mechanisms for managing water supplies. The main objective for this project is to achieve reductions in water and energy consumption within Italian urban areas via a combination of new fiscal and communication tools. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3499 |
| Managing the twin risks of flooding and erosion in coastal areas - UK | United Kingdom | Risk analysis under scenarios of future climate and socio-economic change has been applied to analyse alternative coastal management options on a 72 km stretch of UK coastline that has experienced flooding and cliff erosion for many centuries. Whilst the concept of integrated assessment of coastal risks is not new, this analysis is notable in its deployment of physically-based models over such a large spatial scale and extended timescale. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=120 |
| SOILPRO - Monitoring for soil protection | Greece, Italy | Recognising the extent of soil degradation and the associated environmental and social risks, the European Commission has proposed a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Besides various human activities, soil is vulnerable to natural processes and challenged by climate change impacts such as drought and floods. Local authorities lack the necessary know-how and expertise to understand the magnitude of the problem. However, a system based on historical data and using cutting-edge technology such as GIS and remote sensing could help local authorities to better understand the extent of the problem. Co-operation between local authorities and research institutes in a transnational context could also promote the development of spatial methodologies for monitoring and management of soil degradation. The SOILPRO project has the overall objective of halting soil degradation in EU Member States in with the Thematic Strategy for Soil. It will do this by encouraging co-operation between local authorities and research institutes within a transnational environment, as this can promote the development of spatial methodologies for monitoring and managing soil degradation. Other objectives of the project are targeted towards: - Developing a web-based application tool (Soil Monitoring Software) that can support local and regional authorities and Member States, in their efforts to effectively monitor, identify and assess areas at risk; - The application of the Soil Monitoring Software in two EU Regions: Sicily and Peloponnese; Demonstrating a soil monitoring system to potential users in local and regional authorities and other stakeholders; - Building the capacity of stakeholders in soil monitoring and protection; - Showing examples of soil protection actions in risk areas identified by the use of a soil monitoring system; - Improving the effectiveness of soil protection measures; and - Raising public awareness on soil degradation. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3418 |
| Strengthening a stretch of coastline and improving the spatial quality, west Zeeuws Vlaanderen - NL | Netherlands | One of the identified weak points in the Dutch coastal defences is a 14 km. stretch of coastline lying along the west coast of Zeeuws Vlaanderen, in the south west of the country. This weak areas will be strengthened between now and 2020 in order to withstand the anticipated sea level rise due to climate change. The work is not only aimed at strengthening the coast. It also addresses the spatial quality of the coast, e.g. recreation, socio-economic activities (housing) and nature and, where possible, local entrepreneurial initiatives have been taken on board. The defence emphasis is now on 'soft' solutions because more dunes equals more space for nature and recreation. The Zeeuws Vlaanderen coast has been divided into five separate sections and each is being approached differently, the defence method being used best fitting the particular characteristics of the area. The end result will be not only a safe shore but a attractive and viable coastal area where nature has the opportunity to develop. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=123 |
| Adapt2Change - Adapt agricultural production to climate change and limited water supply | Cyprus, Greece | Water shortages and water pollution constitute major environmental threats in the EU that pose a threat to agriculture in particular. Several northern EU Member States face water and soil pollution. Southern Member States are more susceptible to drought and soil degradation. Climate change is only expected to intensify these natural threats.The agricultural sector will be greatly affected by the imminent decrease in water quantity and quality, but is also one of the major contributors to the problem. Modern-day agriculture accounts for around 70% of global water use. In Greece and Cyprus, up to 85% of total water use is dedicated to agriculture.The extensive and intensive agricultural use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers is arguably the most important cause of water and soil pollution. Furthermore, current unsustainable agricultural practices are considered to be one of the major driving forces of climate change. Greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted directly through conventional energy consumption and livestock breeding, and indirectly through land-use effects (such as deforestation). The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate adaptation of agricultural production to climate change and limited water supply. Specifically, it aims to minimise agricultural water use by introducing a water-recycling method in a closed, fully automated, hydroponic greenhouse system.The beneficiary will define the scientific and functional parameters of the new system’s components: a shallow geothermal power component; a water-recycling unit (concentrator); and a greenhouse. Four prototypes will be constructed in Greece and Cyprus and the system tested for its technical and financial viability. The innovative system will be monitored by remote control.The aim is to fully recycle the water and also reduce GHG emissions by using the renewable energy source. It also aims to: comply with the requirements of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); and minimise water pollution and other environmental effects of agriculture.Practical guides will be produced to encourage use of the innovative system in a wide range of environmental conditions. The guides will cover: - design and implementation of water recycling systems in greenhouses; - the use of shallow geothermal energy in greenhouse agriculture; - environmentally friendly agricultural practices and sustainable water use; - greenhouse automation and remote control support (RCS); and compliance with the CAP. Expected results: - Four replicable, prototype horticulture greenhouse systems in Greece and Cyprus; - Fully recycling and re-using water in the greenhouse system; - Reduced GHG emissions; and - The publication of practical guides to designing and implementing the system. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3674 |
| RESTORE - Rivers: Engaging, Supporting and Transferring knowledge for Restoration in Europe | Finland, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom | River ecosystems throughout Europe have been severely impacted by engineering projects for flood protection, navigation, water supply and hydroelectricity. The aim of river restoration is to re-establish self-sustaining environments and to restore complete ecosystems. River restoration at the local level aims to create and improve habitat conditions for key species; at regional level supports the Natura 2000 network; and across Europe can improve the entire ecological status of river basins. River restoration can also assist with adaptation to climate change by strengthening ecological networks and providing climate space. River restoration activities also play a crucial role in developing best practice approaches for flood risk management, especially through flood storage.The overall river restoration effort is hindered, however, not by a lack of expertise at the local level but by a lack of opportunities for sharing best practice and knowledge. Addressing this gap in knowledge transfer is the main aim of the ‘RESTORE’ project. The project will develop a network linking policymakers, river basin planners, practitioners and experts across Europe to share information and good practice on river restoration activities. The main objective is to support river restoration practices across Europe. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3780 |
| Adaptation to climate change using Green and Blue infrastructure | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey | The GRaBS project is a network of leading pan-European organisations involved in integrating climate change adaptation into regional planning and development. The GRaBS project involves14 partners, drawn from eight member states, representing a broad spectrum of authorities and climate change challenges, all with varying degrees of strategic policy and experience. The project facilitates the much needed exchange of knowledge and experience and the actual transfer of good practice on climate change adaptation strategies to local and regional authorities. The GRaBS project has been made possible by the Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC, financed by the European Union's Regional Development Fund. The Programme helps Regions of Europe work together to share experience and good practice in the areas of innovation, the knowledge economy, the environment and risk prevention. An important deliverable of the GRaBS project is a database called "Adaptation to climate change using green and blue infrastructure: a database of case studies". The aim of this database of case studies is to show case climate change adaptation approaches, with a particular emphasis on those relating to green and blue infrastructure. Rather than focus on the physical elements of the case studies, the database describes in detail the process that have supported the implementation of adaptation responses in a range of urban areas across the world. The case studies were selected based on factors influencing the success of the development and implementation of adaptation responses as identified in previous studies, and on the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities faced by the GRaBS partner organisations. |
http://www.grabs-eu.org/membersArea/files/Database_Final_no_hyperlinks.pdf |
| HydroClimateStrategyRiga - Riga City Adapts to the Hydrological Processes | Latvia | The water regime of the Daugava River is largely dependent on the operations of the Riga Hydropower plant. Increased frequency and severity of flash floods is becoming an alarming problem for the city of Riga. They have caused widespread hazards to built-up areas, infrastructure and natural territories, including Natura 2000 areas. In 2008, Riga County Council (RCC) commissioned a hydro-dynamic modelling system to calculate flood risks and trends under different scenarios. The growing trend in floods is linked to climate change phenomena. In particular, storms are increasingly pushing water from the Riga Gulf into the River Daugava. To address both the floods and their causes according to the provisions of international, EU and national legislation in Latvia, there is a need for more integrated management planning. There is also greater need for awareness of the relevant issues amongst the general public, specialists from municipalities and politicians. The main objective of the project is to create the means necessary to ensure that hydrological processes intensified by climate change phenomena in Riga are adequately investigated and incorporated in the city’s planning system. This hopes to mitigate their current and future impact on Riga’s economy and society, nature and biodiversity, water resources and human health. | http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3413 |
| Soft coastal defences / Beach and dune replenishment | Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland | A new paradigm of giving space to water and using natural landscapes to aid coastal defense infrastructure is emerging. Example measures are: • Allowing the sea to invade former dune slacks in certain sections of the coast. • The strategic construction of reefs along a coastline is likely to reduce the strength of waves, and thus the erosion of the coastline by the sea. • Applying sand suppletion to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast (beaches and underwater in the shallow bank zone). • Managed retreat of coastal defenses. • Widening protection structures instead of making them higher and stronger Much literature exists on the intention to adapt coastal defenses with ‘soft engineering measures’. Little or no literature present results, impacts and cost benefits yet and a few papers present model results. To prevent flooding and to support coastal defence. Sand suppletions are used to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast. Sand is applied on the beach or underwater in the shallow “bank” zone. In this long-term strategy for sea adaptation, the extra sediments reduce the energy and power of the waves and create valuable intertidal habitats such as saltmarshes and mudflats. Suppleted sand serves as a protective layer for “the wind and water to play with”. The Dutch innovation program ‘Building with Nature’ is starting to produce research results on design principles, impacts, governance aspects and cost-benefits of ecodynamic designs of coastal infrastructure. The program aims to take advantage of the opportunities offered by water and sediment currents. This ecosystem-based approach, boils down to: 1. Understand system functioning ('read' the ecosystem, the socio-economic system and the governance system), 2. plan a project or activity taking the system's present and envisaged functions into account (combining functional and ecological specifications), 3. determine how natural processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals and others (using the power of nature), 4. determine how governance processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals (using the power structures in place), 5. monitor the environment during execution, analyse the results statistically, make risk-assessments and - if necessary - adapt the monitoring program and/or the project execution (monitoring and adaptive management), and 6. monitor the environment after completion, as to assess the project's performance and to learn for the future (experience harvesting, knowledge development) and, if necessary, to adjust the project design. |
http://www.ecoshape.nl |
| WATLIFE - Enhancement of Public Awareness of the Importance of Water for Life, its Protection and Sustainable Use in Accordance with the Water Framework Directive | Slovakia | Though Slovakia has sufficient water resources, they are not distributed evenly and in the past few years the supply of drinking water and water for commercial use has become a problem. Inefficient water practices are widespread, and while climate change factors need to be taken into account, it is well known that much freshwater in Slovakia, especially drinking water, is wasted. Other related concerns include water management in a landscape system (floods or droughts); the function of water in a biosphere; human impacts on water quantity and quality; prevention of pollution and protection of water resources and water systems – water works; water for agriculture; water for inhabitants and industry; wastewater treatment and discharge of water. Even if areas of temporary water shortages are located only in certain regions of Slovakia, actions directed towards prevention of water shortages should be conducted in the country as a whole. In order to prevent degradation of water resources, the project will focus on changing common water use practices in Slovakia. This change will be achieved through greater awareness of water importance among the public and various stakeholders. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3503 |
| Beach nourishment as a successful measure against erosion, Sylt Island - DE | Germany | The aim of this project was to define affordable and efficient long-term protection of the west coast of the sand barrier island Sylt from the loss of values considering the different interests. Best practises for long-term coastal protection considering climate change effects were to be described. The natural conditions of erosion were analysed, socio-economic status and measures to protect the west coast of the island Sylt from erosion were assessed. Sand nourishment was found to be an efficient way to protect the west coast from a further decline. It does not prevent erosion, thus sand nourishments have to be repeated when necessary because the sand depot has been depleted by storm surges. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=195 |
| Flood proofing housing development , Oxfordshire | United Kingdom | This case study aims at Flood Proofing housing development: The housing development at Henry Box, Witney consists of 92 affordable homes built on 1.1 hectares on a virtually flat site within the floodplain. The water table at this site is only 400-700 mm below ground level and the shallow gradient means innovative measures are required to ensure that there is no increase in flood risk. The use of either traditional ‘hard’ or sustainable ‘soft’ surface water drainage systems was impractical at this site. The solution was to link, or combine, the hard and soft drainage systems. A combined kerb drain which removed water quickly via inlets into a kerb drainage system every 250 mm was used alongside more sustainable methods such as on site storage (attenuation systems), swales and filter beds. | http://www.acodrain.co.uk |
| A sustainable coastal defence: re-creating wildlife habitats alongside economic farming methods - UK | United Kingdom | The development of saltmarsh, in an area opened up to tidal inundation by the breaching of 3 km of hard sea defences to realign the shoreline. It has created nationally important habitat provided a more sustainable approach to flood defence. The aim was to create a more sustainable coastal defence. By absorbing wave and tidal current energies saltmarsh can provide a natural flood defence. Moreover, managed realignment of the coastline can moderate tidal surges by creating space for the tidal surge to move into allowing them to move sideways, thus alleviating pressure on flood defences elsewhere in the system. It is anticipated that the saltmarsh created at Abbotts Hall and the rising ground behind the saltmarsh zone will, together, provide a ‘soft and flexible’ defence better able to respond to future sea level rise than the existing fixed, hard structures. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=5 |
| Allow transgression of sea in wide dune areas, allow wash over of dikes - NL | Netherlands | In Zeeland, the Netherlands, a new strategy in coastal management of allowing the sea to invade former dune slacks is being tried out near Perkpolder. The measure does not increase safety, but it does differentiate between the safety levels of different coastline sections and distributes costs according to this classification while simultaneously increasing a variety of natural values and recreation and even offers possibilities for aquaculture. A similar option also applies to dikes: instead of making the existing dikes stronger to compensate for higher water levels and wave attack, one could build a new, lower dike behind the existing ones, making it possible to allow (limited) wash over of the present dikes. | http://icm.eionet.europa.eu/ETC_Reports/Good_practice_report_final_ETC.pdf |
| A Regional Strategic Coastal Monitoring Programme - UK | United Kingdom | A strategic regional programme for south east England was set up to offer a standard, repeatable and cost-effective method of monitoring of the coastal environment. Previous monitoring had been isolated, ad hoc and not integrated. Such a monitoring system is vital for operational management of coastal protection and flood defence. The programme has the capacity to fulfil both strategic needs and local management requirements. The objectives are to promote a standard, repeatable and cost-effective method of monitoring of the coastal environment and to promote, inform and integrate operational monitoring requirements. This has entailed i.a. an examination of the range of types of data collected within the coastal zone on both defended and undefended coasts and a determination of whether any further types of data should be collected which might benefit the understanding and management of the coastal zone. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=45 |
| The Finnish National Adaptation Strategy - FI | Finland | The Adaptation Strategy gives a detailed account of the impacts of climate change in different sectors and presents measures to be taken until 2080. The main elements of the strategy are also included in the National Energy and Climate Strategy where the focus is on measures to be launched in the next 5 to 10 years. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=129 |
| A more holistic approach to beach management by a Local Authority | Ireland | This case describes the application of a strategic alliance (couplet) between the local authority and a research centres to address the problem of coastal erosion on soft beaches in Donegal (Ireland) and advise on soft engineering approaches. This relationship enhanced capacity of the Council staff in dealing with erosion. A more holistic approach to ICZM was nurtured which represented a move away from traditional, site-focused management. The main aims of the expert couplet, in recent times, are to: appraise the potential viability and scope of a proposed regional coastal management centre; give advice to Council engineers on the use of soft engineering approaches to coastal erosion; and provide research to assess the nature of coastal erosion leading to the development of an appropriate management strategy. The strategic advice would reflect the adoption of a more holistic and less site-focused approach to ICZM. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=25 |
| RESILFOR - Restoration of beech and silver fir forests in the Toscan Marches Appennines | Italy | In the Italian Apennines (Mediterranean area), climate change is causing particularly extreme, sudden and intense phenomena, suggesting a likely alteration in precipitation rates in the future, with atmospheric humidity reductions and a decrease in annual and summer rainfall. This could cause selective pressure – leading to genetic erosion in a very short timeframe - on the most sensitive ecosystems and species located at high altitudes, such as beech and silver fir forests, which are often isolated and have limited critical mass. These species have reproduction mechanisms and dynamics of genetic structure that will not enable them to react promptly to this fast phenomenon, leading to a high risk of loosing or compromising the existence of key elements of forest diversity in these areas. The general objective of the project is to safeguard mountain habitats with beech-silver fir Apennine forest and beech-yew forest, through restoration of the forest ecosystems by low impact techniques, focusing on sites where temperature increases and rainfall reduction problems are not foreseen in the short run. Specific objectives include: - Halting the loss of area of beech-silver fir Apennine forests because of genetic segregation of Abies alba relict populations, and to recent climate change that puts the species at risk of extinction; - Consolidating in original locations beech-yew forest habitats that are strictly linked to beech-silver fir Appennine forest habitat; - Consolidating animal populations (Salamandrina tergiditata, Bombina variegata) living in these habitats, favouring the preservation of ecological niche and reproductive sites. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3572 |
| Thalassa - Thalassa Campaign: Learn, Act, Protect/Awareness, Educational and Participation Campaign for Marine Mammals in Greece. | Greece | The Greek Seas host different threatened and critically endangered marine mammal species. The most serious threats to the survival of marine mammals include: intentional killings; direct takes; accidental bycatch in fisheries; prey depletion; collisions with vessels; disturbance; acoustic pollution (noise); ingestion of solid debris; contamination by xenobiotic compounds; oil pollution; habitat loss because of coastal development; and ecosystem and climate change. The project’s objective is to mitigate the imminent danger, caused by human-related threats, to the long-term term viability of all rare, endangered and important marine mammals inhabiting Greek waters. In order to achieve this, the project aims to raise the awareness of selected target audiences about marine mammals in Greece, the importance of these species for marine ecosystems, the imminent threats they face, and the conservation actions necessary to ensure their long-term viability. A second aim is to establish a more active and environmentally-friendly attitude and behaviour in the target audiences and key stakeholders that will directly promote and support the conservation of the Greek marine environment and marine mammals. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3775 |
| INFORM - Building a structured, indicator based knowledge system for sustainable forest policy and management | Greece | Forests are under very significant pressure worldwide and in the Mediterranean region. The loss and degradation of forested land has wide-reaching consequences for biodiversity, health and the economy. Currently, several planning and evaluation tools, particularly in the form of criteria and indicators, have been developed to address the assessment of sustainable forest management. In the EU, the best tools have been translated by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) into criteria and indicators. EU Member States are committed to use these to assess, monitor and certify sustainable forest management. However, in many Member States (including Greece) problems persist with the estimation processes for the MCPFE criteria and indicators. These are related to the lack of clarity in the linkages between the spatial and aggregation scales and the decision-making levels, lack of data, lack of integration, lack of consensus between stakeholders and lack of comparability between areas. The project's general objective is to establish a knowledge base for national forest policy development and implementation, based on MCPFE criteria and indicator estimates, including impact assessments on forests related to climate change. The knowledge base will be compatible with EU initiatives and legislation on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) assessment and implementation monitoring. The project will use the MEDMONT impact-evaluation system, previously developed by project team members through past EU projects, as a basis. This system will allow the following: - Collection, analysis and dissemination of information required to estimate the MCPFE criteria and indicators at national, regional and local level, particularly the information required on forest impacts from climate change, biodiversity and protective functions of forests (soil, water and infrastructure); - Integration of SFM assessment and implementation monitoring processes at different spatial scales and levels of aggregation; and - Updating of forest management plans by incorporating social participation tools and impact-evaluation tools for SFM assessments and implementation monitoring. The project will produce the following outputs: - a forest policy handbook for SFM assessments and implementation monitoring; - policy guidelines for mitigating the impacts of climate change on forests; - a good practice handbook for social participation in SFM; - a pilot SFM plan; and - a number of training events, workshops and seminars. |
http://www.inform-life.gr/index.php |
| Restoration of dune dynamics, de Kerf, Schoorl - NL | Netherlands | A 50m breach was made in a dune defence wall to recreate a dynamic dune ecosystem behind it without compromising safety aspects against flooding from the sea. De Kerf is located in the dunes of the province of North Holland. It is a breach in the outermost dune ridge that was created in 1997 covering an area of about 5ha. It was dug to allow natural contact again between the sea and the dune area behind the protective dune wall. It was the first time since the building of the sea defences around the Netherlands, following the flood of 1953, that the sea had been allowed through the defences. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=139 |
| Green Deserts: new planting techniques for tree cultivation in desertified environments | Spain | One of the consequences of climate change is desertification of areas that have previously provided important functions in terms of carbon sequestration, food production and landscape conservation. Tree planting can help overcome these problems and innovative planting techniques are required to properly regenerate some degraded areas. The project’s main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of new tree planting techniques in desertified, poor and/or rocky areas. Innovative ‘waterbox’ technology will be applied to restore the sponge function of degraded soils and reinforce soils’ existing capacities for supporting plant life. Waterboxes will be tested to assess their suitability as a means of capturing rain and condensation for use in cultivating Hedera (ivy) plants along roadsides, where the plants are intended to absorb traffic-related air particulates and CO2. The project intends to demonstrate the waterbox technology’s capacity to: - improve soils by stimulating the natural capacities of plants; - increase success rates of planting in eroded and desert areas to above 95%; - reconstruct forests; - absorb large amounts of CO2 emissions; - restore eco-systems facilitating the planting of indigenous and endangered species in desertified or otherwise damaged territories; - reduce water and energy use, as the technology does not require any type of irrigation; restore desertified agricultural land to economic profitability; - thus increasing economic opportunities in rural areas and combating their abandonment; and - possibly facilitate all-year planting, offering long-term employment and larger time spans for cultivation and reforestation. Expected results Results are expected to include: - 90 % success rate of the species planted in April surviving and growing well after 3-4 years; - Confirmation of the financial feasibility of Twinboxx technology compared with commercial alternatives; - 80 % survival rate of species planted in July using the Twinboxx technology; - Confirmation that the new technology does not have a negative impact on existing water resources. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3654 |
| Coastal Flood Atlas for the Spanish Coast - ES | Spain | The Spanish coastal zone has been analysed to develop a tool to statistically predict the maximum flooding level of Spanish beaches. This work has been compiled into the Coastal Flood Atlas. The determination of the maximum flood level is essential to develop an adequate long term coastal planning. The goal of the initiative was to develop a methodology to determine the increased flood level in each specific location of the Spanish coast and combine this information with several coastal instrumental databases to finally produce a coastal flood atlas for the Spanish coast. The specific objectives to be achieved through this tool were (1) to precisely assess the coastal systems dynamics, (2) to reliably design the necessary strategies, (3) to establish a common methodology for the design, execution and monitoring of coastal actions, and (4) to compile in one tool all the Spanish experience in the field of coastal engineering. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=217 |
| A Consortium for Integrated Management and Governance in the Costa Del Garraf - Spain | Spain | A successful approach for sustainable and integrated coastal management, through the establishment of a local Consortium which includes municipalities, county councils, and the Regional Departments of the Generalitat of Catalonia, to elaborate action plans and specific projects. This initiative is the implementation at the local level of all the European, national and regional ICZM regulations, promoting the co-ordination and co-operation with institutional actors, scientists and social associations. The Consortium was created in 2006 with the aim to sustainably manage a coastal, marine and land area in the county of Garraf. The basic objectives to be carried out are related to the protection and conservation of Garraf’s coastal area, the adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change, the integration of environmental and biodiversity conservation with an economic and recreational use of the coast, and finally, institutional and citizen co-ordination. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=212 |
| Management of development run-off - Bromsgrove District Council UK | United Kingdom | The site at Hopwood uses a series of sustainable drainage systems in sequence to manage flow and control pollution which is called a ‘management train’ or treatment train. This ‘management train’ has been demonstrated to improve the flow and quality of run-off in stages prior to release into the local watercourse. Each part of the site collects run-off in a different way but treats the 10mm ‘first flush’ in stone ‘treatment trenches’ where possible, a conventional grit / oil separator to the coach park and fuel filling area with roof water directly to a ‘feature pond’ from the amenity building. As well as helping to treat run-off and improve the overall quality of the water, SUDS also have an amenity value and provide attractive wetlands, in addition to helping to reduce flooding. |
http://www.sustainabledrainage.co.uk |
| The use of a variety of solutions in flood management, the Norfolk Broads - UK | United Kingdom | The Broadland Flood Alleviation Project is a long-term project to provide a range of flood defence improvements, maintenance and emergency response services within the tidal areas of the Rivers Yare, Bure, Waveney and their tributaries. The land, predominantly grazing marshes, has high environmental value and is important to the local economy through its use for farming and tourism.
Different methods of flood defences have been used in a number of areas dependent upon the circumstances. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=83 |
| Protecting the coast from erosion using hard rock measures - BG | Bulgaria | Shabla municipality took the conscious decision to compromise part of its coastal landscape in favour of hard rock measures to protect the coast from severe annual erosion. Various structures were built to safeguard the coastline and ensure the livelihoods of the local communities. The measures proved effective to ‘’hold the line’’ and the increased safety has allowed other economic activities to develop e.g. eco-tourism. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=40 |
| ZTAR - Zwin Tidal Area Restoration | Belgium, Netherlands | The Zwin is the largest and most important tidal salt marsh site in Belgium and provides a perfect habitat for numerous bird species, included many listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive. Since the 1980s, the Zwin has suffered a dramatic loss of biodiversity. Sand deposits have led to the gradual filling up of the lagoon, causing loss of safe breeding opportunities and sleeping sites for the birds, as the former islands are becoming connected to the mainland and accessible to ground predators. The deposited sand probably originates from the increased marine erosion of the sandy beach and fore-dunes, so that the loss of biodiversity can be considered an example of coastal squeeze as a consequence of climate change. The project aims at restoring different habitat types. Other goals: raising public awareness and support for its measures through several communication actions. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3867 |
| GISBLOOM - Participatory monitoring, forecasting, control and socio-economic impacts of eutrophication and algal blooms in river basins districts | Finland | Eutrophication and algal blooms in lakes, rivers and estuaries constitute a major environmental challenge. This is a particular problem in Finland’s inland and coastal waters, which do not currently meet environmental standards despite increasing efforts to reduce nutrient loadings in river basins. Climate change may exacerbate this situation in the future. For example, there could be increased runoff from large areas of cultivated land without vegetative protection during winters. The resulting algal blooms would be a risk to the health of both humans and animals, and would significantly decrease the ecological status and recreational value of water courses. The GISBLOOM project aims to build capacity to ensure better integration of climate change into river basin management plans in Finland. It will demonstrate an integrated model to quantify the effects of different climate-change scenarios to help tackle threats of eutrophication and algal blooms.The project intends to improve understanding of algal blooms and their responses to management measures in lakes and coastal areas. It will use an innovative combination of nationwide data and models for hydrology, land-use changes and nutrient loads to generate data and real-time forecasts for algal blooming in river basins and around 48 000 Finnish lakes on a daily basis. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3719 |
| Strengthening the Hondsbossche and Pettemer sea defences - NL | Netherlands | A section of dyke in North Holland no longer meets the legal safety requirements. Four alternative designs have been drawn up and an environmental impact statement is being conducted to determine which is the most environmentally favourable. A decision-making process, including strong participation is taking place. The strengthening should be completed by 2015. The water board (Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier) and regional provincial government are working on a plan that will see the sea defences strengthened to withstand a storm event of 1:10.000 for the next 50 years. The aim of the project is to find a balance between dyke fortification measures, spatial quality, and social acceptance. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=121 |
| Methods to inform society about coastal risks - DE | Germany | A communication strategy was developed to inform inhabitants of flood-prone areas of the North Sea coast about the risks of flooding, to raise awareness of the public and decision-makers. The effect of the information booklet was evaluated. Almost a quarter of Schleswig-Holstein is flood-prone: at the North Sea and Elbe estuary which is less than 5 metres above sea level, and at the Baltic Sea coast less than 3 metres. The test areas for this study were the North Sea island Pellworm, the island Nordstrand with a connection to the mainland, the Elbe estuary city Glückstadt, and the city Eckernförde at a Baltic Sea bay where only part of the city area is flood-prone. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=162 |
| Bioenergy and fire prevention | Ireland, Spain | Forest biomass provides a carbon store and is important for mitigating climate change. It is therefore important to protect this biomass from forest fires, which cause significant CO2 emissions and damage both the environment and property. Forest fire risks can be reduced by managing the amount of ground-level waste biomass in forest areas. Cleared ground-level biomass can be used as a CO2-neutral fuel when burnt in controlled conditions. Such activity provides beneficial opportunities for rural economic development. The main objective of this project is to improve Enguera’s capacity to protect its forest resource from fire and demonstrate new win-win rural employment opportunities that provide environmental benefits. New forest management tools and approaches will be developed to minimise fire risks. The potential of biomass as a source of renewal energy and rural employment will also be tested and evaluated. An inventory of biomass for bio-energy uses will be produced based on representative forests within the project site. This will determine biomass features such as its calorific value and performance for generating electricity and promoting economic development in rural areas. A new strategy document will also be prepared addressing sustainable forest management and renewable energy production using biomass generated from forest fire prevention measures. This will be in line with the EC’s Action Plan on Biomass and the EU Forest Action Plan. Expected results: - Valorisation of Enguera’s forests through more effective management of all their resources; - Mitigation of climate change by reducing CO2 emissions via use of waste forest biomass for energy generation and the establishment of optimum conditions for its use; - Reduced risk of forest fires in the project area; and - Preparation of an official document for Enguera regarding new criteria to manage forests by using waste biomass as clean energy source. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3653 |
| Park refurbishment with storm water retention | Spain | In the Gomeznarro Park, Madrid, and its vicinity there is a considerable danger of erosion. In case of intensive rain lower parts of build area flooded. Therefore in 2003 surface drainage was made. On an area of 10000 m3 water tight pavement were demolished, compacted soil was restored or replaced, collection and infiltration tanks were located under surface and under the footpaths sewer network was installed, the footpaths were covered with permeable pavement. | http://www.eukn.org/Dossiers/EU_presidencies/Hungarian_Presidency/Climate/Water_management_and_urban_communal_infrastructure/G%C3%B3meznarro_Park_Madrid_park_refurbishment_with_storm_water_retention |
| Improved water resource management in areas with acute water shortage - MT | Malta | In Malta, extreme water shortage has led to integrated water resource management being used to improve water supply. With limited options to either decrease demand or increase supply without large-scale, expensive solutions, the problem of water leakage has been tackled. A process has been set up whereby water lost to leakage has been reduced by 50% eliminating the need for expensive desalination plants along the coast. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=24 |
| Erosion policy options for the Costa da Caparica - PT | Portugal | Coastal erosion is a serious problem south of the Tagus river mouth opposite Lisbon. A series of anti-erosion measures have been taken over the last fifty years. The case looks at the options that have been taken and what measures are now needed to try and stabilise this vulnerable region. The main objective was to determine the best policy option for this stretch of coastline. Urban pressure and erosion lead to particular difficulties concerning the management of the area and few studies have been done on these types of impacts in Portugal. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=350 |
| Partial restoration of tides, Veerse Meer - NL | Netherlands | In the southwest Netherlands, a tidal, delta saltwater arm was cut off by human intervention from the sea in 1961 resulting in a brackish water, non-tidal lake. Following decades of ecological and water quality deterioration, efforts have begun, with success, to restore the salt water character of the water body by partially opening one of the dams and altering the water level of the lake in winter to create a limited ebb and flood tide. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=128 |
| Preventing beach erosion for tourism – Ystad, SE | Sweden | An economically important tourist area in southern Sweden is threatened by coastal erosion. The case shows the ‘hold the line’ measures which have been taken to ensure that there is no loss of the tourist income. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=43 |
| Innovative ways to identify and communicate erosion hot-spots, Scotland - UK | United Kingdom | Comparisons have been made using archival pan-chromatic and colour aerial photography taken with a separation of 10-20 years between them. Using photogrammetry and GIS, an easily understandable, 3D visualisation of erosion and accretion was produced showing erosion hot-spots and vulnerable, coastal areas. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=113 |
| SOILCONS-WEB - Multifunctional Soil Conservation and Land Managment through the Development of a Web Based Spatial Decision Supporting System | Italy | The multiple functions of soil are under increasing threat from a wide range of human activities. These threats are often complex, typically inter-linked and they can occur simultaneously. Threats considered of major concern for implementing the EU Soil Thematic Strategy include: erosion; decline in organic matter; soil sealing; soil compaction; decline in soil biodiversity; and landslides. In the test area all of the abovementioned threats to soil occur. The aim of this project is to develop, test and implement a tool to support the decisions of stakeholders on soil and landscape conservation issues. The Decision Supporting System is designed to enable the introduction of the best soil conservation and land management measures and will ease the implementation of important but complex environment-related EU directives, regulations and national allocation plans. The tool must include many different high quality layers of information in order to be successfully applied. It will be developed in the framework of a “Web-based Spatial Decision Supporting System” (WS-DSS) and will consider soil and landscape. The WS-DSS tool will, through a web server system, provide advice and enable users to produce detailed spatial documents, reports and maps on a series of issues such as agriculture, environment and climate change, with the ultimate goal of enabling an easy implementation and an innovative spatial based adoption of relevant EU and national legislation. WS-DSS will be adopted in a test area (and further expanded, after the project) by the agricultural division of the Region of Campania, an associate partner. Moreover, during the lifetime of the project, the tool will be provided for testing in four other European regions that have already expressed an interest. The tool will be made available to individuals, public bodies and other interested parties. It will integrate classical top-down decision-making with bottom-up contributions to landscape planning and management. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3458 |
| Saltmarsh recreation, Hesketh Out Marsh, UK | United Kingdom | Hesketh Out Marsh is the biggest managed realignment project in the country. The marsh lies on the southern shore of the River Ribble estuary, near Preston, and is one of the country’s most important estuary habitats for birdlife. Before 2006 Hesketh Out Marsh was used for growing crops. The land was taken out of the estuary in 1980 by the creation of an outer wall, but this wall was never going to last for ever. With the climate changing and the sea level rising, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Environment Agency recognised the need to plan for the future and create stronger sea defences. At the same time it was need to create new saltmarsh habitat to replace losses elsewhere. The new reserve does both these things by the process known as 'managed realignment' and is one of the largest of its kind in the UK. Seawater is let back in to flood some of the land, creating saltmarsh which provides more space for nature. At the same time, the new saltmarsh acts like a sponge, soaking up some of the energy of the sea before it reaches the strong, new sea defences. By working in partnership with the Environment Agency and with funding from Lancaster City Council, and the Lancashire Rural Recovery Action Plan, the Hesketh Out Marsh project has greatly improved the local sea defences and created 150 hectares of new saltmarsh, creeks and lagoons. Further funding from Biffaward and Natural England has enabled to provide facilities for visitors and for the cows and sheep that graze the marshes as well as funding research into the many changes that are taking place at this exciting new reserve as it returns to the wild. | http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/heskethoutmarsh/about.aspx |
| Climforisk - Climate change induced drought effects on forests | Finland | Changing weather patterns will induce changes in the environment that will affect the growth and vitality of forests.This project is particularly concerned by how changes in the water cycle will affect forests. Much of the effect of climate change on forests will be dependent on how soils are able to provide water to plants as there will likely be changes in precipitation, transpiration and evaporation. However, there is not yet a clear picture of how these changes will impact on Finnish forests. This project aims to improve knowledge of how forest growth could change in future by compiling existing data and models. Information compiled by the project will establish a better basis for regional forest management planning in the context of climate change. The overall objective of the project is to build and demonstrate a system that predicts changes in forest growth and vulnerability in the context of climate change. The system will be used to develop maps and indicators that will support decision-making by public officials and forest managers. The proposed approach builds on long-term forest monitoring data and links these to models of forest productivity. These data will then be linked to simulated variables that determine the susceptibility of forests to abiotic (drought) and biotic (pests/pathogens) damage. The simulations will enable the accurate prediction of changes in the susceptibility to damage of forests. Expected results: The most important expected results are: - A map of changes in future forest growth and carbon mitigation potential; - A map of changes in the susceptibility of forests to drought and selected biotic disturbance (pests/pathogens); - A map of LAI and biomass distribution in Finland; and - An Internet-based GIS-application for stakeholders and the general public, which disseminates the most important results of the project. The results of the project will enable regional forest management to adapt to climate change and help forest decision-makers and managers in their work. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3722 |
| WIZ - WaterIZe spatial planning | Italy, Spain | In southern Europe the impact of climate change increasingly affects water resources, drinking water availability and future drinking water management. Drinking water demand is closely linked to increased urbanisation.The building sector is strategically important as it is Europe's largest industrial employer. At the same time, water suppliers are often under pressure to increase the quantity of water (number of connected units), especially as a result of the unforeseeable effects of climate change on reservoirs.The water crisis must be dealt with in the short term to ensure the availability of water; however, long-term adaptation policies must also be developed.The involvement of local authorities and citizens in water management planning and water governance can greatly influence development plans and help businesses gain a more sustainable perspective. The overall goal of the WaterIZe ‘WIZ’ spatial planning project is to integrate the protection and sustainable management of water in urban planning processes and local policy areas.The project aims to incorporate long term analysis of drinking water management in urban spatial planning by creating a platform for local authorities to be involved in decision processes. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3692 |
| Controlled reduced tide to produce flood control area and new habitats - BE | Belgium, Netherlands | The creation of a controlled, reduced tide into a flood control area in an estuarine river system to provide a more sustainable form of flood management control. This innovative system allows the creation of new habitats. Creating a flood control area which means that, in case of a storm surge, the storm tide of the estuary becomes truncated and flows over an overflow dyke into the designated area in a controlled manner. The Scheldt estuary is about 160 km long bordering Belgium and the Netherlands. The controlled inundation area is a low-lying old polder bordering the Scheldt just south of Antwerp. The Flood Control Area in Kruibeke is the most important flood control area of the Sigmaplan of 1977 which was designed to protect the Sea Scheldt basin against storm surges from the North Sea. Kruibeke is the last of 13 flood control areas to be built and at 580 ha is the largest flood control area of the Sigmaplan. 300 ha of the area are designated as mudflat and marshland. Twice a day, at high tide, a limited (reduced) amount of water flows into the area, mimicking the natural tidal regime to create a matching landscape. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=9 |
| A coastal and marine data exchange platform, NOKIS - DE | Germany | Coastal and marine data of all sorts about the North and Baltic Seas have been collected by a large number of coastal institutions and organisations. Cross-sectoral and cross-institutional access to these data had been limited due to different data formats and the scattered distribution between data holders. The aim was to try and organise different sets of data, about the German coastal zone, from different sources and in different formats in order to standardise them for mutual exchange and public information. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=164 |
| Hard versus soft coastal protection measures in the southern Black Sea coast - RO | Romania | The Romanian Black Sea coast is facing long term shoreline erosion problems. Since the 1980s, the southern part of the Romanian coast, where the most economic and social activities are located, is threatened by a steady increase of erosion phenomena which has caused severe damage in terms of beach losses, tourism and recreation facilities and public safety. Since 2005, coastal protection became a priority for the Romanian government. Taking into account the serious threat of coastal erosion, the government requested support from the Japanese Government. Through its Agency JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), Romania received international technical assistance and financial support to develop a comprehensive study for coastal protection and rehabilitation of the southern part of the Romanian Black Sea coastal area.
The main objective to formulate a coastal protection Master Plan for the southern coastal area and to propose priority projects to stop and prevent the coastal erosion process along the Romanian Black sea Coast. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=308 |
| Raise level of awareness of householders and businesses in flood risk areas | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey | Awareness raising addresses the knowledge of individuals and organisations concerning flood risks. It aims to ensure that all relevant regional and sub-regional bodies understand the impacts of, and take action to respond to increasing flood risk. It takes on a variety of forms: dissemination of printed materials on flood risks and prevention; organisation of public meetings and training; professional consultation on flood prevention; communication through mass-media; using informal networks for information dissemination. It can be combined with the establishment of community self-protection teams that promote self-reliance among residents and businesses to minimize the risk to personal safety and property damage during a flood event. Developing the ability to "live with floods" means stressing the importance of awareness raising. | http://www.swcouncils.gov.uk/media/SWRA/Climate%20Change/Climate_Change_Action_Plan.pdf |
| AdaptFor - Adaptation of forest management to climate change in Greece | Greece | Forests interact with climate systems, acting as carbon sinks when growing, and as a source of carbon dioxide when being destroyed. Climate change is expected to result in major shifts in the geographic distribution of forest vegetation, and die-back and decline are expected. The Mediterranean region seems to be more prone than other regions to serious changes in its ecosystems, flora and fauna, in favour of more drought-tolerant species. Τhe implications of these changes for forest management and conservation are profound. Adaptive forest management strategies are urgently needed to enable the planning and management of healthy, productive forests, capable of additional carbon storage in forest ecosystems, combined with sustainable provision of forest goods and services. The project aims to demonstrate that forest management can be adapted to climate change, while enhancing the capacity of forest services. To achieve this, the project has carefully selected 4 pilot sites (Kentriki Makedonia,Thessalia,Peloponnisos,Attiki), where changes in vegetation have already been observed (e.g. dying out of fir, invasion of conifers in evergreen broadleaved forests). The project will demonstrate this approach at these 4 sites, working at local level, and will then integrate the findings to give guidance and training at regional and national level. The project will also disseminate to all stakeholders and to the general public the reasons why the adaptation of forest management to climate change is needed. The project expects to achieve the following results: - Assessment of the effects of climate change on selected forest ecosystems in Greece; - Incorporation in selected forest management plans of climate change considerations; - Creation of guidelines on the adaptation of forest management to climate change in Greece; - Wide dissemination of information on the need to adapt forest management to climate change, and methodologies for achieving this; and - Training of forest service personnel to incorporate climate change considerations into their forest management practices. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3477 |
| Changing traditional coastal defence policy to stop erosion - DK | Denmark | The coastline of West Jutland is extremely vulnerable to erosion from the North Sea. In the past, in order to help the socio-economic development of the area, hard structures were used as coastal flood defence mechanisms. A change of policy and transfer to predominantly soft techniques has led to a situation where erosion is no longer a problem. It has aided the tourist industry by re-creating beaches and safeguarded the socio-economic development of the local communities. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=82 |
| Building a dyke within the dunes to protect against future sea level rise, Noordwijk - NL | Netherlands | Noordwijk was regarded as being a weak link in the Netherlands coastal defence system. This case shows how a novel way of protecting the coast through a dyke-dune system can also have ecological benefits. Different plans were considered to strengthen the coast of Noordwijk and originally a simple dyke was planned. However, following consultation with stakeholders in the town and under influence of the municipality, it was decided to build a dyke within the dunes so that it would not be visible. Work began in the Autumn of 2007 to broaden the dunes to a maximum of 42m in the direction of the sea. At the beginning of the current dune system, parallel to the boulevard and along its complete length, a dyke was built. This was then covered with sand to form a continuation with the dunes either side. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=109 |
| BIOTAGENE - Elaboration of novel metagenomic method for environmental monitoring | Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland | The degradation of soil, which is vital for human activities and the survival of ecosystems, is a serious problem in Europe. Soil degradation is driven by inadequate agricultural and forestry practices, industrial activities, tourism, urban and industrial sprawl and construction works. In Europe, these factors result in erosion, decline in organic matter, contamination, salinisation, compaction, decline in biodiversity, sealing, floods and landslides. Soil degradation impacts directly on water and air quality, biodiversity and climate change. Furthermore, it can have a negative effect on human health and threaten food and feed safety. Soil loss and declining fertility have been highlighted in the EU Strategy for Sustainable Development as one of the main threats to sustainable development and one of the main causes of the decrease of the viability of agricultural land. Microorganism communities are responsive to environmental conditions and therefore good indicators of environmental status However, the application of metagenomic approaches has been limited as a result of high costs and lack of access to highly specialised technical infrastructure. The overall objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate a novel approach to environmental monitoring, based on metagenomic data and using modern biotechnology and IT technologies. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: 1) To elaborate an innovative methodology for environmental monitoring that uses quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the microorganism communities 2) To present the new methodology to stakeholders who could use it in their everyday work 3) To promote the possible application of the method internationally. During the lifetime of the project, 300 samples of soil will be collected from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Poland and Germany. From the samples, DNA will be extracted, amplified, sequenced and analysed. Based on the genomic data, markers will be determined that describe the environment. These markers will allow us to evaluate the integral influence of different human activities (industrial, recreation, agriculture, climate changes etc) on ecosystems. This kind of evaluation enables the influence of factors endangering the environment and humans to be characterised. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3464 |
| Raise level of awareness of householders and businesses in flood risk areas | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey | Awareness raising addresses the knowledge of individuals and organisations concerning flood risks. It aims to ensure that all relevant regional and sub-regional bodies understand the impacts of, and take action to respond to increasing flood risk. It takes on a variety of forms: dissemination of printed materials on flood risks and prevention; organisation of public meetings and training; professional consultation on flood prevention; communication through mass-media; using informal networks for information dissemination. It can be combined with the establishment of community self-protection teams that promote self-reliance among residents and businesses to minimize the risk to personal safety and property damage during a flood event. Developing the ability to "live with floods" means stressing the importance of awareness raising. | http://siteresources.worldbank.org/SOCIALPROTECTION/Publications/20847129/SRMWBApproachtoSP.pdf |
| NCoE NORD-STAR (Nordic Strategic Adaptation Research) | Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden | NORD-STAR research shall lead to better support for decision-making and strategy development by linking adaptation and mitigation, and using climate visualization techniques and decision-making tools to bridge the gap between science and policy at the Nordic level. The research is designed to help Nordic countries maintain competitive advantages and identify cost-effective adaptation measures. NORD-STAR brings together Nordic key research excellence to address the challenges of a warmer climate and the side effects of policy impacts. Research, education and community dialogue will contribute to achieving this goal. A core objective of NORD-STAR is to develop practical, easily accessible and user-friendly tools, which shall enhance the adaptive capacity of among others: planners, civil servants, organisations, industries and decision-makers in the Nordic countries. Consequently, dissemination is an integral and important part of the project. |
http://www.toppforskningsinitiativet.org/en/programmer-1/program-1/prosjekter/ncoe-nord-star-nordic-strategic-adaptation-research |
| Beach nourishment as a successful measure against erosion, Rostock - DE | Germany | Hard constructions for the protection of a highly dynamic coast have not been sufficient to prevent coastal erosion. Sand nourishment in combination with marram grass planting in the dunes and maintenance of coastal forests behind the dunes was found to be an efficient way to protect the coast from further decline. Geo-textiles are used to increase protection at locations where dune ridges are narrow. Sand nourishments have to be repeated depending on occurring erosion and storm surges, on average about every 6 years. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=196 |
| RESILFOR - Restoration of beech and silver fir forests in the Toscan Marches Appennines | Italy | In the Italian Apennines (Mediterranean area), climate change is causing particularly extreme, sudden and intense phenomena, suggesting a likely alteration in precipitation rates in the future, with atmospheric humidity reductions and a decrease in annual and summer rainfall. This could cause selective pressure – leading to genetic erosion in a very short timeframe - on the most sensitive ecosystems and species located at high altitudes, such as beech and silver fir forests, which are often isolated and have limited critical mass. These species have reproduction mechanisms and dynamics of genetic structure that will not enable them to react promptly to this fast phenomenon, leading to a high risk of loosing or compromising the existence of key elements of forest diversity in these areas. The general objective of the project is to safeguard mountain habitats with beech-silver fir Apennine forest and beech-yew forest, through restoration of the forest ecosystems by low impact techniques, focusing on sites where temperature increases and rainfall reduction problems are not foreseen in the short run. Specific objectives include: - Halting the loss of area of beech-silver fir Apennine forests because of genetic segregation of Abies alba relict populations, and to recent climate change that puts the species at risk of extinction; - Consolidating in original locations beech-yew forest habitats that are strictly linked to beech-silver fir Appennine forest habitat; - Consolidating animal populations (Salamandrina tergiditata, Bombina variegata) living in these habitats, favouring the preservation of ecological niche and reproductive sites. |
http://www.liferesilfor.eu/ |
| INFORM - Building a structured, indicator based knowledge system for sustainable forest policy and management | Greece | Forests are under very significant pressure worldwide and in the Mediterranean region. The loss and degradation of forested land has wide-reaching consequences for biodiversity, health and the economy. Currently, several planning and evaluation tools, particularly in the form of criteria and indicators, have been developed to address the assessment of sustainable forest management. In the EU, the best tools have been translated by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) into criteria and indicators. EU Member States are committed to use these to assess, monitor and certify sustainable forest management. However, in many Member States (including Greece) problems persist with the estimation processes for the MCPFE criteria and indicators. These are related to the lack of clarity in the linkages between the spatial and aggregation scales and the decision-making levels, lack of data, lack of integration, lack of consensus between stakeholders and lack of comparability between areas. The project's general objective is to establish a knowledge base for national forest policy development and implementation, based on MCPFE criteria and indicator estimates, including impact assessments on forests related to climate change. The knowledge base will be compatible with EU initiatives and legislation on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) assessment and implementation monitoring. The project will use the MEDMONT impact-evaluation system, previously developed by project team members through past EU projects, as a basis. This system will allow the following: - Collection, analysis and dissemination of information required to estimate the MCPFE criteria and indicators at national, regional and local level, particularly the information required on forest impacts from climate change, biodiversity and protective functions of forests (soil, water and infrastructure); - Integration of SFM assessment and implementation monitoring processes at different spatial scales and levels of aggregation; and - Updating of forest management plans by incorporating social participation tools and impact-evaluation tools for SFM assessments and implementation monitoring. The project will produce the following outputs: - a forest policy handbook for SFM assessments and implementation monitoring; - policy guidelines for mitigating the impacts of climate change on forests; - a good practice handbook for social participation in SFM; - a pilot SFM plan; and - a number of training events, workshops and seminars. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3471 |
| CALCHAS - An integrated analysis system for the effective fire conservancy of forests | Cyprus, Greece | Fire is the most important natural threat to forests and wooded areas of the Mediterranean basin. The average annual number of forest fires in the Mediterranean basin, particularly in southern Europe, is close to 50 000 - twice as many as during the 1970s. The natural plant ecosystem of the Mediterranean basin is rich in shrubs and coniferous forests and, thus, particularly susceptible to fire. Meanwhile, climate change has resulted in warmer, drier and longer summer periods, and this is expected to increase the frequency and severity of forest fires. A disaster risk arises when a hazard meets vulnerability. A key factor increasing vulnerability is the inadequacy of disaster-management planning. Recent forest fire catastrophes have revealed serious gaps in co-ordination, chain of command problems, and inadequate resource management and allocation. Often, information was not updated or was inadequate, leading to inefficient decision making. An important step in disaster management is the preparedness stage. This stage is directly connected with the reduction of risks. Evaluation of hazards, good planning, proper management strategies and co-operation are vital elements and will be the main focus of the CALCHAS project. The project will use a forest-fire simulation tool that is capable of estimating the evolution of a wild forest fire. The tool does this by using as inputs data on ignition points, real environmental conditions, the vegetation of the area and spatial information (isocontours and ground elevation). Through the pilots (Troodos, Cyprus; Grammos, Greece), the project will: - Improve the knowledge and skills of civil protection professionals/services on effective temporal and spatial planning of resources; - Improve the knowledge and skills of decision-makers on evacuation planning; and - Increase the effectiveness and readiness of fire brigades, civil protection, local communities and any other stakeholders to deal with forest fire threats. |
http://www.calchas.gr/english/index.html#/HOME-01-00/ |
| CALCHAS - An integrated analysis system for the effective fire conservancy of forests | Cyprus, Greece | Fire is the most important natural threat to forests and wooded areas of the Mediterranean basin. The average annual number of forest fires in the Mediterranean basin, particularly in southern Europe, is close to 50 000 - twice as many as during the 1970s. The natural plant ecosystem of the Mediterranean basin is rich in shrubs and coniferous forests and, thus, particularly susceptible to fire. Meanwhile, climate change has resulted in warmer, drier and longer summer periods, and this is expected to increase the frequency and severity of forest fires. A disaster risk arises when a hazard meets vulnerability. A key factor increasing vulnerability is the inadequacy of disaster-management planning. Recent forest fire catastrophes have revealed serious gaps in co-ordination, chain of command problems, and inadequate resource management and allocation. Often, information was not updated or was inadequate, leading to inefficient decision making. An important step in disaster management is the preparedness stage. This stage is directly connected with the reduction of risks. Evaluation of hazards, good planning, proper management strategies and co-operation are vital elements and will be the main focus of the CALCHAS project. The project will use a forest-fire simulation tool that is capable of estimating the evolution of a wild forest fire. The tool does this by using as inputs data on ignition points, real environmental conditions, the vegetation of the area and spatial information (isocontours and ground elevation). Through the pilots (Troodos, Cyprus; Grammos, Greece), the project will: - Improve the knowledge and skills of civil protection professionals/services on effective temporal and spatial planning of resources; - Improve the knowledge and skills of decision-makers on evacuation planning; and - Increase the effectiveness and readiness of fire brigades, civil protection, local communities and any other stakeholders to deal with forest fire threats. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3478 |
| ClimaBiz - Financial Institutions: Preparing the Market for adapting to Climate Change | Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania | Climate change will have an adverse impact on many economic sectors (such as energy, food, construction, tourism, insurance), but will also create new market opportunities. In the banking sector, it is acknowledged that risks faced by clients also create risks for banks. Risk management activities should therefore aim at the management of risk for the benefit of the clients, the financial institutions and the business community alike. The project's main goal is to trigger the adaptation of the market to the risks and financial impacts of climate change. The project will focus in particular on Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus. Specifically, the project aims to: * Identify the physical, regulatory and reputational risks in south-eastern Europe arising from climate change, and prioritise risks and opportunities to be managed by Piraeus Bank; * Quantify climate change risks and opportunities, and put a price on climate adaptation solutions for companies; * Develop climate risk and climate-adaptation management mechanisms and integrate them into the Credit Risk and Business Planning banking systems, i.e. integrate the climate factor into Piraeus Bank's client evaluation procedure. Risk quantification will be carried out for 70 % of the bank's SME clients that are affected by climate change; * Develop an intensive training programme, covering 5 000 Piraeus Bank employees, on how to identify climate risks and opportunities for clients, and how to assist businesses to adapt to climate change; * Spread know-how on climate risks, opportunities and adaptation solutions. This will be done via Piraeus Bank branches in Greece, and subsidiaries in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania; * Run a Climate Adaptation Centre to support the dissemination of climate-adaptation strategies to the Piraeus Bank branch network; * Monitor the clients’ progress and promote good climate-adaptation business practices through an Internet portal; * Develop a climate change media campaign; |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3443 |
| Restoration of an island landscape, Tiengemeten - NL | Netherlands | Tiengemeten is a 1000 ha. island lying in the estuary of the Haringvliet estuary in the Dutch Rhine-Maas delta, just south of Rotterdam. Between 1705 and 2005, it was predominantly agricultural. As dykes were strengthened and storm barriers were built to keep the sea out, the land was well protected against the threat of floods, but the tidal nature that was common in the south-west part of the Netherlands has almost disappeared. The island now has been restored to a natural, wetland and wooded area suitable for wildlife and recreation. These changes help manage impacts of climate change and safeguarding resilience of coasts/coastal systems. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=87 |
| Improving decisions of coastal erosion planning by taking economic factors into consideration - PL | Poland | A political decision was made to protect ruins on a cliff-face with a hard sea-wall. It was approximately ten times cheaper than re-locating the ruins elsewhere. A Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) was conducted to determine if the decision taken to strengthen the cliff was the one which might still have been taken if a more embracing economic assessment had been carried out. This entailed looking at the economic factors inherent in this case and comparing a number of alternative scenarios. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=46 |
| Effects of sea level rise on coastal areas of eastern Aegean - GR | Greece | Assessment of the hazard that extreme sea-level variability may pose to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean, considering the potential synergy of storm surge, tidal currents, and extreme wave conditions. The actions refer to the assessment of sea level rise and the associated flooding risk due to storm surge, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The frequency and size of extreme sea level events is expected to rise in the future, possibly causing sea-originated floods. The actions aim to protect and improve the natural and human environment of the eastern Mediterranean coastal areas by contributing to the prevention and management of sea-originated risks. The actions aim to provide tools and methodologies to intercept and/or manage sea-originated hazards to the coastal zone and to increase the resilience of coastal regions. More specifically, the objective is to develop long term planning and immediate response measures for the monitoring, interception and management of sea-originated hazards (flooding and erosion) related to extreme sea-level variability. The actions are envisaged for information and awareness of citizens on the responses to environmental risks, development of protection policy tools, incorporation of new technology methods in identifying sea-originated risks and thematic mapping of eastern Mediterranean coastal regions. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=343 |
| Long-term monitoring programmes for effective coastal planning, Bournemouth - UK | United Kingdom | Beach monitoring projects within the UK have often been confined to short stretches of coastline, usually established in conjunction with individual beach re-charge schemes. Effective planning and implementation of shoreline management requires high quality, long-term, time-series data sets, at appropriate spatial and temporal resolution, to predict long-term coastal evolution and to determine design conditions for coastal protection and flood defence projects. Shoreline management methods have changed significantly during the past 10 years with a departure from hard engineering. This presents a complex risk management scenario that requires high quality information to support effective management. The primary aim is to provide up-to-date, relevant information in a format that can be understood by coastal managers to implement shoreline management. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=48 |
| Concerted actions for natural hazard management, sustainable management of aquatic resources and control of tourist numbers, Camargue - FR | France | The Camargue Regional Nature Park (PNR) started, in 2000, to elaborate a Delta Contract. Within this framework, this case has been concerned with coastal and marine aspects focusing on three themes: natural hazard management, sustainable management of aquatic resources and control of tourist numbers. Concerted actions were planned through numerous dialogue structures linked with the park and on public meetings which were devoted to the revision of the charter in every village. Simultaneously some studies were launched on the same three themes to improve and share the knowledge to complete the programme of actions in the best conditions. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=255 |
| Flood Risks and Safety in the Netherlands - NL | Netherlands | The ‘’Flood Risks and Safety in the Netherlands’’ undertaking has resulted in the development of new methods which can be used to calculate both the probability and consequences of flooding. One of the risks of living in the Netherlands is that the country is vulnerable to floods but because of major technological advances it is possible to make the flood probability very small. Therefore the Dutch no longer consider floods as a natural disaster, but as a disaster caused by humankind. It may never be possible to prevent flooding entirely, but people can largely determine for themselves to what extent they want to control the risk. This makes it possible and, indeed, necessary to make a conscious choice about the costs and benefits of high water protection. The probability of flooding due to high water levels is now regarded as small compared with the risk due to other flood failure mechanisms. Therefore the Dutch government decided to determine the probability and consequences of flooding throughout the Netherlands of the so-called dyke ring areas. A dyke ring is an unbroken ring of water defences and high ground and the area protected by the dyke ring is called the dyke ring area. At the start of the study there were 53 dyke ring areas in the Netherlands. In 2005 the Water Defences Act was revised, with new dyke ring areas being designated and now there are 95 dyke ring areas in total designated in the legislation. The ‘’Flood Risks and Safety in the Netherlands’’ undertaking has resulted in the development of new methods which can be used to calculate both the probability and consequences of flooding. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=127 |
| Beach nourishment using dredged material of the Roja river, Liguria - IT | Italy | The project concerns the coastal area situated in the Western part of the Liguria Region. The study area stretches for about 1.5 km of littoral. The area is subject to erosion. The erosive process is favoured by the increasing urbanisation and by a general reduction of transported sediments, due to a series of causes such as the removal of material from the river bed. In the past, local administrations adopted measures of a rigid nature consisting of building emerged structures. The initiative aims to introduce soft interventions (beach nourishment and submerged groynes) as an alternative to the previous structures. The beach nourishment has been done using the dredged material from the Roja River, according with the provisions of the basin plan. The result was an environmental and landscape improvement of the coastal area. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=332 |
| Improvement and Long-Term Safeguarding of the Natura 2000 Site “Dessau-Wörlitz Elbe Floodplain | Germany | Floodwater provision is an important component of a flood protection concept and plan. According to the Flood Risk Management Guidelines of the EU, all floodplain areas with risk of flooding are required to have a flood risk management plan in place. Therefore a range of measures has to be developed and implemented according to the set priorities. The Elbe by Vockerode project will establish a favourable conservation status of this unique riverine landscape on the middle Elbe and will result in the improvement and long-term safeguarding of the site. The project will connect the natural conservation functions inherent in riparian dynamics and floodplain development with aspects of flood protection. The main objective of the project will be to enable natural succession dynamics of the entire area and to ensure a unique floodplain landscape and a favourable water status. The dyke relocation will result in extra retention areas, and the preventative values of natural ecological flood protection will be enhanced. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3519 |
| Towards a more balanced management of a harbour through a Local Authority-Academic Couplet, Cork - IE | Ireland | This case describes the steps taken towards achieving more balanced management of a multi-use harbour: Cork Harbour, Ireland. It includes the integration of risk associated with climate change, through the establishment of a strategic alliance (couplet) between the local authority and multidisciplinary academic experts. This innovative relationship resulted in the adaptation of an Integrated Harbour Management Strategy set up with the consensus of stakeholders, and a strengthening link between science and policy at the local level. The main objective of the approach was to move towards the establishment of an ICZM framework strategy for the Harbour and a better integration of science-based knowledge in the planning and management regime, strengthening the link between science and policy. This was to be done with stakeholder participation and consensus. These goals were to be achieved in a mid-term timescale (3-5 years). |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=6 |
| Flood proofing housing development , Oxfordshire | United Kingdom | This case study aims at Flood Proofing housing development: The housing development at Henry Box, Witney consists of 92 affordable homes built on 1.1 hectares on a virtually flat site within the floodplain. The water table at this site is only 400-700 mm below ground level and the shallow gradient means innovative measures are required to ensure that there is no increase in flood risk. The use of either traditional ‘hard’ or sustainable ‘soft’ surface water drainage systems was impractical at this site. The solution was to link, or combine, the hard and soft drainage systems. A combined kerb drain which removed water quickly via inlets into a kerb drainage system every 250 mm was used alongside more sustainable methods such as on site storage (attenuation systems), swales and filter beds. | http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk |
| Social perception of coastal erosion issues, Zygi-Kiti area – CY | Cyprus | The assessment of social perception of coastal erosion is an important parameter and a significant tool for erosion control and management. Setting the objectives and the targets of erosion management schemes is not an easy or a straight-forward task. A clear, systematic and efficient methodology, adapted to local conditions, is a necessary tool. Social perception was assessed in a pilot study, through a well documented process, based on field surveys. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=176 |
| Realignment to create a nature area and give an economic stimulus in Perkpolder - NL | Netherlands | Managed realignment is a new way of thinking about improving safety against flooding and creating new environments for Nature and human activities. This method of flood defence creates space - inter-tidal environments such as saltmarsh and mudflats – in which the sea can safely move. It can help in the long term strategy of adapting to sea level rise through natural, inter-tidal mechanisms. The plan to renovate the old ferry port of Perkpolder has, at its heart, a managed realignment scheme that will create a new Nature area of 75 ha. A new dyke will be built landward of the present dyke with the old dyke maintained but breached. The economy will be strengthened and the quality of life improved. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=2 |
| Soft techniques for coastal protection in Greece - GR | Greece | The most acute environmental problem of Greek coastal areas is increasing beach erosion. The main reasons for the increasing beach erosion of the islands of the Greek Archipelago are: sea level rise and the other climatic changes, the reduction of sediment supply from the hinterland and construction of ports and harbours. The above reasons, and especially the third one, results in a significant erosion. For this project detached submerged breakwaters and beach nourishment have been designed and implementated for the protection of a Greek coast (Paralia Katerinis). |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=347 |
| Δ-LAGOON - Restauración y gestión del hábitat en dos lagunas costeras del Delta del Ebro | Spain | The Alfacada and Tancada lagoons are located in the Delta del Ebro Natural Park. Though the Alfacada lagoon is a protected area, it was until recently a private estate used for hunting. It is also vulnerable to the effects of climate change on the water and sediment flux of the Ebro river, which has accelerated the rise in sea level and coastal erosion processes. Therefore specific management and restoration measures are necessary to mitigate these negative effects. The target salt marshes of San Antonio in the southern part of the Tancada lagoon have been damaged by intensive fish farming and much work is required to restore this now-protected area to its natural state. The main goal of the project is to improve the ecological status of the Alfacada and Tancada lagoons through habitat restoration and management measures, such as improvement of hydrological function, elimination of infrastructure that interferes with connectivity, and creation of new lagoon habitats in existing rice fields and abandoned aquaculture facilities. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3845 |
| The aftermath of a managed realignment scheme, Freiston Shore - UK | United Kingdom | Freiston Shore illustrates that managed realignment can be a viable and successful strategy to adapt to the impact of sea level rise and/or increased wave action on low-lying coasts. By providing additional flood storage capacity and inter-tidal surfaces that attenuate incident wave energy, flood risk is reduced, at least in the short to medium term, after the new intertidal surface has become stabilised and vegetated. The purpose of the managed realignment was originally focused on issues of coastal defence. However, its importance in helping to meet national and international targets for the maintenance and creation of key coastal habitats was also recognised. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=134 |
| Sand nourishment of a long coastline to combat long-term sea-level rise - NL | Netherlands | An example of a means to combat coastal erosion as a mitigation measure against sea level rise using soft technical approaches (sand suppletion) whilst maintaining safety, a high-quality living environment and improved nature and recreational values. The Dutch coast as a whole shows erosive behaviour. In most northern coastal sections, erosion occurs into deep water and the nearshore zone. In most southern sections, sedimentation occurs in the nearshore zone with erosion into deep water. Over the last 30 years, sand loss of approximately 1 million m3/yr has occurred from the coast of the Netherlands into deep water. Erosion is also occurring due to sea level rise and, in some spots, because of harbour dams; breakwaters constructed 30 years ago are still blocking sand flow. Although hard technical fixes had been largely used in the past to combat erosion, sand nourishment has been used since the early 1990’s. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=1 |
| Adaptation to climate change using Green and Blue infrastructure | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey | The GRaBS project is a network of leading pan-European organisations involved in integrating climate change adaptation into regional planning and development. The GRaBS project involves14 partners, drawn from eight member states, representing a broad spectrum of authorities and climate change challenges, all with varying degrees of strategic policy and experience. The project facilitates the much needed exchange of knowledge and experience and the actual transfer of good practice on climate change adaptation strategies to local and regional authorities. The GRaBS project has been made possible by the Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG IVC, financed by the European Union's Regional Development Fund. The Programme helps Regions of Europe work together to share experience and good practice in the areas of innovation, the knowledge economy, the environment and risk prevention. An important deliverable of the GRaBS project is a database called "Adaptation to climate change using green and blue infrastructure: a database of case studies". The aim of this database of case studies is to show case climate change adaptation approaches, with a particular emphasis on those relating to green and blue infrastructure. Rather than focus on the physical elements of the case studies, the database describes in detail the process that have supported the implementation of adaptation responses in a range of urban areas across the world. The case studies were selected based on factors influencing the success of the development and implementation of adaptation responses as identified in previous studies, and on the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities faced by the GRaBS partner organisations. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=136 |
| Survey on social perception on ICZM and climate change, Cyprus | Cyprus | The objective of the survey was to serve as a gap analysis and as an assessment study for recording the state of social perception and civic attitudes towards ICZM and climate changes, as well as to provide decision and policy makers with real data. An island (country) wide survey on social perception on ICZM, climate change and public participation is an important tool for decision/policy makers and a baseline study for assessing the present status of social perception on these issues. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=177 |
| Detailed flood risk assessment of Langeoog island, Lower Saxony - DE | Germany | Detailed risk assessment studies were done for the sand barrier island Langeoog and the north western part of mainland East Frisia bordering the Wadden Sea and the mouth of the river Ems. The results were discussed with regional and local experts and adequate feedback was used to feed into the model. Several recommendations resulted from the study, however, stating uncertainties. The results can be used for evacuation plans and to develop long-term plans of integrated development. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=205 |
| Recycling harbour dredgings for new habitat: foreshore recharge, Horsey Is. - UK | United Kingdom | Dredged harbour materials were used to recharge the foreshore of a defended island to give added flood protection, create new habitat and improve and reduce the cost of flood maintenance. Habitat creation by foreshore recharge using dredged materials. Recharging is the placement of sediment such as sands, gravels and muds in front of existing sea defences. It can be used on its own or with other coastal flood management techniques. It is suitable at a variety of sites, on both sheltered and exposed coasts. It is appropriate where loss of foreshore is increasing risk of defence failure and where it is not economically justifiable to construct hard engineering defences at a higher cost. It is also beneficial as a technique to improve the quality of degraded habitats. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=3 |
| Defence of Venice littoral islands - IT | Italy | The coastal barrier between the Adriatic Sea and the lagoon is constituted by the littorals of Jesolo, Cavallino, Lido, Pellestrina, Sottomarina and Isola Verde. The lagoon communicates with the sea through the three inlets of Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia. Over time, the coastal strip has lost its defensive function. The built-up areas closest to the sea are ever more often at risk. These problems have been faced through a complex programme of interventions, including the reinforcement of the coastline. The measures adopted have been developed from international experienced reshaped for the particular coastline. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=334 |
| AQUAVAL - Sustainable Urban Water Management Plans, promoting SUDS | Spain | Wastewater from the municipalities of Xativa and Benaguasil overflows practically every year from the combined sewer system. The problem occurs because the local water treatment plants cannot cope with the large volume of water generated in periods of heavy rainfall. The combined sewer overflow discharges directly into the local rivers, thus deteriorating water quality and threatening the river’s ecological status. The rivers are very important in the region for agri-tourism, thus environmental protection is high on the municipalities’ agendas.
The principal aim of the AQUAVAL project is to introduce the use of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) to both municipalities. Some main objectives are:
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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3448 |
| SOILCONS-WEB - Multifunctional Soil Conservation and Land Managment through the Development of a Web Based Spatial Decision Supporting System | Italy | The multiple functions of soil are under increasing threat from a wide range of human activities. These threats are often complex, typically inter-linked and they can occur simultaneously. Threats considered of major concern for implementing the EU Soil Thematic Strategy include: erosion; decline in organic matter; soil sealing; soil compaction; decline in soil biodiversity; and landslides. In the test area all of the abovementioned threats to soil occur. The aim of this project is to develop, test and implement a tool to support the decisions of stakeholders on soil and landscape conservation issues. The Decision Supporting System is designed to enable the introduction of the best soil conservation and land management measures and will ease the implementation of important but complex environment-related EU directives, regulations and national allocation plans. The tool must include many different high quality layers of information in order to be successfully applied. It will be developed in the framework of a “Web-based Spatial Decision Supporting System” (WS-DSS) and will consider soil and landscape. The WS-DSS tool will, through a web server system, provide advice and enable users to produce detailed spatial documents, reports and maps on a series of issues such as agriculture, environment and climate change, with the ultimate goal of enabling an easy implementation and an innovative spatial based adoption of relevant EU and national legislation. WS-DSS will be adopted in a test area (and further expanded, after the project) by the agricultural division of the Region of Campania, an associate partner. Moreover, during the lifetime of the project, the tool will be provided for testing in four other European regions that have already expressed an interest. The tool will be made available to individuals, public bodies and other interested parties. It will integrate classical top-down decision-making with bottom-up contributions to landscape planning and management. |
http://www.landconsultingweb.eu/ |
| Coastal risk perception and public participation in the North Sea region - DE | Germany | Flood risk perception and the modes of risk communication were analysed to improve the knowledge-base of the locals and raise awareness and personal preparedness. The main objective was to analyse in detail the perception of storm flood risk in a North Sea community. This was to include the personal involvement of the locals that live in such flood-prone areas in flood defence planning. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=163 |
| Soft coastal defences / Beach and dune replenishment | Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland | A new paradigm of giving space to water and using natural landscapes to aid coastal defense infrastructure is emerging. Example measures are: • Allowing the sea to invade former dune slacks in certain sections of the coast. • The strategic construction of reefs along a coastline is likely to reduce the strength of waves, and thus the erosion of the coastline by the sea. • Applying sand suppletion to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast (beaches and underwater in the shallow bank zone). • Managed retreat of coastal defenses. • Widening protection structures instead of making them higher and stronger Much literature exists on the intention to adapt coastal defenses with ‘soft engineering measures’. Little or no literature present results, impacts and cost benefits yet and a few papers present model results. To prevent flooding and to support coastal defence. Sand suppletions are used to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast. Sand is applied on the beach or underwater in the shallow “bank” zone. In this long-term strategy for sea adaptation, the extra sediments reduce the energy and power of the waves and create valuable intertidal habitats such as saltmarshes and mudflats. Suppleted sand serves as a protective layer for “the wind and water to play with”. The Dutch innovation program ‘Building with Nature’ is starting to produce research results on design principles, impacts, governance aspects and cost-benefits of ecodynamic designs of coastal infrastructure. The program aims to take advantage of the opportunities offered by water and sediment currents. This ecosystem-based approach, boils down to: 1. Understand system functioning ('read' the ecosystem, the socio-economic system and the governance system), 2. plan a project or activity taking the system's present and envisaged functions into account (combining functional and ecological specifications), 3. determine how natural processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals and others (using the power of nature), 4. determine how governance processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals (using the power structures in place), 5. monitor the environment during execution, analyse the results statistically, make risk-assessments and - if necessary - adapt the monitoring program and/or the project execution (monitoring and adaptive management), and 6. monitor the environment after completion, as to assess the project's performance and to learn for the future (experience harvesting, knowledge development) and, if necessary, to adjust the project design. |
http://www.safecoast.org |
| Storm flood risks for a Wadden sea island, Langeoog - DE | Germany | Flood protection for the Wadden sea island Langeoogis provided by the dunes and dykes around the lowlands. Dune erosion endangers the dunes' function as a natural flood protection barrier and the freshwater reservoir below them by the possible inflow of salt water. Therefore, the dunes are protected: any other usage besides coastal defence is prohibited by law, beach nourishment and dune strengthening are further measures. At first an inventory of physical and socio-economic conditions as well as existing coastal defence measures in the Langeoog flood unit was compiled. From these data, the consequences of probable breaking points in the flood defence belt were calculated, and the related damage estimated. Recommendations for risk reduction and risk management were based on the risk assessment study. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=186 |
| Beach Nourishment; Bournemouth Beach, Poole Bay, UK | United Kingdom | Poole Bay, located on the south coast of England, has undergone periodic re-nourishment from the 1970s to the present day. These nourishments have helped to maintain a wide, sandy beach which is important to the tourist economy of the area. The nourishment activities, coupled with regular and systematic monitoring, provide a best practice case study of beach nourishment. The decision to employ nourishment at this site was taken following a period of damage to hard defences such as seawalls and groynes in the 1960s. These hard protection measures had achieved limited success in retaining beach material. Nourishment was selected to address these problems and because it was seen as beneficial to the area’s tourist economy, generated largely due to the presence of golden, sandy beaches. | http://www.channelcoast.org |
| Rehabilitation of early warning systems | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey | Early warning systems can enhance the preparedness of decision-makers and private individuals for climate-related natural hazards and their readiness to harness favourable weather conditions. Early warning systems for natural hazards need to have not only a sound scientific and technical basis, but also a strong focus on the people exposed to risk, and with a systems approach that incorporates all of the relevant factors in that risk, whether arising from the natural hazards or social vulnerabilities, and from short-term or long-term processes. To be effective and complete, an early warning system needs to comprise four interacting elements namely: (i) risk knowledge, (ii) monitoring and warning service, (iii) dissemination and communication and (iv) response capability. While this set of four elements appears to have a logical sequence, in fact each element has direct two-way linkages and interactions with each of the other elements. Examples of early warning systems can be especially found outside Europe, where (disastrous) natural climate hazards occur more often. In Indonesia, for example, five years after the 2004 tsunami, a lot has been achieved to make the communities better prepared. The Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System has been developed here. The major challenge for the system is the establishment of clear institutional arrangements and capacities at national and local levels that support the development of public and institutional response capability at the local level. Public understanding of and trust in the system comes with knowledge and awareness on the part of the end users of the system and convincing performance on the part of the public service provider. But also in Europe there is experience with early warning systems and climate change also stimulates the rehabilitation and further development of these systems. For example, the availability of several global ensemble weather prediction systems through the ‘‘THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble’’ (TIGGE) archive provides an opportunity to explore new dimensions in early flood forecasting and warning. TIGGE data has been used as meteorological input to the European Flood Alert System (EFAS) for a case study of a flood event in Romania in October 2007. Results illustrate that awareness for this case of flooding could have been raised as early as 8 days before the event and how the subsequent forecasts provide increasing insight into the range of possible flood conditions. |
http://137.193.222.80/publikationen/download/EGIFF-Geotech_Science_Report_2007final.pdf |
| Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) policy in Northern Ireland (UK) | Ireland | Historically, policies aimed at achieving coastal management in Northern Ireland have focused primarily on individual sectoral interests such as aquaculture and fisheries, environment, waste management and tourism. This sectoral approach to managing coastal issues was not representative of the ICZM principles as set out by the European Commission. The Northern Ireland ICZM Strategy seeks to identify key factors affecting Northern Ireland’s coast and put in place a series of widely supported aims at multiple governance levels through participation of relevant regulators and integration of common objectives and actions which will in turn promote a co-ordinated, sustainable approach to the future management of the coastal zone. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=285 |
| The Coastal Management Modelling System - ES | Spain | The Coastal Management Modelling System (Sistema De Modelado Costero, SMC) is a computer tool that features a collection of numerical methods and models that enable to study coastal processes and assess any changes in a beach due to natural events or human actions on the coast. The SMC is used to conduct studies on real coastal engineering projects, analysing actions throughout the different stages of a study: diagnosis, pre-design, design and environmental impact. These different stages cover the following analysis: bathymetric information, flood level determination, wave and dynamics characterisation, modal and morpho-dynamic states, terrain modelling and equilibrium beach, beach morpho-dynamic evolution and beach cross profile evolution. | http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=226 |
| Re-developing communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change, Malmö - SE | Sweden | EcoCity Augustenborg is the collective name for a programme to make Augustenborg, Malmö into a more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable neighbourhood. It is one of Sweden´s largest urban sustainability projects. The city is using blue and green infrastructure (e.g. roof gardens and innovative surface water systems) to meet the needs of neighbourhood communities faced with the challenges of future climate effects. It is already planning for the future and involving the residents in formulated solutions. The EcoCity is working within the residential area of Augustenborg in Malmö, as well as with the school, industrial area and other local businesses to bring climate change adaptation measures into urban planning at an early stage. Another key aim of the project is to enable residents to take a leading role in the ideas, design and implementation of the project. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=135 |
| ENSAT - Enhancement of Soil Aquifer Treatment to Improve the Quality of Recharge Water in the Llobregat River Delta Aquifer | Spain | According to climate change predictions, Spain, as most other Mediterranean countries, faces increased water shortages, pollution and loss of water-dependent ecosystems in the near future. The Llobregat river delta aquifers - at the south-western corner of the Barcelona metropolitan area - are an important component of the system of local water resources, supplying water to the city. Overexploited in the past, they face serious ecological problems. The river undergoes severe droughts in the summertime, riparian (river bank) vegetation has disappeared, and seawater intrusion in freshwater aquifers is constant. Solutions to water stress problems are urgently needed. Yet these solutions must be sustainable, economical and safe. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is increasingly receiving attention, because it offers the following benefits: (1) storage capacity to buffer seasonal variations of water supply and demand; (2) protection of coastal aquifers from saltwater intrusion; (3) mitigation of the depletion of groundwater levels; (4) additional natural treatment when low quality water is recharged. The project’s overall aim is to demonstrate the application of a well-established technology for aquifer remediation such as the use of reactive barriers to enhance the degradation of recalcitrant compounds, but in an innovative way: for ‘soil aquifer treatment (SAT)’ during aquifer recharge episodes with reclaimed water, or low quality river water. Specifically, the project aims to: - Improve the quality of groundwater, at the Sant Vicenç dels Horts aquifer recharge site; - Develop a modelling tool for the prediction at the field scale of the impact of an organic substrate in terms of hydraulics and geochemistry during infiltration; - Adapt and transfer results (hydrogeochemical model and methodology for the selection, implementation and validation of the technology) to other aquifer recharge sites in Europe. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3429 |
| GAIA - Green Areas Inner-city Agreement | Italy | As the global urban population has doubled over the last 50 years, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities by 2030. Therefore, the need to address climate change in an urban context will assume a more important role in the overall strategy to tackle climate change. The project aims to tackle two environmental problems through an integrated policy: 1) Climate change (both mitigation and adaptation effects of urban forestation) 2) Air quality (the depuration potential of plants) The project foresees the dissemination of public-private partnership tools, developed within the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR) experiences, and the networking of this know-how through the diffusion of specific guidelines. Specifically, the project plans to develop a public-private partnership model for urban forestation through the adoption of the “green areas inner-city agreement” (GAIA). This is expected to include three specific protocols for green urban areas covering management, monitoring and mapping. The three protocols aim to: i) Develop a model of environmental governance merging mitigation and adaptation effects of climate change (and how this influences) the enhancement of air quality; ii) Demonstrate the feasibility of local policies tackling climate change through the development and subscription of a partnership, between private and public bodies, for the management of green urban areas; iii) Initiate a process to assist public administrations in promoting co-responsibility by an innovative management tool that foster tree planting in urban areas as a compensatory action for the construction of infrastructure; iv) Define a common and replicable methodology to calculate the greenhouse gases and air pollutants sequestration potential of trees; and v) Offer an instrument that local businesses can apply to decrease carbon footprint with offsetting actions. Expected results are: - The engagement of the local community, and in particular of industrial sector, in supporting green urban areas policy; - Lower CO2 emissions in urban areas through the sequestration capacity of trees and plants; - An increase in air quality caused by the depuration effect of tree and plants: Every tree can remove 2 kg of PM10 (particulate matter) and 0.7 kg of ozone; - Increased resilience to climate change in urban ecosystems: tree foliage can reduce the “urban heat island effect” by mitigating the temperature by 4.5 °C; - Increased knowledge about the sequestration and air depuration potential of native trees and plants; and - A shared methodology to calculate CO2 sequestration potential. |
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=3752 |
| Detached breakwaters to create sand bars in a beach recovery programme - DK | Denmark | Erosion was threatening a large number of holiday cottages built on top of a soft-rock cliff and the beach facilities adjacent to the cliff. A plan was devised to build up the beach and protect the cliff face using detached breakwaters behind which sand bars would form. The cost of the works was divided equally between the county, the municipality and the affected stakeholders. The policy option for the coastal protection scheme is “Hold the line”. The beaches should be recovered and the summer cottages on the cliffs protected. The coastal protection should be based on technically sound solutions, e.g. rock slope protection to reduce wave reflection and thus beach retreat. The solutions should also be aesthetic, e.g. by making the slope protection more uniform and remove all deteriorated and unsightly structures. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=44 |
| Soft coastal defences / Beach and dune replenishment | Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland | A new paradigm of giving space to water and using natural landscapes to aid coastal defense infrastructure is emerging. Example measures are: • Allowing the sea to invade former dune slacks in certain sections of the coast. • The strategic construction of reefs along a coastline is likely to reduce the strength of waves, and thus the erosion of the coastline by the sea. • Applying sand suppletion to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast (beaches and underwater in the shallow bank zone). • Managed retreat of coastal defenses. • Widening protection structures instead of making them higher and stronger Much literature exists on the intention to adapt coastal defenses with ‘soft engineering measures’. Little or no literature present results, impacts and cost benefits yet and a few papers present model results. To prevent flooding and to support coastal defence. Sand suppletions are used to maintain the amount of sand present in the “foundation” of the coast. Sand is applied on the beach or underwater in the shallow “bank” zone. In this long-term strategy for sea adaptation, the extra sediments reduce the energy and power of the waves and create valuable intertidal habitats such as saltmarshes and mudflats. Suppleted sand serves as a protective layer for “the wind and water to play with”. The Dutch innovation program ‘Building with Nature’ is starting to produce research results on design principles, impacts, governance aspects and cost-benefits of ecodynamic designs of coastal infrastructure. The program aims to take advantage of the opportunities offered by water and sediment currents. This ecosystem-based approach, boils down to: 1. Understand system functioning ('read' the ecosystem, the socio-economic system and the governance system), 2. plan a project or activity taking the system's present and envisaged functions into account (combining functional and ecological specifications), 3. determine how natural processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals and others (using the power of nature), 4. determine how governance processes can be used and stimulated to achieve the project goals (using the power structures in place), 5. monitor the environment during execution, analyse the results statistically, make risk-assessments and - if necessary - adapt the monitoring program and/or the project execution (monitoring and adaptive management), and 6. monitor the environment after completion, as to assess the project's performance and to learn for the future (experience harvesting, knowledge development) and, if necessary, to adjust the project design. |
http://www.comcoast.org |
| Co-ordinating the knowledge base for climate change adaptation measures - DK | Denmark | Climate Change is widely accepted to be threatening mankind’s livelihood. Adaptation to the prospects of an altered future climate is needed across a range of societal sectors, including coastal zone management, construction and planning, water resource management, energy supply, agriculture, land use and forestry, fisheries, nature management, the health sector, disaster relief, the insurance sector, and many others. However, the development and implementation of robust adaptation measures needs to be informed by the best available research – building on findings from a broad range of scientific disciplines – and disseminated appropriately. The Danish government’s ‘Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change in Denmark’ identified a need to strengthen the coordination of national activities in the context of climate change adaptation and to ensure that synergies across a broad range of different research areas are harvested and disseminated. Therefore, the Danish Government has established three different bodies to ensure knowledge, coordination and research of climate adaptation viz. a coordination forum, an information centre and a coordination unit for research.
The objectives of the three bodies are to provide climate change expertise and advice to the government as well as providing information to a wide audience including the general public whilst strengthening synergies between research activities related to climate change adaptation with a view to providing solid information to societal decision-making processes. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=130 |
| Working with Nature - soft protection interventions in a barrier-island lagoon (Ria Formosa, Portugal) | Portugal | The Ria Formosa lagoon is a multi-use barrier-island system which has been showing progressive degradation and erosion but also infilling and meandering of some of its channels. This has been intensified by sea-level rise but also human activities (infrastructure, land reclamation that reduced the water body area and volume) which increased the risk of hazards. After a heavy winter storm, in 1995-96, that destroyed part of one of the peninsulas it was necessary to intervene. However, the interventions avoided hard protection techniques and respected the natural dynamics of the area. Soft interventions in a barrier-island system which include the reinforcement of the dunes using dredged sediments from an inner channel and the relocation of inlets based upon their natural dynamics. Such interventions can be successful in avoiding ocean over-wash while maintaining a good water exchange efficiency necessary to safeguard the ecological functioning of the system. |
http://ec.europa.eu/ourcoast/index.cfm?menuID=4&articleID=88 |