CARDIMED introduces a framework to build Climate Resilience in the Mediterranean biogeographical region, efficiently unifying individual efforts of regions and communities across different countries and continents. This is achieved by deploying the digital infrastructure to harmonise the data collection and evaluation processes, providing open data to all the actors involved in the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) value chain and integrating crucial functions for Climate Resilience. Among these functions, smart digital tools for citizen participation and capacity building supplement an ambitious multi-stakeholder engagement strategy, focused on knowledge translation and impact pathways. Furthermore, holistic modelling tools introducing the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus approach provide comprehensive knowledge on the complex NBS interfaces, that will decisively contribute to addressing socio-ecological challenges, along with issues of valuation and low-investment rate in NbS. These actions are implemented across 9 demonstration sites, composed of 10 regions, 20 locations and 28 communities and comprising more than 34 types of NbS that directly relate to more than 80 interventions and supporting units that tackle climate change and circularity challenges. The consolidation of the demonstrating regions and communities will establish the CARDIMED Resilience Alliance, that will function as the vehicle for expanding the network via upscaling the existing sites and adding new ones. The project includes 5 transferability cases, as well as an additional 10 that will be defined during the implementation. Through these actions, the CARDIMED Resilience Alliance will achieve at least 28 regions and 70 communities by 2030, will create 8000 jobs especially in the NBS sector, and will leverage over 450 M€ in climate investment.
CARDIMED’s strategic objectives are:
SO1. To deliver a comprehensive digital framework, capable of providing region-wide assessment of the NBS impacts to CR, while supporting stakeholder engagement through intuitive tools and interfaces
SO2. To deliver a holistic suite of modelling tools for assessing and providing decision support with regards to CR, particularly focusing on NbS applicability for mitigating climate risks.
SO3. To introduce a strategy needed to scale up community resilience, actively engaging stakeholders and cocreating with local communities knowledge impact and knowledge translation pathways.
SO4. To showcase the validity and potential of NBS as key tools towards building regional CR.
SO5. To consolidate the project’s results and establish a growing network for the build-up of CR in the MED region, improving acceptance to NbS and CR solutions in general, establishing links with relevant initiatives and ensure the financial sustainability of the network.
