Accelerating transformative climate adaptation for higher resilience in European mountain regions

Project Information

MountResilience

Grant agreement ID: 101112876

DOI

10.3030/101112876

EC signature date 22 May 2023

Start date 1 September 2023

End date 29 February 2028

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 15 970 687,50

EU contribution

€ 15 169 196,25

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MountResilience (Accelerating transformative climate adaptation for higher resilience in European mountain regions)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Mountains cover 30% of the land area and are home to 17% of the EU´s population, meaning that every 6th EU citizen lives in mountainous areas. While we often associate mountains with breathtaking landscapes that offer perfect sites for relaxation, in truth, mountains are much more than that. In fact, mountains play a crucial role in our daily lives by providing vital resources and key community systems to the global population. Mountains like other areas face unprecedented challenges in terms of Climate Change (CC), however mountain ecosystems are more sensitive to CC. The harmful conditions provoked by CC are exacerbated by the significant deficits in adaptation responses mountainous areas have, stemming from several existing gaps, including shortcomings in CCA options, deficits in the uptake and the lack of coherence.

MountResilience has been formulated to increase the adaptation capacity of mountainous regions and communities so as to strengthen climate resilience within the European mountainous biogeographical region (Alpine biogeographical region). The project aims to accelerate the climate resilient transformation of 10 of the most relevant communities and regions located in the mountains in 9 European countries. 6 of the regions are currently developing and testing transformative CCA solutions (technological and social innovations with nature-based solutions at their core). These solutions will address policy, governance, societal needs and behaviours, technological requirements, public and financing targets, and CC risks typical of mountainous areas. Regional quadruple-helix partnerships will use open innovation, participatory decision-making, stakeholder engagement approaches, and effective communication to mobilise, engage, and reach out to key communities. The remaining 4 regions will serve as ""replicator"" regions, repurposing CCA solutions and lessons learned from the demo regions in their regions through special initiatives to improve their adaptive capacity.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first 18 months of the MountResilience project, the consortium concentrated on establishing a strong foundation for the implementation of regional climate change adaptation strategies in European mountain areas. The technical and scientific activities undertaken during this period were primarily structured under Work Packages 1, WP2, and WP6.

From a coordination and management perspective, significant effort was devoted to the development of internal governance structures to ensure effective project implementation across a diverse consortium comprising universities, public authorities, and regional development bodies. Under WP6, specifically Tasks 6.1 and 6.2 the consortium successfully established key governance bodies such as the Project Management Board (PMB) and the Advisory Board (AB). Additionally, regular monthly coordination meetings were initiated between Work Package Leaders and Regional Coordinators to support cross-regional collaboration and technical alignment.

The scientific and technical core of the project during this phase was the development of a support framework for coherent and place-based regional climate transformation strategies, executed under WP1. In Tasks 1.1 1.2 and 1.3 regional diagnoses were conducted in each of the demonstration areas. Task 1.1 defined the framework of the project, highlighting the main components of transformative change and underlining how Nature-based Solutions could aid implementing climate change adaptation actions on the ground. Moreover, these tasks involved comprehensive assessments of existing climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and governance frameworks (T1.1-1.2). Multiple workshops and stakeholder meetings were organised to facilitate the analysis of regional challenges and opportunities. Notably, Task 1.2 delivered an in-depth examination of existing policies and institutional settings affecting climate resilience, while Task 1.3 focused on the development of a systemic risk analysis and a regional adaptation support tool (by up taking the RAST tool adapted with integrations from the TransformAr playbook for stakeholder engagement), tailored to the specific needs of each region. This tool was tested in all the 6 Regional Demonstrators' regions and adapted based on the stakeholder's feedback collected. As a main achievement the project has published a NbS open source database on the website.

Collaboration with WP2 (specifically Task 2.1) supported the creation of a common methodological framework across demonstration sites. This included the establishment of six Local Councils, based on stakeholder analyses aligned with the quadruple helix model. These councils played a central role in ensuring inclusive and locally relevant strategy development.

The results of these activities are documented in deliverables D1.1 (Regional Diagnosis), D1.2 (Framework for Transformation Pathways), and D1.3 (Risk and Adaptation Support Tool), all of which were submitted on time. The completion of these deliverables also marked the achievement of Milestone 3 (Conceptual Framework Finalised) and Milestone 5 (Demo Sites Fully Operational).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The initial 18 months of the MountResilience project have resulted in key foundational outcomes that set the stage for the implementation and long-term success of regional climate adaptation strategies in European mountain areas. Among the most significant scientific and technical results are:

- A common methodological framework (D1.2) for place-based climate resilience strategies, ensuring consistency while allowing for local adaptation.
- Comprehensive regional diagnoses (D1.2) that provide a detailed understanding of climate vulnerabilities, socio-economic conditions, and governance contexts in each demonstration area.
- A systemic risk analysis and regional adaptation support tool (D1.3) which enables regions to identify, assess, and prioritise climate-related risks and design context-specific adaptation pathways.
- The operationalisation of six demo sites, coordinated through Local Councils, which function as regional platforms for co-creation and future deployment of adaptation measures.

These results contribute to building the technical and institutional capacity of mountain regions to address the impacts of climate change, with a strong emphasis on participatory and science-based planning. In the medium to long term, these activities are expected to support the development of robust, replicable climate adaptation strategies across similar European regions.

To ensure further uptake and success of the project outcomes, the following enabling factors and areas of support have been identified:

- Further research and demonstration: Continued validation of the adaptation support tools and methods in diverse geographic and socio-economic settings will be essential to generalise findings and scale impact.
- Supportive regulatory frameworks: Alignment of regional and national policy environments with the project’s place-based strategies will be critical to integrate the results into formal planning and decision-making.
- Capacity building and institutional support: Strengthening the technical skills of local stakeholders and maintaining active Local Councils beyond the project duration will be key to sustaining engagement.