LIFE MICACC project: Municipalities as integrators and coordinators in adaptation to climate change
The project will address a key cross-sectoral issue: the use of natural water retention measures in CCA and sustainable water management. It seeks ecosystem-based solutions for the mitigation of the water challenge. Water resources and ecosystems are primarily impacted by climate change, but water retention is also a key element in CCA. On the local level, restoring the hydrological cycle and creating green infrastructure also contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change, e.g.extremities. In the project we will demonstrate the various benefits of ecosystem based adaptation approaches in the field of water management and sustainable land use at the municipality and catchment level.
The prototypes of NWRM that will be developed and implemented on the pilot sites will serve as a replicable model to other municipalities in the Danube basin, facing similar water and climate risks. The demonstrated water retention measures will build on ecosystem services and form part of the local green infrastructure, which serve as natural habitat and support biodiversity.
Local communities are affected by climate change impacts all around the world. These risks can be embodied in different forms of extreme events, but most of them are water related due to the lack or excess of water. In order to mitigate detrimental effects, and be able to provide effective adaptation measures, settlement management (including areas outside urban centres but managed by the local municipality) must be prepared to handle, relieve and retain water, as well as cooperate with other stakeholders from the water and agriculture sector. This proposal aims to answer this challenge by putting into practice new solutions, disseminating knowledge and raising awareness.