IHCantabria participated in the workshop on climate change risk assessment on urban beaches of the LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project.
In the photo, Mauricio González Rodríguez, head of the Coastal Engineering and Management Group at IHCantabria, speaking at the recent LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project workshop.
The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of public administrations and stakeholders to interpret scientific results to make informed decisions, and to foster intersectoral collaboration in coastal management.
Within the framework of the LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project, the workshop entitled: How to assess the hazard, vulnerability and risk of climate change in urban beaches? Research staff from the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria(IHCantabria) participated in this workshop, which took place on September 6, at the Auditorium Sa Màniga in Cala Millor (Mallorca).
The workshop was organized by the Department of Enterprise, Employment and Energy of the Government of the Balearic Islands, through the Directorate General of Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Climate Change, in collaboration with the Coastal Observation and Forecasting System of the Balearic Islands (SOCIB), and brought together more than 50 people, including technical professionals from different public administrations, as well as representatives of the project partners and scientific and expert staff in climate change and coastal management.
IHCantabria was represented in this workshop by Mauricio González Rodríguez, head of the Coastal Engineering and Management Group at IHCantabria, and Verónica Cánovas Losada, researcher of the aforementioned group.
The main objective of the workshop was to present in an accessible and attractive way the methodology developed in the LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project, to facilitate its understanding by the attendees, as well as to train public administrations in the use of tools based on scientific data to improve decision-making in coastal zone management.
A detailed vision of how this approach allows estimating the physical, environmental and socioeconomic impacts derived from the effects of climate change (such as sea level rise, temperature increase or maritime climate variation) and the associated risks, to be able to forecast the problems of the place in the coming years and propose strategies for adaptation to climate change, based on informed decisions.
In addition to providing the necessary tools to assess hazard, vulnerability and risk, the workshop aimed to encourage the participation and cross-sectoral collaboration of the different agents involved in the project, for the application of the proposed methodology to the beach of Cala Millor based on their experiences and knowledge of the area.
Importance of LIFE AdaptCalaMillor Project
The LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project seeks to increase the resilience of urban beaches to the effects of climate change, with a particular focus on Cala Millor in the Balearic Islands.
This initiative, which runs until 2027, addresses problems such as coastal erosion, sea level rise and biodiversity loss, which affect both the environment and the local economy, especially tourism.
Through adaptation strategies that combine science, citizen participation and governance, the project aims to mitigate these climate impacts and protect coastal infrastructure and ecosystems.
One of the key features of the project is its multidisciplinary and integrated approach, which not only considers the physical impacts, but also the environmental and socioeconomic aspects derived from climate change.
In addition, LIFE AdaptCalaMillor seeks to develop scientific guidelines that can be replicated in other coastal zones and to encourage the active participation of local stakeholders in decision-making.
This approach seeks to ensure the sustainability and adaptation of coastal zones, offering innovative solutions applicable to other urban beaches in Europe.
LIFE AdaptCalaMillor is a project supported by the European Commission, through the financial instrument of the LIFE Program, coordinated by the Department of Enterprise, Employment and Energy of the Government of the Balearic Islands, through the Directorate General of Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Climate Change.
It counts with the participation of: LANDLAB, landscape laboratory SLP, the ICTS SOCIB, the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), the Conama Foundation, the Consorci de Turisme de Son Servera i Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria), the Hotel Association of the Badia de Cala Millor and the University of Cantabria.
For more information on this project, click here.
Group of people who participated in the LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project workshop, including technical professionals from different public administrations, as well as representatives of the project partners and scientific staff and experts in climate change and coastal management.
From IHCantabria, Mauricio González (located in the back row, third from the right) and Verónica Cánovas (in the front row, fifth from the left) participated in the workshop.
