Solutions for Resilience Communities in European Mountain Areas

Mountains cover 36% of Europe’s land area and are home to 17% of its population. More than just majestic landscapes, mountains provide a range of ecosystems services and public goods to highland and lowland communities alike. From regulating water flow and supplying clean air, to recreation and tourism. However, mountain ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change, with the Alps warming two times faster than the rest of the northern hemisphere, for example. The harmful conditions provoked by climate change are exacerbated by significant deficits in adaptation responses in mountainous areas: shortcomings in climate change adaption measures, deficits in implementation, and a lack of coherence in the strategies at different levels (European, national, regional).

In 2021, the European Commission launched the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, with the aim of accelerating adaptation by offering concrete solutions, sharing knowledge, and enabling regions to become climate-resilient by 2030. In mountainous regions, the strategy’s focus is on adaptation in key sectors such as agriculture, water management, forestry and tourism.

About MountResilience

MountResilience is dedicated to strengthening the resilience of European regions and communities situated in mountainous areas. Its primary goal is to enhance their ability to adapt to climate change and facilitate a transition toward a climate-resilient society. The project is strategically focused on the development, testing, and scaling up of flexible climate change adaptation strategies and nature-based solutions. This comprehensive approach takes policy considerations, societal requirements, and citizen behaviours into account.

The project will accelerate the climate-resilient transformation of ten key mountainous communities and regions across nine European countries. Among these, six “demo” regions will focus on developing and testing innovative climate change adaptation solutions, integrating technological and social innovations with nature-based approaches. The remaining four regions will serve as “replicator” regions, repurposing climate change adaptation solutions and lessons learned from the demo regions and applying similar solutions in their areas to improve their ability to adapt to climate change.

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