The LIFE SHARA project “Awareness and knowledge for adaptation to climate change”, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has concluded after five years of work. During this time, it has created an important climate change adaptation community in Spain and Portugal.
In line with the objectives of improving adaptation to climate change, generating knowledge and increasing social awareness, LIFE SHARA has managed to train more than 3,000 key sectoral agents that will multiply knowledge on climate change adaptation in society as a whole. More than 30 events have been organized, including seminars, training, training and actions aimed at journalists, in which more than 3,500 people have participated.
On the other hand, LIFE SHARA has promoted cooperation between Spain and Portugal and has served to strengthen ties with the European Environment Agency. Among the main partners that have participated in the project are the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OEEC), the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the Autonomous Agency for National Parks – through the National Center for Environmental Education (CENEAM) – and the Portuguese Agency for the Environment.
The project has had a budget of more than 1.5 million euros and has been co-financed at 57% through the LIFE funds, the European Union’s financial instrument in the field of environment and climate action.
CONSOLIDATION OF THE ADAPTECCA PLATFORM
Under the programme, the platform has been improved AdapteCCa, a consultation website on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. The quantity and quality of information has been increased and new functionalities have been added, such as the Climate Change Scenario Viewer, which allows you to consult regional climate change projections for different variables and scenarios caused by global warming.
New modules have also been incorporated, such as the adaptation case study, which includes a selection of more than 40 initiatives from public administrations, private sector entities and social organisations. This interactive module connects with Climate-ADAPT, the European platform for adaptation to climate change.
In addition, AdapteCCa offers users all kinds of resources on adaptation to climate change in Spain, such as images available free of charge in the CENEAM photo library, a documentation search engine or a section for access to visual materials.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND LINKS
One of the main milestones of LIFE SHARA has been the creation of a stable framework for Spain-Portugal cooperation for the exchange of information on shared vulnerabilities, to identify priorities and determine future actions in common.
In this sense, the online celebration of the First Iberian Conference for Adaptation to Climate Change (#Adaptes), from 18 to 20 November 2020, laid the foundations for continuing with the cooperation work between Spain and Portugal and highlighted the importance of creating a scenario of collaboration to advance in adaptation to climate change.
On the other hand, two Spanish-Portuguese cross-border technical seminars have been held, on “Adaptation to climate change in water management in the Iberian context” (Évora, 2018) and “Adaptation to climate change in the management of agrosilvopastoral systems in Spain and Portugal” (Lisbon, 2019).
COMMITMENT TO TRAINING AND INFORMATION
The training and awareness of all key actors has been one of the pillars of LIFE SHARA. In this context, 4 sectoral seminars have been organized to assess the impact of the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change, PNACC 2006-2020, in the improvement of adaptive capacities and collecting contributions for the new PNACC 2021-2030. In addition, an evaluation report has been prepared, which identifies the remaining challenges and lessons learned for the future.
There have also been 6 workshops aimed at technicians from local administrations, scientific-technical professionals and university teachers, as well as 7 informative breakfasts for journalists and disseminators.
AWARENESS-RAISING ACTIONS
On the other hand, the following have been drawn up 30 narratives of experiences of adaptation to climate change to publicize real cases in different geographical areas and productive sectors. In addition, the travelling exhibition has been organised through CENEAM “Adaptation. ” to show the importance of the human response to the impacts of climate change.
The Layman report is an informative summary of the project that compiles all the information related to its execution, the actions developed within the framework of this project and the results achieved. Available online at Spanishl e English.
At the end of LIFE SHARA, the Biodiversity Foundation and the Spanish Office for Climate Change will continue to work through the LIFE SHARA After Plan, to ensure that the results of the project continue over time, establish new actions to disseminate and improve the AdapteCCa platform and give continuity to the actions of LIFE SHARA. It also seeks to consolidate cooperation between Spain and Portugal and continue with the communication of results and learning between the two countries.
