Alpine Space Programme - AdaptAlp Project

Alpine Space Programme - AdaptAlp project

With the objective of defining shared strategies for adapting to climate change

Adaptalp

The AdaptAlp project follows on from the recently concluded "ClimChAlp" project and its aim is to define a shared strategy for adapting to climate change (as regards natural hazards) in the region of the Alpine mountain chain.  Climate change means an increase in temperatures and alterations in the quantities of precipitation.

Any change in these critical factors has implications on the frequency and extent of natural hazards.  The uncertainty and increase in natural hazards due to the impact of climate change require joint management by all those in the Alpine arch.

The objectives of the project are to:

- improve how information about the impacts of climate change is communicated, especially to regions

- analyse different methods for evaluating risk, defining the perimeters of danger areas and managing risk in the Alpine Space (the activities are focused on identifying the best methods and on exchanging best practices with a view to adapting to climate change)

-increase the information of the local stakeholders so that they can see how to reduce risk.

The project's final shared outputs:

- Common Strategic Paper: final document of the project to be given to all stakeholders, containing information on the strategies and examples of good practices for managing natural hazards, taking climate change into account.  The document will be available online in the languages of the Alps and can be downloaded (in Acrobat format) from www.adaptalp.org.

- Final report: summary of the actions recommended in the technical Work Packages: WP4 - Water regime, WP5 - Hazard Mapping, WP6 - Risk Prevention and Management, WP7 - Pilot activities.  The various Work Package reports are available online at www.adaptalp.org

- Technical report: summaries for each subject dealt with by the working parties (topic sheets) and the corresponding products (reports, software, models), published online in the specific page of the website www.adaptalp.org

Output from WP6 (in which the Fondazione Montagna Sicura has worked with the Department of soil conservation and water management of the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley)

-  Natural Ri$K Evaluation (Aosta, 11 May 2011): international workshop in which experts from Italy, France and Switzerland presented various methods for evaluating the economic cost of natural hazards.  Further details and the presentations from the experts involved are available by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page

- Who does what in the various stages of integrated management of natural hazards: an online tool for comparing the systems of integrated management of natural hazards in the various regions of the Alpine chain, from prevention through to managing negative events and post-event reconstruction.

This instrument can be viewed online at the website for Pôle alpin d'études et de recherche pour la prévention des Risques Naturels - PARN

-  Test of the Riskplan software: in cooperation with the Waterworks Service, the Riskplan software for assessing the economic side of risks was tested on a case in the Aosta Valley.  For further details on the subject, see the attached Acrobat file "Feedback Riskplan" and the article "Trialling Riskplan in Aosta" in the newsletter attached at the bottom of the page.

- Torrential Risk Management and Environment (Munich -D, 5-6 November 2009; organised by the Bavarian Ministry for the Environment and Public Health): expert hearing on risks deriving from torrential waterways (debris flow, flooding...) and taking climate change into account when making plans for the territory and the protection systems against these risks.  The minutes of the event are attached at the bottom of the page.

- Adaptation de la prévention des risques naturels face au changement climatique (Domancy - F, 26 January 2011; organised by Pôle alpin d'études et de recherche pour la prévention des Risques Naturels - PARN): expert hearing in which scientific engineers and experts analysed the failings and difficulties for taking action against the effects of climate change in the area of natural risk management (stages of prevention, protection and management of disasters).

At the PARN website, the reports of the day are available in French, together with a summary (in English and French) and, at the bottom of the page, an attached summary.

- A best-practice example of integrated risk management: the glacial lake outburst flood from the Tête Rousse glacier, from the memory of the 1892 event to the 2010 crisis (Grenoble  -  F, 20 April 2011; organised by PARN): expert hearing for presenting the investigations performed and the actions taken for emptying the glacial lake, together with the civil protection procedures adopted for safeguarding the public (evacuation plans, exercises, alarms).  The presentations are available on the PARN website.

- best practices in taking account of climate change when managing natural hazards in the Aosta Valley: these examples have been included in the Planalp database (created as part of the ClimChAlp project) for general viewing.  The Planalp database can be viewed online.

- on_alp_exchange: digital platform, run by INTERPRAEVENT, created to allow professionals (experts, researchers and technicians) to host subjects operating in the same sector within their organisations or to be guests of similar agencies to their own in other regions.  The objective is to encourage an exchange of experiences at a technical level, which is only possible by directly observing how the other organisations act at a practical and operative level.  To access the online discussion platform it is necessary to be registered.

Further products and results of the project can be found at www.adaptalp.org.

Attached there are also leaflets on the project available in various languages. 

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