Coastal setback zones
Description A coastal setback zone is a buffer area where certain or all types of development are prohibited or significantly restricted. A setback zone is usually defined by a specific distance from the shoreline, where the shoreline is often featured by the highest water mark or permanent vegetation line. The main functions of the coastal […]
Managed retreat
Description The rising seas are nowadays our reality. As sea levels rise, lower coasts are at risk of inundation, coastal storms occur more often, and coastal erosion and seawater intrusion are on the rise. Storms and cyclones that occur in the Mediterranean Sea have already had an occasional impact on our coasts. With the rising […]
Cliff stabilization and strengthening
Description Coastal cliff stabilisation techniques are ‘green’ measures to reduce cliff erosion and its consequences – landslide, collapse, falling of rocks – compared to cliff strengthening techniques that are ‘grey’ measures. Decisions on which methods to apply are based on the natural characteristics of the cliff (nature of the cliff, cliff geometry, hydraulic behaviour and […]
Reduction of soil consumption and surface unsealing in urban areas
Description Urbanization is transforming land formerly used by agriculture or as a natural area into artificial and sealed surfaces. The impermeabilisation of surfaces, as a consequence of increasing urbanization, leads to loss of essential surfaces for rain water infiltration. The climate change brings the increase of extreme weather events including heavy rains. As a consequence, […]
Adaptation through integrated fire management
Description Climate change projections (EEA-Indicator Assessment on Forest Fire, 2019) suggest substantial warming and increases in the number of heat waves and droughts across most of the Mediterranean area and more generally in southern Europe. These changes would prolong the duration and worsen the severity of the fire season, further increase the risk areas and […]
Protection and restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows
Description In the case of beach/coastal erosion, an important „defence role“ is played by seagrasses. Seagrasses entrap the sediment, stabilize the seafloor and thus, prevent erosion of the coasts. When seagrasses trap the sediment, the bottom gets shallower, and the waves break further away from the shoreline, resulting in less coastal erosion during storms. Seagrasses also slow […]
Green spaces and corridors in urban areas
DESCRIPTION Green spaces in cities provide cooling through shading and enhanced evapotranspiration, thus reducing the urban heat island (UHI) effect that occurs due to the modification of land surfaces and generation of waste heat. Green corridors, i.e. long green spaces in the cities and river-valleys which flow among the cities, can change the micro climate […]
Measures to reduce urban runoff
Description Extreme precipitation events are the climatic drivers of urban runoff and urban flooding, and are expected to increase in the future due to climate change. Urban runoff does not only depend on the intensity of rainfall events but also on the degree of soil permeability. In the natural environments the meteoric waters are washed […]
Green roofs
Description Green roofs are multi-layered extensions of a building roof, partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a drainage layer. Green roofs serve several purposes for a building and the surrounding environment. Primarily, they slow down storm-water runoff by increasing evapotranspiration that also decreases the air temperature. There are two […]
Climate smart pest management
Prepared by: dr.sc. Milan Pernek, Head of the Division for Forest protection and Game Management, Croatian Forest Research Institute Description Mass tree mortality caused by a sudden increase in pest population can have extremely detrimental effects on forest ecosystems, which is reflected in biodiversity loss, lost carbon sinks and severe disturbances in ecosystem functioning. Climate and environmental […]