adRiatic climatE coAstaL resIlience Strategic Taskforce

The effects of climate change are intensifying, and the coasts of Italy, Croatia and neighbouring areas are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels, more frequent and severe sea storms, coastal erosion and flooding, salt wedges and marine heat waves, posing a serious threat to coastal communities and ecosystems. 

The ambition of the REALIST project (adRiatic climatE coAstaL resIlience Strategic Taskforce) is to actively respond to the growing challenges facing coastal regions in the Adriatic Sea by providing an overarching approach to: 

1. better and more tailored policy design; 
2. updating of existing – and establishment of new – local climate adaptation plans, strategies and actions; 
3. piloting and testing of local and cross border solutions; 
4. provide a consolidated, permanent framework for the maintenance and continuation of good practices, shared governance and cross-border cooperation through the inauguration of the Adriatic Sea Climate Observatory. 

The project logical framework will work on assessing and consolidating existing resources, tools, plans and systems that support local stakeholders in managing and preventing a variety of risks posed by climate change, aiming at providing concrete proposed solutions to test innovative, alternative, and/or synergic actions within the consortium, to implement a first proof of concept.

Through 20 local pilots clustered under 5 thematic areas, the project will gather extensive insights on different risks and related countermeasures: from updating of EWS in the area, to their standardization and integration with Generative AI to the benefit of policy-and decision-makers, from direct and indirect measures to improve coastal protection in several target territories, to nature-based solutions for climate change impact mitigation, from early responders capacity building and skills acquisition in response to flooding damages and coastal fires.

Cooperation between Italy and Croatia is essential for tackling the shared climate challenges faced by the Adriatic region. Both countries have coastlines and inland areas that are highly vulnerable to climate-induced risks such as flooding, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events. By working together, Italy and Croatia can develop comprehensive and harmonized strategies. Cross-border cooperation will not only be vital to the fruitful implementation of the project, as it will allow for the pooling of scientific knowledge, data, and resources, ensuring that both nations benefit from an integrated approach to climate resilience, but it will also be crucial as climate impacts on one side of the Adriatic can have direct consequences on the other, making a coordinated response essential for long-term sustainability in the region, and the Adriatic Sea Climate Observatory a more than ever needed structure for coordinated governance and management of climate-related strategies. 

REALIST will develop three main cross-border solutions that will support the overall ambitions of the project: 

1. the first solution refers to the updated overview and guidelines for standardization of EWS, which will provide clear guidance on how to improve existing EWS in the Adriatic region and support the implementation of identified intervention; 
2. the second solution refers to the capacity building course that will be designed, delivered and made available. This solution aims at providing a clear benefit in terms of enhanced skills, capabilities and knowledge about the tested solutions from the pilot projects, providing further dissemination of viable solutions; 
3. the third and last cross-border solution that REALIST will deliver is the design of the Adriatic Sea Climate Observatory to support a permanent structure for shared data and governance, and joint or local implementation of climate adaptation, risk prevention, and policy design initiatives.

As the project’s Lead Partner, Agenzia ItaliaMeteo plays a central role in management, coordination and the creation of technical content.

REALIST partners are: Arpae-SIMC, Regional Civil Protection Agency – Abruzzo Region, Molise Region – Civil Protection Service, Marche Region, Veneto Region – Soil and Coast Defence Directorate, SOS Works and Technical Services, Puglia Region – Department of Environment, Landscape and Urban Quality, Zadar County Development Agency – ZADRA NOVA, Split-Dalmatia County, Development Agency of Lika-Senj County – LIRA, Dubrovnik-Neretva Region – Department for Environmental Protection and Communal Affairs, Karlovac County Fire Association, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Fire Department of the Istrian Region.