For International Mountain Day, we highlight how our Center contributes to climate resilience in Alpine regions through participatory planning, multi-hazard tools, community-based approaches, and cross-border collaborations.
Credit: Unsplash | Eberhard Grossgasteiger | All rights reserved
Participatory Adaptation Planning: Adaptation South Tyrol
A core part of our work focuses on supporting local authorities in designing climate strategies tailored to mountain contexts. Through the Adaptation South Tyrol project, we developed a six-phase participatory framework, engaging more than 100 stakeholders and producing 238 sectoral recommendations & 35 cross-sectoral recommendations. This approach ensures that adaptation planning is grounded in local knowledge, expert input, and the needs of communities. More information here in Italian and here in German.
Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment Tools: X-RISK-CC WebGIS
Mountain regions often face interconnected risks where one event can trigger another. To support transparent and user-friendly risk assessment, we developed the X-RISK-CC WebGIS, an interactive platform that allows:
- exploration of past and future weather extremes
- analysis at the level of countries, municipalities, or pilot areas
- visualization of compound events
- support to adaptation planning and decision-making
This tool provides accessible climate information for researchers, planners, journalists, and the general public.
Explore the tool here: X-RISK-CC WebGIS
Community-Based Approaches to Risk and Adaptation
Community involvement is central to building effective and equitable climate resilience. A recent open access article published in Climatic Change by our researchers reviews 30 community-based processes, examining:
- who participates
- when participation happens
- what objectives communities pursue
The study, undertaken within the RETURN Project, highlights that while local actors play a key role, marginalized groups remain underrepresented, and participatory processes must be intentionally designed to achieve transformative outcomes.
Read the publication here: Climatic Change Article
Tourism and Local Economies: ADAPTNOW
Tourism is one of the most climate-sensitive sectors in mountain regions. Within the ADAPTNOW project, we co-designed a Roadmap for Climate Adaptation in Tourism in the Puster Valley, providing:
- practical guidance for local authorities
- identification of key climate risks
- steps and responsibilities for implementation
- recommendations for replication in other Alpine contexts
Download the roadmap here: ADAPTNOW Tourism Roadmap
Transformative Governance and Systemic Risk: TRANSACTIONABLE
Mountain regions require governance models capable of dealing with interconnected risks and rapidly changing conditions. Through the TRANSACTIONABLE project and recent contributions to the International Mountain Conference (IMC 2025), our researchers explored how to:
- connect scientific, policy, and civil society knowledge
- foster transformative governance
- support decision-makers with actionable insights
These activities help build long-term resilience pathways for mountain territories. Learn more: TRANSACTIONABLE at IMC2025
Looking Ahead
International Mountain Day is a reminder of the importance of protecting mountain ecosystems and supporting the communities that depend on them. Our Center remains committed to advancing climate science, developing practical tools, and working with partners across the Alps to build resilient mountain regions.
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