DesirMED, represented by its partner EPLO, joined the Expert Workshop: Designing Climate-Resilient Landscapes, held in Helsinki on 10-11 December.

The two-day workshop gathers European experts, policymakers, and researchers to advance the development of climate-resilient landscapes across Europe. Under the leadership of the European Commission DG CLIMA, the event combined keynote inputs, thematic presentations, collaborative working sessions, and open discussions.

Day 1 focused on framing the concept of climate-resilient landscapes, sharing scientific insights from boreal regions, and examining preliminary guidance on resilience across forestry, agriculture, and freshwater systems. Participants engaged in a World Café and breakout groups to explore landscape domains and indicators for resilience, concluding with reflections of the day.

Day 2 delved into practical strategies and examples for climate-resilient forestry, including best practices and collaborative approaches. Financing options for resilience measures were discussed before participants return to group work. The workshop concluded with an open dialogue on barriers to implementing climate-resilient landscapes and closing remarks outlining next steps.

EPLO participated in the working sessions of both days by sharing findings from DesirMED implementation, including the methodology for characterization of Mediterranean landscapes by integrating biophysical, socio-economic, and governance data to guide effective Nature-based Solutions, the identification of key risks and climate hazards, as well as KPIs to assess vulnerability and prioritize NbS implementation. Key points of the NbS Insurance Value Framework, being developed in DesirMED, were also shared with the participants.

During the participatory sessions, participants created dashboards highlighting success stories, and DesirMED pinned its own achievements!