The Regions
To effectively implement and integrate transformative adaptation strategies it is crucial to carefully select representative cases that reflect diverse landscapes, ecosystems, climate impacts and socio-economic contexts. These factors pose unique challenges to achieving meaningful change and guide our approach to case selection.
DesirMED brings together 5 Demonstrating Regions (DRs) and 3 Replicating Regions (RRs) committed to climate resilience in the Mediterranean. These regions encompass various Mediterranean landscapes - coastal and marine areas, rural hinterlands and urban systems, facilitating that results and findings from their adaptation journeys and demonstrations can be easily upscaled, replicated and re-applied into other similar settings in the Mediterranean and beyond.
Demonstrating Regions
Demonstrating Regions have already developed climate adaptation plans and are ready to implement innovative solutions. Demonstrators, in DesirMED, were selected based on the following criteria: existing innovation, strong local government support, existing preliminary climate risk assessment and/or Green Infrastructure Strategy, identified potential innovative solution pilots ready or close to ready for implementation, willingness to apply for and generate major funding needed for implementation and willingness to mobilise lead administrative bodies for the region, a network of related agencies, community groups, businesses, and innovation partners.
Replicating Regions
Replicating Regions are committed to their transformation but have yet to address their adaptation challenges as a complex systems challenge. RRs are less advanced than the DRs in putting into action their adaptation process but are committed to implementing Climate Change Adaptation solutions and piloting the transformative and actionable solutions successfully tested in the DRs. The knowledge, lessons learnt, and innovations from DRs activities will actively guide, develop, and refine the structured transition journey codesigned with RRs. Regional transformative adaptation journeys will be developed by project partners from DRs jointly with scientific partners, building on existing plans or strategies harmonised and mainstreamed across various policy areas and economic sectors.
