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WS 3.119

Solutions for adapting to climate change in mountains

Details

Full Title
WS 3.119: Solutions for adapting to climate change in mountains: an exchange of lessons learned and ways forward
Scheduled
Talks & Session:
2025-09-17, 13:30 - 15:00 (LT), SOWI – SR 12
Convener
Rosie Witton
Co-Conveners
Kate Williamson, Julia Josselyn,
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
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Thematic Focus
Adaptation, Cryo- & Hydrosphere, Ecosystems, Monitoring, Others
Keywords
Solutions, Adaptation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Sharing, Learning

Description

Mountains feature some of the clearest indications of climate change, disrupting water flows and affecting ecosystems, creating and worsening natural hazards and threatening livelihoods and communities both within the mountains and downstream. Identifying and sharing best practice solutions (defined as technologies, approaches, and/or processes to reduce expected losses or harness benefits) are vital in accelerating the uptake and scaling up of innovative adaptation strategies in the mountains. This session would be convened through the Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network: a global community of practice through which stakeholders working on or interested in climate change adaptation in mountains share experiences and knowledge with the goal of increasing the resilience and adaptive capacity of mountain communities and ecosystems to climate change. Building on the meetings and learning events held since its inception in 2023, this session will bring together stakeholders to exchange and showcase solutions for adapting to climate change in mountains. The session will open with an introductory presentation, and be followed by a “marketplace” of projects and solutions adapting to climate change in mountains to aid learning, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. It will close with a discussion of best practices, shared gaps and challenges, and a Q&A.

Registered Abstracts

ID: 3.11328

Adaptation at Altitude: how can we exchange knowledge and share lessons of mountain solutions?

Rosie Witton
Williamson, Kate; Aguilera Rodriguez, Julia Josselyn

Abstract/Description

The Adaptation at Altitude programme aims to foster exchange among the mountain areas of the world and promote short- and long-term solutions to the problems arising from climate change. One way the programme is doing this is through the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal and Knowledge Network (built on the theory of a community of practice), which provide space for those interested in climate change adaptation in mountains to share their experiences and knowledge.

Solutions can be shared via the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal, with the goal of increasing the resilience and adaptive capacity of mountain communities and ecosystems to climate change. The Solutions Portal, containing short or detailed solutions, allows users to explore tried and tested climate change adaptation solutions for mountain regions, see where they have been implemented, and by who.

The Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network began in 2023 and is a network where participants share experiences and knowledge on adaptation in the mountains and collaborate to accelerate the uptake of innovative solutions. Meetings and learning events have been held each year, based on topics of interest that participants have suggested, to encourage open and useful forums of learning and exchange for participants.

This presentation will highlight the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal and Knowledge Network, emphasising the importance of knowledge sharing and exchange, as well as encourage participation and engagement in the future exchanges.

ID: 3.12034

Mountains ADAPT: learnings from piloting a small grants scheme in mountain communities

Ansgar Fellendorf
McCallum, Sabine; Devidze, Mariam

Abstract/Description

Knowledge about the available tested adaptation solutions in mountains increases among governance stakeholders thanks to online portals, capacity development activities and knowledge exchange. However, often flexible easy-accessible funding is missing on the local mountain community level.
To close this gap, UNEP has engaged in the Mountains ADAPT project. This session will present learnings and findings from the first pilot phase in the South Caucasus and East African Community. A substantive stock-take and analysis of existing small grant schemes and grants programs has been undertaken through desk research and expert/donor interviews. The analysis has been focused on more than 30 financing schemes´ characteristics and practical operations that have been further investigated through follow-up interviews. The synthesis report provides a broad overview of existing schemes, including for the global level and both benefitting regions, discussing main findings along eight different categories such as identification of beneficiaries, application process, selection, grant nature, transfer, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and sustainability. In addition, recommendations for concrete next steps towards developing a mountain community small grants scheme for adaptation are elaborated.

ID: 3.12208

Socio-ecological vulnerability and adaptive capacity of small-scale agriculture to Global Environmental Change in Important Agricultural Heritage Systems in southern Chile. Encouraging local knowledge as a tool for better adaptation strategies

Carla Marchant

Abstract/Description

This project analyzes the socio-ecological vulnerability and the adaptive capacity of small-scale agriculture to current variability and future climate change in southern Chile, especially in territories of high importance for agrobiodiversity and food production, such as the Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Pehuenche Mountain Range. For this, we use the Global Environmental Change perspective, which, under a relational approach, understands that climate change and variability transcend the biophysical dimensions, affecting the livelihoods and well-being of indigenous and local communities. To understand these relationships, we will use a mixed methodological approach to present and future socio-ecological vulnerability of small-scale agriculture and explore the contribution of local knowledge as a tool that may allow feasible and efficient adaptation strategies to the impacts of these phenomena. We evaluate the role of local knowledge as the main asset for the development of adaptation strategies to climate variability and Climate Change, where the knowledge of the protagonists themselves is the guide of the process.

ID: 3.12593

Assessing climate adaptation solutions in the Andes: Perspectives from beneficiary communities on effectiveness and sustainability

Julia Josselyn Aguilera Rodriguez
Allen, Simon K.; Lllambi, Luis Daniel; Salas Bourgoin, María Andreína; Rodriguez Molano, Lina María

Abstract/Description

This presentation outlines the results of an assessment of five climate change adaptation solutions implemented across five different countries in the Andean Cordillera. Led by members of the University of Geneva and the Consorcio para el Desarollo Sostenible de la Ecoregión Andina (CONDESAN) as part of the Adaptation at Altitude programme, this research had the objective to assess the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of the solutions from the perspective of beneficiary communities.
The solutions analyzed were carefully selected from the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal on the basis of their transformative potential and relevance for replication. They offer valuable insights into climate adaptation efforts in mountain regions.
Unlike conventional evaluation frameworks, which often rely on retrospective data and results reported by implementers, sometimes overlooking the lived experiences of those most affected, our study employs an assessment framework that focuses on the perspectives of beneficiaries and local stakeholders, providing a more nuanced understanding of adaptation effectiveness.
The study identifies best practices, extracts lessons learned and analyses key factors, both facilitating and constraining, that influence the effectiveness, sustainability and scalability of these solutions. The findings aim to strengthen climate change adaptation efforts in mountain regions, both in the Andes and beyond, providing evidence to inform policy and decision-making on adaptation strategies.

ID: 3.12664

Local Adaptation Readiness for effective Climate Risk Management

Annemarie Polderman
Kehl, Andrea; Mayer, Andreas; Keiler, Margreth

Abstract/Description

Adaptation readiness at the local level is crucial for effective climate risk management, particularly in the context of multi-hazards, due to their spatially explicit and localised nature. Natural hazards such as floods, debris flows, landslides, or avalanches tend to have geographically distinct impacts, and their risks are often intensified by local climate variations. In mountainous regions, where climate change manifests itself in diverse location-specific ways, due to high geo and cultural diversity, the importance of localised adaptation is even more pronounced. In Austria, municipalities have primary responsibility for civil protection and spatial planning decisions, making them key actors in managing climate risks and natural hazards. Based on the CAUTION project, funded by the Austrian Climate Research Programme, this contribution highlights the need to adapt climate risk management (CRM) strategies, policies, and initiatives from the international or national level to the regional and local contexts, where they are actually implemented and where tangible changes can occur. A comprehensive understanding of the local multi-risk situation, including how it is embedded in governance structures, is therefore crucial for the effective implementation of CRM and subsequently for enhancing the resilience of mountain communities.

ID: 3.13208

The flux of climate information in mountain regions: an example from the Andes

Sofia Foladori-Invernizzi
Jurt, Christine

Abstract/Description

The Andes mountain range extends through seven countries in South America. The cultural, political and economic aspects vary widely, and so do the impacts and responses to hydroclimatic events. Against this background, the Bern University of Applied Sciences, through the projects ENANDES “Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Andean Communities through Climate Services” and ENANDES+ “Building Regional Adaptive Capacity and Resilience to Climate Variability and Change in Vulnerable Sectors in the Andes”, examines the flow of climate information in different contexts the countries and assesses how socio-political-economic aspects might lead to different cooperation possibilities and user responses. One of the biggest challenges is to get the information to the users in such a way that they can use it effectively Some National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) deliver information directly to the users other NMHS rely on a complex network of institutions that evaluate and modify the CS before it gets to the users. This results in a final product that differs in content, frequency, and channel from the NMHS These different approaches make it necessary to analyze the structures of the information flows in addition to the production of the service and the co-production spaces between CS and end users. Knowing the potentials and limitations of the flow could allow can contribute to the adaptation of the service and the configuration of the User Interface Platform (UIP) to the local conditions. It gives insights on how to accelerate institutional linkages and changes in the CS, which is crucial particularly considering EWS.

WS 3.118: Innovative Approaches for Mountain Resilience: Bridging Practice, Science, and the Private Sector

WS 3.121: The science-policy interface for regional mountain governance

#IMC: September 14 - 18 2025

WS 3.119

Solutions for adapting to climate change in mountains

Details

Full Title

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Convener

Co-Conveners

Assigned to Synthesis Workshop

Thematic Focus

Keywords

Description

Registered Abstracts

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

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