Development of ecosystem-based risk governance concepts with respect to natural hazards and climate impacts – from ecosystem-based solutions to integrated risk assessment

In natural hazard and risk reduction worldwide, but especially in the Alpine Space (AS), forests and mountain ecosystems are outstandingly important, and are increasingly considered on-par with technical measures or other prevention concepts. Forests efficiently protect against avalanches, torrents, landslides or rock-fall. However, so far, few strategies or policy concepts have been developed, on how to integrate forests and ecosystem services in risk governance and balance the numerous interests, demands and costs. Upcoming challenges in the AS are dramatic: Limitation of settlement space, increasing costs for the protection of settlements, more conflicts by increasing demands and expectations or critical development of economies like ‘monoculture tourism’. Without an adequate, territorially specific implementation of mountain ecosystems services (incl. forests) in a risk mitigation strategy, sustainable development in the AS will be hard to achieve. Thus, the overarching goal of GreenRisk4ALPs (GR4A) is the DEVELOPMENT OF ECOSYSTEM-BASED CONCEPTS TO SUPPORT RISK GOVERNANCE WITH RESPECT TO NATURAL HAZARDS AND CLIMATE IMPACTS. GR4A brings the forest into affordable and long-term-oriented risk mgmt. by balancing green, technical and preventive risk strategies. However, GR4A also helps to overcome conflicts and resistances: all relevant actors are involved and provided with science-based communication support.GR4A also offers transalpine solutions – for municipalities as well as governance institutions, by delivering new tools for practitioners and new recommendations for ecosystem-based risk mgmt. The GR4A consortium integrates researchers, practitioners and managers from the AS. The project’s foundation are five pilot action regions (PAR) from SLO/ITA/FRA/GER/AUT, which are fully involved. GR4A directly supports sustainability and life quality of the AS, by balanced long-term solutions. Level of integration of the ecosystem services approach in the policy systems of the Alpine SpaceDespite the fact that eco-systems play a key role in keeping the Alpine Space save with affordable efforts, forests are not an explicit part of the safety strategies and the policy systems of the partner countries. GR4A intends to close these gaps and to integrate forest eco-systems in the policy system of the Alpine Space. Activities will result in:
- developing towards a more safe, afforable AND sustainable liveable Alpine Space (fostered by integrated and eco-system based risk mgmt).
- finding better mitigation compromises and subsequently more effective risk reduction measures (fostered by multi-actor and eco-system oriented decision making).
- improved governance systems for “green risk governance” (fost. by nat./transnat. policy input.