Urban Klima 2050 actions, an example of nature-based solutions for climate change
20/07/2023
Ihobe's Director of Climate Action, Mari Mar Alonso, presented the pilot projects launched on the coast, river basins and urban/peri-urban areas of the Basque Country at the summer course 'Transformation, Regeneration and Naturalisation of the Urban and Industrial Environment'.
The LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project has presented its nature-based solutions for climate change on the first day of the summer course ‘Transformation, Regeneration and Naturalisation of the Urban and Industrial Environment’ which was held on Thursday, July 20 at the Miramar Palace in Donostia/San Sebastian.
Mari Mar Alonso, Director of Climate Action at Ihobe was in charge of presenting the different actions and pilot projects launched at three levels —coast, river basins and urban/peri-urban areas— which will have an impact on more than 930,000 people in the Basque Autonomous Community.
Alonso detailed the methodologies and tools used within the actions in urban/peri-urban areas for selecting, designing and implementing the best natural solutions (NBS) at a municipal level that fall under the Urban Klima 2050 action C.4.1 Nature-based solutions and their co-benefits. The Director of Climate Action cited the following examples:
- The ‘Catalogue of NBS implemented in and planned for Vitoria-Gasteiz’.
- The ‘General methodology and potential NBS map of Donostia/San Sebastian’.
- The ‘Threat maps of the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz’.
Furthermore, in this same area, Alonso explained the pilot projects planned in the three Basque capitals:
- Integration of NBS into the future urban development of Bilbao.
- Selection/prioritisation of new NBS interventions that improve the configuration of Donostia/San Sebastian: Green Anoeta renaturing project.
- Selection, design and execution of new NBS actions in Vitoria-Gasteiz: greening the Cantón de las Carnicerías in the medieval quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Alonso went on to refer to the pilot projects distributed over the three provinces to improve resilience in areas of urban connection and which are part of the action C.4.2 Key green infrastructure for improving urban-rural connection and the resilience of the territory:
- Recovery of the Tonpoi natural area (Bermeo) for public use with climate change adaptation criteria.
- Adaptation and ecological improvement of the Basaldea area as part of the Aramangelu Agro-ecological Park (Vitoria-Gasteiz).
- Restoration of degraded peri-urban areas of Vitoria-Gasteiz to promote ecosystem services.
- Agronomic classification of agro-ecological plots on the outskirts of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
- Restoration of a Lawson cypress and American oak plantation with native species on Mount Oberan (Donostia/San Sebastian).
- Renaturing of the Artikutza Dam (Donostia/San Sebastian).
- Creation of a green infrastructure network in Gipuzkoa, increasing the resilience of natural systems.
Alonso then referred to the pilot projects on various rivers in the three provinces to prevent future flooding under action C.5.1 Nature-based solutions NBS in river basins:
- Project to safeguard the River Estepona in Bakio.
- Renaturing of the Errekatxulo regatta in Donostia/San Sebastian.
- Restoring the forest cover along several stretches of the Natura 2000 Network in Álava.
To round off her presentation, Alonso talked about the pilot project planned in Zarautz to reduce the impacts of the combined effect of waves and tides, which is part of action C.6.1 Adaptation of the urban coast and is currently in the process of being defined.
