New actions to combat hydrogeological instability and increase the resilience of the most fragile areas, primarily the mountains.
The Arcadia project, financed by the European program Horizon Europe, allocates almost 4.5 million euros to the Emilia-Romagna Region to carry out, until 2028, actions aimed at strengthening the resilience of forests in the face of climate change, adopting nature-based solutions (Nature Based Solutions), together with 11 other regional partners, including Arpae, Second Degree Reclamation Consortium for the Emilia-Romagna Canal, Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park Authority, Romagna Acque-Società delle Fonti, Basin Authority district of the Po River, University of Bologna, Casentinesi Forest National Park Authority, Aipo.
The theme was at the center of the conference “Development, protection and enhancement of forestry heritage: actions to defend the regional territory and the fight against climate change”, promoted in recent days in Bologna by the Department of Territorial Planning, Forestry and Parks in collaboration with ART-ER, a subsidiary company of the Region.
“Make our territory more resilient, focus on sustainable forest management, protect the biodiversity of the heritage and increase the value of natural capital – states the regional councilor for Territorial Planning, Parks and Forestry, Barbara Lori -. Arcadia is an important and ambitious project that adds to the projects already financed in these 5 years for our mountains. It is essential to adopt precise strategies for forests, so as not to dissipate their protective functions and at the same time anticipate the impacts that climate change will have on the forests themselves, increasing their value”.
Among the numbers released during the work, the total 620 thousand hectares covered by forests in Emilia-Romagna, equal to 25% of the regional surface, of which 97% in hilly and mountainous areas. And with 20% being publicly owned. A heritage that is expressed through the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and which, if managed sustainably, can play a primary role in protecting against a series of risks, first of all alluvial and hydrogeological risks. The dramatic flood events of 2023, and the technical-scientific analyzes carried out, confirm the growing importance that correct forest management can have in defending the territory from extreme events.
The Arcadia project
Financed with 18.5 million euros, the Arcadia project involves 43 European partners, including public administrations, public bodies and agencies and technical-scientific partners. The project addresses the issue of adaptation to climate change through the large-scale adoption of nature-based solutions and will be concretely implemented in eight European regions: in addition to Emilia-Romagna there are Lower Austria, Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje in Croatia , Skane in Sweden, Funen in Denmark, Podravje in Slovenia, Centru in Romania and Plovdiv in Bulgaria.
