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FUTURE IMPERFECT
capacities required for climate change adaptation are
currently lacking, such as the ability to designate and
map future refuge habitats for wetlands and grass-
lands. This may need to be developed at the transna-
tional level, with the support of externally funded joint
initiatives that could fill the gaps and build cooperative
capacity. Financial resources are limited. A key action
is to create flexible and equitable financial instruments
that facilitate benefit and burden sharing, and support
a diverse set of potentially better-adapted new activ-
ities rather than to compensate for climate impacts
on existing activities. To succeed, it will be essential
to build new partnerships between governments, civil
society, the research and education institutions, the
private sector and international organisations.
Linking different policies of nature conservation, river
basin management, and sustainable farming could
significantly strengthen the Carpathian region and its
resilience to climate change. Regional cooperation
agreements, like the Carpathian Convention, can be
a critical vehicle to mainstream resilience in different
countries. The added value of increased transnational
cooperation and joint activities is especially important
when planning for climate change adaptation, since
many of the predicted impacts of climate change, such
as seasonal changes in temperature and precipita-
tion, will occur over vast geographical areas, affecting
several countries at once. Many of the possible mea-
sures are best planned scaled to the eco-region rather
than the nation-state. Further, many of the tools and
Towards a Strategic Agenda on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Carpathian region
Figure 3:
Adapting to Climate Change: Ecosystem pathway of vulnerability and adaptation. This figure describes
the analytical framework for the assessment of vulnerability to climate change and definition of adaptation strat-
egies. It highlights the central role of ecosystems and ecosystem services in the transmission of impacts to the
economy and society. It also shows the importance of healthy ecosystem for a cost-effective adaptation strategy
(source: J. Delsalle, European Commission, 2014).
©
Éva Kőpataki