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Existing policies in theWesternBalkans fail to address
mountains as a climate change hotspot, with the
exception of policies relating to winter tourism and
ecosystem services. Given the strategic importance
of mountains in the Western Balkans, there should
be a stronger mountain focus in adaptation actions.
Furthermore, two significant current risks appear to be
disregarded and need to be included in future policies:
• the risk of economic losses related to heavy
snowfall and extreme cold temperatures and
• the risk of decreased public safety due to flooding
in landmine sites.
It is essential that all present and emerging risks are
adequately addressed at the most appropriate level.
Further policy gaps
Bottlenecks affecting policies related to adaptation
often concern a lack of institutional coordination
both horizontally (across sectors that are remits
of different ministries) and vertically (across
administrative levels within the same sector), and
a lack of financial resources to implement the
policies. Furthermore, limitations and difficulties
related to the ongoing EU integration process
often miss vertical mechanisms to coordinate
actions between regional and local stakeholders.
A clear example of where the lack of coordination
may result in maladaptation is found in the winter
tourism industry. Here, the use of snow-making
systems to address the risk of economic losses due
to reduced snow cover is not sustainable, and may
in fact increase losses.
It is imperative that any action towards a more
resilient Western Balkans region adopts an
approach that avoids maladaptation and embraces
no-regret measures, especially when budget and
capacities are limited. In particular, adaptation
initiatives must not increase GhG emissions; must
be economically and socially equitable; should
not involve high costs; should increase incentive
to adapt; and contain a great degree of flexibility
(Magnan, 2014). Win-win measures, for instance,
include improving climate-change awareness
among local communities and stakeholders in
charge of the most pressing policies such as disaster
risk management/disaster risk reduction, as well
as adopting innovative means such as insurance
schemes and financial tools.
Durmitor National Park, Montenegro
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia