- 7 700 ha
of protected areas, including six Ramsar sites, 16 sites of community importance and nine special protection areas
- Three stations
for multiparametric data gathering
- 2021-2025
Implementation timeline
Replicability
An integrated, adaptable approach to coastal wetland management that combines socio-ecological assessment, adaptive governance and co-designed measures.
Best suited for
The TransformAr project’s approach to integrated coastal wetland management is most readily transferable to coastal wetland systems such as deltas, lagoons and estuaries, where public authorities, environmental managers and local stakeholders can work together through adaptive governance. The most suitable replicators are coastal or wetland management bodies, municipalities with land-use and water-regulation responsibilities, protected area administrators and multi-actor partnerships able to connect technical expertise with participatory planning.
Stakeholders' role
In the TransformAr project, integrated coastal wetland management involves a broad set of stakeholders brought together through a multi-actor approach. These include public authorities and policymakers, environmental and water managers, scientists and technical experts and local stakeholders such as land users, community representatives and civil-society organisations. High levels of engagement is achieved thanks to the use of adaptation pathways -concerning agriculture and fisheries, biodiversity protection, and settlements – which allow stakeholders to look toward the future, considering the actions needed to adapt to evolving climate scenarios.
Built-in scalable tools
TransformAr’s replicable methodology for integrated coastal wetland management combines adaptive governance with a robust socio-ecological vulnerability assessment to help coastal regions respond to climate risks in a flexible and context-sensitive way. By integrating technical measures, such as ecosystem restoration and risk reduction interventions, with governance tools, including stakeholder coordination, planning, and participatory decision-making, the approach supports more resilient, integrated, and transferable wetland management across different coastal settings.
The smart gate and monitoring system effective upscaling and long-term sustainability require the early definition of governance and maintenance models. This includes clearly assigning responsibilities for system management, integrating monitoring data into local decision-making processes, and implementing a well-structured maintenance plan that encompasses regular cleaning, calibration, and verification activities to ensure the system's continued reliability and performance. The smart gate and monitoring system implemented during the TransformAr project is fully operational. A one-year testing phase provided early evidence to define an effective maintenance plan, ensuring system reliability and data quality through regular sensor cleaning (every 30 days in winter and every 15 days in summer) and annual sensor recalibration, or as recommended by the manufacturer. Monitoring results also identified water temperature and dissolved oxygen as the key parameters driving gate opening and closing.
The pilot project's success attracted additional funding to replicate the system along the embankments within the lagoon. It also led to the update of the Coastal Contract Action Plan, with the inclusion of new monitoring and hydraulic management actions to be implemented in other ponds and lagoons across the area, funded by the Regional River Basin Authority.
Funding pathways
The overall cost of the intervention was approximately EUR 300,000. funded through the Horizon Europe project TransformAr under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. In addition, several interventions have been co-funded by private sector institutions
