BEWARE Newsletter
Issue #8 - May 2021

BEWARE project (BEtter Water Management for Advancing Resilient Communities in Europe), co-funded by the European Union LIFE Programme aims to improve hydraulic safety and territorial resilience in Altovicentino area, Vicenza Province (Italy).

It promotes the adoption of sustainable interventions through a participatory approach that actively involves interested stakeholders, encouraging them to adopt actions to reduce flood damages caused by the heavy rains that increasingly occur in the territory.

Comic Book “DROP BY DROP” at school!

Over the last few months, the BEWARE project and its DROP BY DROP comic book have been presented in schools! The initiative will continue to involve the schools in the municipalities of the Altovicentino area to carry on the main message behind the creation of this comic: the importance of the spirit of collaboration among young people who, with their attention towards climate change and the future of the planet, are the real protagonists of change! →

Resilient communities to hydrogeological risk

At the end of April, the course "Resilient Communities to hydrogeological risk" of the Master "Manager of Sustainable Local Development" at the University of Padua ended. The program of the course has addressed the issue of climate change and its impact on the territory. The course ended with a technical visit to the interventions of the LIFE BEWARE project. During the day the first results of the participatory process of the LIFE project have been presented to the participants. →

The participatory process to build an action plan for Altovicentino continues successfully!

On November 2020, the LIFE BEWARE Project partners started an important participatory process directed to the Altovicentino citizens with the aim of commonly creating the Altovicentino Climate Adaptation Action Plan. The initiative has been a success both for the strong participation and for the remarkable involvement of experts who have shared their knowledge and experience with the attendees. The online meetings addressed issues of utmost importance to achieve the goal of bringing together concrete and feasible proposals, for the implementation of actions and interventions to increase territorial resilience to climate change. →

The LIFE BEWARE project arrives in Beijing, as a virtuous example of the Altovicentino area

On December 16th, Prof. Vincenzo D'Agostino, Director of TESAF Department held a lecture in which he addressed the topic of Sponge Cities and the virtuous example of the BEWARE project at Beijing Forestry University!! →

Rain gardens, infiltration trenches, permeable pavements contribute to mitigate flood risk in Santorso Municipality

One of the most interesting Natural Water Retention Measures carried out by the LIFE BEWARE project is the one located in the cemetery’s parking lot in Via Prati, in Santorso municipality. The main objective of the intervention is mitigating the impact of the flooding events that affect the southern part of the parking lot and the surrounding areas, due to the water run off coming both from the surface of the parking lot itself and from a close large agricultural area (about 5 hectares). →

Assessment of socio-economic impact accounting for the hydrologic effectiveness of the interventions. Report about ex-ante flood-related damage evaluation.

It is available the report of analysis and evaluation of the socio-economic impact caused by flood events that occurred in the municipalities of Santorso and Marano Vicentino (Italy) in the period 2010-2019. To assess the overall damage caused by these events to both private and public assets, the following damage components were estimated: defensive actions, or measures taken by public authorities, firefighters, voluntary organizations or private agents; Restoration actions, aimed at restoring the ex ante conditions of the assets; Preventive actions, taken by public or private agents, in order to reduce future risks. →

The PeasandLove project proposes a new approach pioneered in Belgium that allows anyone to become an urban farmer!

The PeasandLove project proposes a new approach pioneered in Belgium that allows anyone to become an urban farmer. The Start-up rents out allotments on roofs and in unused urban spaces, they the gardening and the members of the communities get to harvest their produce! The ultimate goal is to create a community based on sharing values and food to build a new approach to urban agriculture! →

The LIFE Programme of the European Union is co-funding a wide variety of projects that involve public and private entities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, in the implementation of measures and strategies for climate change adaptation. The LIFE BEWARE project is committed to building a network of

projects and initiatives for soil conservation, sustainable management of natural resources, promotion of environmental governance, biodiversity conservation and much more. In the section below, three important projects about the sustainable use of soil and flood risk mitigation are presented!

LIFE FRANCA - Flood Risk ANticipation and Communication in the Alps

LIFE FRANCA promotes flood risk anticipation and communication in the Alps.The main objective of LIFE FRANCA was to promote a culture of regional flood hazard anticipation and prevention in Trentino and the Alps through the analysis and modification of collective socio-cultural attitudes, decision-making practices and common perceptions of the environmental risks affecting the territory, realizing that complete safety cannot be guaranteed. The results of this pilot project can be transferable to other regions, as well as to other natural hazards connected with climate change. →

STONEWALLS4LIFE

The LIFE Stonewallsforlife project aims at repairing 6 hectares of terraces and 4.000 square meters of drystonewalls in the Cinque Terre National Park to improve agricultural production, to protect the territory and enhance the resilience against the effects of extreme meteorological events. The project also includes an important social aspect: the training of skilled workers in the laying and maintenance of drystone walls, through didactical courses for migrants, unemployed people and disadvantaged categories, to ensure that this knowledge is preserved and passed on. The Cinque Terre National Park is the Coordinating Beneficiary of the project. The University of Genoa, Legambiente, ITRB Group, the Department of Barcelona as an international partner and the Manarola Foundation are part of the partnership. →

Soil4Life

Soil4Life is a European project, co-financed by the LIFE programme, which aims to promote the sustainable use of soil as a strategic, limited and non-renewable resource. One of the main objectives of the project is the application of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, which will be adapted to national, regional and local contexts. The project also intends to provide information and support to land use planning by involving the agricultural world and professionals (agronomists, geologists, urban planners, surveyors and designers), and aims to raise the awareness of the European Institutions and the individual Member States on the need to enact adequate EU legislation to ensure soil protection and prevent soil degradation. Soil4Life is coordinated by Legambiente and sees the collaboration of the partners ISPRA, CIA Agricoltori Italiani, CCIVS (France), Crea, ERSAF, Politecnico di Milano, Comune di Roma and Zelena Istria (Croatia). →

This newsletter has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union under the LIFE. The contents of it are the sole responsibility of the LIFE BEWARE Consortium and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.