Stakeholder engagement and institutional context features of the ecosystem-based approaches in urban adaptation planning in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Climate change adaptation planning is of high urgency in cities due to expected climate change impacts. Ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation (EbAs) are considered highly efficient in enhancing sustainable resilience of cities; however, incorporation of EbA measures into the decision-making process has not been fully achieved at the individual city level.The study illustrates how to initiate strategical adaptation planning “from the scratch” and facilitate the implementation of an adaptation planning process based on examples of three pilot cities in the Czech Republic (Prague, Pilsen, and Brno), using the outputs and experiences gained from participatory workshops and gathered stakeholder and institutional evidence. We focus particularly on stakeholder’s perception of climate change-related risks as well as prioritization of specific EbA measures and the institutional context of the decision-making processes concerning implementation of those measures in order to enhance adaptation planning.The results show that the prioritization and suitability of individual EbA measures substantially varies among the analysed cities, depending on the local setting and associated climate-related risks. While low awareness of the problem and the non-existence of the institutional framework can be severe barriers to EbA measures implementation, strong cooperation between the city, NGOs and academics creates a supportive environment for such innovative solutions. We aim to provide Central and Eastern European context of urban EbA adaptation planning using participatory approaches, stakeholder perception and institutional analysis, which is currently not much covered from the regional perspective.