The Commitment for the Climate Adaptation on the Po Delta: Conclusion of the Living Lab co-creating participatory phase
27/02/2026
The meetings of the participatory stakeholder engagement process, organized by the Veneto Regional Park Authority of the Po Delta - UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve, and part of the Interreg Italy-Croatia CAMPUS - Climate Adaptation Plans for UNESCO Sites project, have concluded.
The Living Lab methodology applied, based on the Quadruple Helix approach, involves government, academic, industrial, and community stakeholders. It was specifically designed to facilitate collaborative dialogue and the co-creation of adaptation solutions.
The well-attended meetings unfolded in three phases. After an initial phase introducing the project and presenting preliminary climate risk scenarios for the Po Delta Biosphere Reserve, the Living Lab format created an interactive platform for greater stakeholder engagement.
The main themes that emerged included water management issues, the need for agricultural conversion and renaturalization, alien species and ecosystem fragility, forestry and urban planning, and responsibility towards future generations. The second phase focused on co-creating and defining specific adaptation measures for the UNESCO sites, further exploring the previously discussed topics. To help and support the discussion, the contents of deliverable “D.1.1.2 UNESCO sites data analysis” and “D.1.2.2 Adaptive capacity and resilience of UNESCO sites” have been shared with the participants. The third phase, which involved stakeholders and local decision-makers, actively worked on designing alternative measures that will be integrated into the climate change adaptation plans for the UNESCO sites.
The planning phase, which will be overseen by Dr. Sebastiano Carrer, Head of the Environment and Territory Area at Thetis spa, is now underway.
