Integrated risk and resources management as a promising strategy to respond to climate change impacts in Alpine regions

Recent scientific literature and examples in Swiss practice have shown how integrated approaches in river management or forest planning were able to deliver successful, shared and sustainable solutions. However, integrated approaches that go beyond forest or water management or even include dynamics of the cryosphere have so far hardly been established in Switzerland, and certainly not on a regional scale. This project contributes to a better understanding of the social and institutional barriers of an integrated management as strategy to climate-change related problems in Alpine regions and offers a base for the implementation of the strategy into Swiss practice.

Methods

The project aims to study:

• Which added value does an integrated resources management offer as strategy to adapt to increasing risks of mass movements due to climate change?
• How do regional actors assess the potentials and risks of such a strategy?
• How can the implementation of such a strategy be smoothly organized? 

The project will focus on three alpine valleys and data collection will include qualitative interviews, focus groups and a Delphi survey. Based on the findings a guideline for practice will be developed and presented to all involved actors.