Solutions for adapting the landscape (society) to climate change
- The solution must be multi-layered, from landscaping to changing tax and subsidy regulations.
- The main part of the solution is a landscape that can withstand drought and floods and contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change – the Smart Landscape concept.
- The new centre is currently planning applied research in the spirit of the Smart Landscape on the level of pilot projects.
Main issues of current adaptation practices
The Smart Landscape concept is a way in which to comprehensively rectify the main issues of currently applied adaptation measures in the landscape:
- Insufficient implementation speed (climate change is moving faster than the course of adaptation measures in the Czech Republic), the absolute delay of adaptation measures is currently about 20-30 years and continues to grow.
- Insufficient capacity of water management facilities (small and large water reservoirs, etc.).
- We size structures and systems for today’s conditions, and we do not consider climate change. It is necessary to consider a time horizon of at least 2030+, preferably 2050+.
- We only implement sporadic elements that are not interconnected into a complex system that would use the synergy and multifunctionality of the elements in the interest of a better price : performance ratio.
- The measures are not accompanied by the necessary changes in legal, tax, subsidy (or otherwise incentive-based), and in building regulations.
- The necessary changes in legislation in land ownership are not being prepared in order to simplify and speed up the construction of public benefit measures in the landscape.
- The proportion of woody plants and non-forest greenery in the agricultural landscape is reduced, and its resilience, adaptation and preventive action against the effects of climate change are thereby deteriorating.
- The size of parts of land blocks and the monocultural method of industrial management on arable land reduces the ability of the landscape to mitigate or eliminate the impacts of risky situations (flash floods, drought, etc.) and worsens biodiversity.