From 13 to 15 January, the INACO consortium met in Prague to discuss initial project results and plan future activities. This meeting provided a valuable opportunity for the partner institutions to exchange ideas and coordinate the next steps.
The meeting began with an inspiring city tour along the Vltava River, highlighting the city's rich cultural heritage. The evening ended with a joint dinner in the heart of Prague, which set the scene for the intensive discussions to come.
On the second day, the discussions took place at the host institute ITAM (Ústav teoretické a aplikované mechaniky Akademie věd České republiky). The discussions focused on the different work packages of the project:
Progress and first results of Work Package 1 - Enhancing strategies for increasing resilience of sensitive Cultural and Natural Heritage assets in Central Europe river basin districts were presented.
As an important part of Work Package 2 - Solutions for safeguarding Cultural and Natural Heritage sites in river basin districts from climate change risks, previous results of the STRENCH methodology for vulnerability assessment were presented and the integration of climate data for local risk assessment was planned.
Looking ahead to Work Package 3 - of Risk Management Plans for Cultural and Natural Heritage sites in river basin districts, first insights into the development of the online course were presented and basic questions were discussed.
The final day of the meeting included a tour of Prague-Troja. This tour of this historic district and a visit to Troja Castle highlighted the importance of well-trained risk managers and practical strategies in crisis situations such as floods. Markers on buildings still recall the devastating floods of 2002 and give an idea of the incredible water levels that caused significant damage at the time. The flood protection wall and the new pedestrian bridge over the Vltava River, which collapsed after the severe floods of 2002 and 2013, were also visited.
The INACO project: A joint goal
INACO is an EU-funded project within the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme, led by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate - National Research Council of Italy (IT). The project partnership includes organisations and institutions from eight Central European countries (IT, AT, CZ, HU, DE, PL, SK and HR) with extensive expertise in assessing the risks and vulnerability of cultural and natural heritage sites to the impacts of climate change.
Climate change is leading to extreme events such as heavy rainfall, landslides, floods, storms, heat waves and droughts with forest fires, which threaten the physical preservation of cultural and natural heritage in Central Europe. INACO aims to strengthen the resilience of these areas by developing common adaptation strategies. It will also develop new WebGIS-based solutions for cultural heritage sites and tools for self-assessment of vulnerability. Specially trained risk managers will be established in selected pilot regions.
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