Second plenary workshop of the Andalucía – Los Pedroches Living Lab: Adapting to climate change

On March 7, 2024, the second plenary workshop of the Andalusia – Los Pedroches Living Lab took place at the CICAP headquarters in Pozoblanco, organized within the framework of the I-CISK Project, with the title “Advances in the development of Climate services and assessment of adaptation strategies to climate change”.

The objective of the workshop was to renew the dialogue between the members of the multi-stakeholder platform and to share the progress made in developing the five climate services that are being generated within the framework of the project for the Region, as well as to assess the strategies for drought management and adaptation to climate change used in the Region, from a sectoral and regional perspective.

With this event, the Laboratory met for the second time since its formation, this time with the presence of the general coordinator of the I-CISK project Micha Werner, researcher at the Institute of Water Education IHE Delft (Holand). Representatives of most of the organizations that make up the multi-actor platform of the Living Lab were also present at the workshop, which includes OLIPE, COVAP, CICAP, IFAPA, Adroches, the Cardeña y Montoro Natural Park, the Cazorla Forestry Experimentation Center, and the Andalusian Hunting Federation, and the Guadiana and Guadalquivir hydrographic Confederations.

Micha Werner opened the session with an introduction to the I-CISK project, highlighting the importance of local knowledge, the integration of information and the development of services adapted to users in supporting decision-making for facing climate change and extreme events.

Next, Nuria Hernández-Mora, from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), summarized the activities carried out in Los Pedroches within the framework of the project since the last workshop in October 2022 and gave way to the first work block of the workshop, focused on advances in the collaborative development of climate services for the Andalucía – Los Pedroches Living Lab.

The block was opened by Lucia De Stefano, from the UCM, who presented the different visualization options for the historical climate data of the Region and the uncertainty associated with them for the Los Pedroches Region (climate service 3). The participants made suggestions that will be incorporated into the platform.

Next, Lluís Pesquer from CREAF explained the methodology applied for the development of climate predictions and projections for Los Pedroches (climate services 1 and 2) and the reduction of scale of the original global or pan-European models. Both services are still in development, although examples of visualization of the information and the uncertainty associated with the predictions were shown.

Ester Prat, from CREAF, presented the work being carried out in collaboration with OLIPE to help predict olive grove production based on climate predictions and historical data (climate service 4). He also presented the 26 agroclimatic indicators developed by Copernicus Climate Change Service that can be used to establish correlations between phenological behavior and climate, so that participants could assess their usefulness within the framework of the project.

Finally, Nikoletta Ropero, from the UCM, presented the advances in the hydrogeological characterization of the Los Pedroches region (SC 5), which includes the description of the aquifers of the region, the processes of accumulation and circulation of water in the subsoil, and its relationship with surface hydrology. He took the opportunity to thank the collaboration of all those who have facilitated access to wells to carry out measurements in the two field campaigns carried out so far (April and November 2023) and asked again for their collaboration for the third campaign that will take place from the 15th to April 23, 2024. The data collected will allow her to model the water table and analyze to what extent the different factors (climatology and uses) influence its variation.

In the second block of the workshop, members of the Living Lab presented initiatives and projects related to the objectives of I-CISK. María Pat González, from IFAPA, presented the study they are carrying out on the impact of drought on the productivity of “dehesa” grasslands, showing that the results of this study and its combination with seasonal climate forecasting tools can help in the planning of livestock activity.

Next, Regina Lafuente, from the Institute of Advanced Social Studies of the CSIC, presented the Citizen Drought Observatory and the results and developments obtained in its two editions. The Observatory has a web Geovisor that offers information on drought indicators, demand and status of water bodies, among others. In the second edition, they also surveyed on the perception of water use and management among the Spanish population.

The third block, with a workshop format, assessed the measures and strategies for adaptation to climate change implemented in the Region and identified throughout the project, from a sectoral and regional perspective. To do this, the participants were divided into three groups that went through different tables to debate the three adaptation strategies in which the identified measures had been grouped: guarantee water availability, ensure the economic viability of the activities, and manage and protect the natural environment. At each table, participants prioritized the five measures that in their opinion were most effective in managing drought risk from the list of measures identified within each strategy and then characterized the most voted measures at the level of effectiveness and implementation cost. Finally, the impacts of the selected measures on the livestock sector, the olive sector, supply, the natural environment and the region in general were also analyzed. The objective was to characterize the most valued adaptation measures better and detect the interrelationships and implications of the implementation of these measures on the rest of the actors, sectors and factors of the region.

The workshop ended with a review of the next steps and the opportunities for dissemination and communication of the activities inside and outside the Living Laboratory. As a thank you for the attendance of all the participants, a Spanish wine was offered, accompanied by gastronomic delights from the area.