Regional Integrated Vulnerability Assessment for Austria

Background and motivation: The type, magnitude, spatial distribution and timing of expected climate change impacts as well as their potential consequences for natural, social and economic systems are strongly determined by the vulnerability of these systems. Thus, adapting to climate change in a preventive, anticipatory and pro-active approach requires best available and spatially explicit information about vulnerabilities. Today, the concept of vulnerability has been recognized as a key approach to targeted and effective climate change adaptation and has increasingly been applied in international climate change impact and adaptation research in recent years. In general terms, vulnerability describes the degree to which a system is susceptible to, und unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes (IPCC, 2007a). It is, hence, to be understood as a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity (IPCC 2007a; Turner II et al. 2003; Füssel 2006; Füssel & Klein 2002; Zebisch et al. 2005). Knowledge of the differentiated climate-driven ulnerabilities of socio-economic sectors and systems, and of the ecosystem services they are sustained by, (i) allows detecting their most climate-sensitive elements, processes and critical damage potentials, (ii) supports identification of adaptation needs, (iii) is required to inform adaptation policy design, and (iv) is needed to guide decision-making on type, scope, design, prioritisation, planning and implementation of adaptation measures, including financial resource allocation. Essentially, adaptation means to avoid, reduce, or mitigate adverse climate change impacts by reducing or containing climate-related vulnerability. In line with ongoing trends towards trans-disciplinary research, and with a strong view towards practical relevance of research results for adaptation policy development and implementation, participation of stakeholders in vulnerability assessment studies is, on an international level, increasingly being called upon and applied, but is in practice often limited in scope and effectiveness and faces practical difficulties. RIVAS will be centered along the following main lines of research activities: (i) the preparation of a transferable conceptual, methodological and procedural framework for indicator-based regional vulnerability assessment that meets the requirements of both scientific rigor and practicality; (ii) the design of a science-based nsdisciplinary stakeholder process beneficial for such assessments; iii) the application of the participatory vulnerability assessment concept in an Austrian pilot region (Pinzgau-Pongau); and (iv) the evaluation of test results and stakeholder process performance, resulting in the improved re-design of the framework and implementation guidelines. In detail, the project’s main objectives and the methodological approaches applied are outlined as follows.