Innovative Approach In Community Capacity Building On Ecosystem Services and Climate Change Adaptation As Developed By Project Eco-Smart

Capacity building is often a relevant component that assures stakeholder involvement in biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation initiatives and projects. Based on the UNFCCC capacity building framework1, it could be defined as a multi-stage process (at systemic, institutional or individual level) in which climate change and sustainability challenges should be effectively addressed. During the process, communities or individuals obtain, improve or retain their knowledge and skills, change attitudes and behaviors, maximize the benefits of participation, knowledge exchange and ownership. Indeed, vulnerability and adaptation have been highlighted as one of the priority areas. Moreover, the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change2 supports capacity building to strengthen adaptation actions in EU Member States, especially in vulnerable sectors, such as in transboundary coastal management. Actions to bridge knowledge gaps (e.g. on adaptation costs and benefits, frameworks, models and tools to support decision-making and assess the effectiveness of different adaptation measures) are thus promoted with this approach. The aim of this paper is to present the innovative approach in capacity building on ecosystem services and adaptation to climate change as developed within the ECO-SMART project (Ecosystem Services Market for an Advanced Policy to Protect NATURA 2000 areas) funded by INTERREG V-A Italy-Slovenia Cooperation Program 2014-2020. In the innovative approach of the project, all other implementation activities (ecological and economic assessment of ecosystem services, vulnerability analyzes, adaptation measures supported by innovative PES schemes) are underpinned by a community building plan and activities – with the aim of facilitating transboundary, transnational and interregional cooperation and harmonization of management approaches to protect the biodiversity of Natura 2000 sites as well as increasing the resilience of communities to climate change. The theory of Integral Development by Schieffer & Lessem, implemented in Slovenia in the Integral Green Slovenia (IGS) initiative, and the CARE principles derived from it (such as communities' activation, consciousness awakening, responsible innovation and research, fostering and embodying transformative effects of education) are included and explained through the proposed practical implementation in the ECO -SMART project.