Slovenia’s Strategic Integrated LIFE Project for Adaptation

Slovenia’s Strategic Integrated LIFE Project for Adaptation – LIFE4ADAPT, aims at contributing to full implementation of the national adaptation strategy (NAS), i.e. the Strategic Framework for Climate Change Adaptation (SFCCA), adopted by the Government in 2016. The project proposes a comprehensive set of activities to target the main bottlenecks in climate change adaptation, adjust to major known risks and includes key stakeholders in the process, as foreseen by the SFCCA. So far the implementation of the NAS was facing major barriers in the form of institutional capacity, know-how and wider recognition of risks, leading to suboptimal implementation of capabilities and capacities across all sectors, levels of government and wider public. This has changed with climate impacts felt across Slovenia in 2022 (drought, forest fires) and 2023 (catastrophic floods). The project thus proposes to implement activities ranging from upgrading climate services at Slovenian Environment Agency via the Climate Service Center, strengthening interministerial cooperation, Climate Portal upgrade, building capacities and providing operational support for climate change adaptation action in regions and municipalities, underpinned by work packages on implementation of pilot measures, communication, education, devising a monitoring and evaluation system, innovative financing mechanisms and post-project implementation plan. The project will bring together crucial partners among local level association of municipalities, representatives of NGO, private and public sector as well as academia. It will be able to develop synergies with other policies, sectors and levels of governments through systematic, long term and coordinated actions ensuring successful involvement of all target groups and building capacity of the state and key actors to respond proactively to the rising risks and vulnerabilities due to climate change.