As part of EU Green Week 2024 organised by the European Commission, Euromontana – the European multi-stakeholder network for sustainable development and quality of life in mountain areas of which UNIMONT, a center of excellence of the Milan University, is a historical member and a member of the Board of Directors, is organizing a webinar, which will take place online on 25 June 2024, on issues regarding water in mountain areas and how to prepare these territories with resilience.
Mountains play an essential role in storing and providing water for Europe. The Alps alone provide 40% of Europe’s freshwater, with many areas, both mountainous and lowland, dependent on their runoff. However, climate change is reducing water resources due to melting ice and erratic and unpredictable rainfall.
With dwindling resources and increasing consumption, conflicts over water use are growing. Many economic sectors, such as mountain agriculture, tourism and energy, depend on access to water. Water resilience is therefore a key priority for Europe.
However, policy makers and local stakeholders in mountain areas are still not sufficiently aware of the challenges related to water management. There is a lack of data on current and future water resources, and strategies for adapting and rationalizing water use.
The webinar ‘Preparing for water resilience in the mountains: from awareness to action’ aims to raise awareness about the challenges of water management in mountain areas and share experiences to build the resilience of mountain territories. During the event, issues such as the water crisis, the lack of data and the role of local authorities will be addressed. The contributions of two Regional Demonstrators of the Horizon Europe MountResilience Project, led by UNIMONT, will be particularly relevant.