CLIVAGE – Climate Variability and Changes Adaptation Strategies for Small Islands

CLIVAGE is thus conceptualized as a result of recognizing the urgent need to be prepared for climate variability and associated effects in the Azores, based on existing data and knowledge. It is not intended to predict and generate detailed climatic scenarios or future climate variability in the Azores, but rather to strengthen the resilience of the islands under climate variability. Currently, there is no publicly-known research being carried out with a focus on adaptation for the Azores. CLIVAGE aims to establish methodologies and approaches for developing adaptation strategies for climate variability for the Azores. With the manual on developing climate variability adaptation strategies for the islands, the government will be equipped with a roadmap on integrating adaptation strategies into their existing plans and strategies.
To achieve these objectives, the Principal Investigator has selected a strong team of multi-disciplinary and multi-national experts from the Azores, mainland Portugal, USA and UK, with expertise in climate variability and sea-level rise, climate variability impacts, geology and natural hazards, strategies and planning (e.g. environmental, land-use and protected areas), ecosystems and biodiversity, Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote-sensing, and public participation.

CLIVAGE will provide an initial planning instrument for the government to strengthen Azores’s resilience in response to future climate variability, as well as optimize its existing resources without additional financial and administrative stress of implementing a new sectoral plan for climate variability adaptation. Besides providing a big-picture and well-rounded study on the multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral climate variability impacts in the Azores, CLIVAGE will also provide a standard procedure in developing adaptation strategies in each island, as well as avoid duplication of effort by various public agencies and government levels. CLIVAGE could in turn benefit and be replicated across Portugal and beyond.