Ten studies to update the climate risk assessment in the coastal area of Havana are being promoted by the AdaptHabana project, as a basis for defining effective adaptation measures and their integration into an adaptation plan for that area.
These studies encompass various dimensions—environmental, geomorphological, ecosystemic and climatic—and are integrated into an adaptive territorial planning approach, in line with the priorities established by the “Tarea Vida” (State Plan for Confronting Climate Change) and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Cuba.
AdaptHabana is promoting the formulation of an Adaptation Plan for that area, based on science and aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities of the territory to climate change; based on a collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy (IGA) of the Environment Agency (AMA) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), with the support of the CITMA Delegation and the Government of Havana and the contribution of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Among the completed studies, the following stand out:
- Environmental assessments integrated into environmental planning proposals for the six coastal municipalities of Havana. This study develops a proposal for environmental planning of the marine-coastal zone, as a planning process and environmental management tool for territorial planning, integrating approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
- A detailed digital terrain model, key for future flood and coastal erosion modeling.
- A detailed characterization of karst in the coastal zone, including a hazard map associated with the current and potential development of karst in the face of rising sea levels (2050-2100).
- Modeling the future distribution of mangrove ecosystems in the face of climate change scenarios, useful for prioritizing and validating ecosystem-based adaptation measures that contribute to the conservation and/or restoration in the short, medium and long term of mangrove forests in the coastal area of Havana.
- The assessment of the current state of coral reefs and their function as a natural barrier against waves, as well as the process of marine acidification in vulnerable sectors of the Havana coastline.
Also in advanced stages are essential studies such as the climatic and bioclimatic characterization of the coastal area of Havana, the assessment of hazards from flooding and coastal erosion in the face of extreme hydrometeorological phenomena and climate change scenarios, the updating of the cadastre and the planning of water extractions in the Vento basin, with a view to guaranteeing the sustainable supply of the coastal municipalities.
These studies constitute key inputs for updating the climate risk assessment of the Havana coastal zone, making it possible to identify present and potential impacts in the face of climate change scenarios, as well as to propose specific science-based adaptation measures.
In this way, the AdaptHabana project aims to lay the foundations for a resilient, participatory and evidence-based planning process.
The knowledge generated will be crucial for formulating an Adaptation Plan that integrates these measures into Havana's local and sectoral development, with the potential to be replicated in other coastal areas of the country. In this way, Havana is preparing to face the impacts of climate change, protecting its communities, ecosystems, and heritage.
The coastal area of Havana, with its 47 km of coastline and six municipalities located on it, constitutes a strategic strip for the sustainable development of the capital and the country.
This area is home to more than a third of Havana's population in just 208 km² and is located in one of the regions of Cuba exposed to extreme weather phenomena, such as hurricanes, intense cold fronts and the progressive rise in sea level. Read the original story on UNDP Cuba.
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