We are excited to announce that our article “Priority areas for nature-based adaptation to climate change in the Alps” has been published in AMBIO!

Dubo, T., Palomo, I., Lavorel, S. 2025. Priority areas for nature-based adaptation to climate change in the Alps. AMBIO. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02240-7

In this study, we looked at priority areas to adapt to drought with Nature-based Solutions. We focused on regions with the strongest expect impact of drought due to climate change, and identified where Nature-based Solutions can preserve or enhance the water retention capacity of the ecosystems. This includes biodiversity conservation measures, conservative agriculture practices, wetlands restoration, and assisted forest natural regeneration.

Our findings indicate that the most exposed areas to future water deficits are located in the Italian, Austrian and Southern French lowlands near the Alps. Conversely, the identified regions with greatest water storage are found in the Western Alps in French and Switzerland.

We have also discovered that many of priority areas within wetlands and farmlands are located within protected areas, highlighting their critical role in climate change adaptation.

Finally, our research also reveals that the priority areas for adaptation to drought have limited overlap with regions prioritized for mitigation or biodiversity conservation.

Future research needs to explore strategies to foster Nature-based Solutions implementation in these priority regions, and assess their potential benefits for adaptation.

Find out the study here: open access version

And the supplementary information here: Supplementary Information

For any inquiries about the study or to request the PDF, please feel free to email us at mopga.portal gmail.com.

Updated on 5 September 2025