Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the Western Balkan Mountains

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Land resources Even though theWestern Balkan countries are facing serious land degradation threats and Albania has several laws focused on establishing the measures and structures for preventing land degradation), 14 in general legislation for land protection is scarce and insufficient. For the countries other than Albania, only certain strategic documents pay attention to land resources either as a distinct sector or as mentioned within sector-specific policies on agricultural land, spatial planning, geological research, and mining. Besides evaluating the current state of land resources qualitatively and quantitatively in each country, these strategic documents define goals or targets as well as short- and medium-term measures. These include: preventing soil erosion and degradation; promoting sustainable land management in hill and mountain areas; improving sustainable financial mechanisms for land use and coastal zone management; developing plans and programmes to combat desertification; establishing and strengthening information systems for land

Adaptation to climate change: the ENVSEC Initiative

Established in 2003, the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) recognized climate change as a core development challenge with potentially serious implications to international peace and security. The objective of ENVSEC’s climate change and security work is to enhance the capacities of countries (including in South- Eastern Europe) in the management of security risks resulting from climate change, many of them water-related. The key areas of its assistance are: 1. Providing technical assistance to enhance knowledge base of climate change impacts and their interrelation with security: vulnerability assessments of security impacts of climate tools for mainstreaming climate change into ICZM Plans and Strategies, as well as into coordination mechanisms committed to this action. 13 The project, entitled Integration of Climatic Variability

change, and identification of hotspots 2. Providing support to regional dialogues and cooperation: information sharing and regional coordination through regional meetings and transboundary projects 3. Strengthening relevant policies, institutions and capacities on the national and regional levels to address climate change risks and develop regional adaptation strategies 4. Facilitating risk communication and raising awareness on security impacts of climate change: information dissemination, establishment and support to knowledge networks. For further information, please visit http://www. envsec.org/ and Change into National Strategies to Implement the ICZM Protocol in the Mediterranean (ClimVar project), was launched in January 2013 within the MedPartnership.

Policy Evaluation Matrix

Mainstreaming of adaptation goals and targets

LAND

1- low or not considered at all

2- low or mentioned at least

3- somewhat integrated/present

4- high or fully integrated

Adaptation targets

Participation

Bosnia and Herzegovina

FYR Macedonia

Regional (Joint responses)

Albania

Croatia

Serbia

Kosovo*

Montenegro

Availability of implementation tools

Monitoring and Evaluation

Regional/transboundary adaptation considerations

Mountain adaptation considerations

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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