LIFE WILL-LIFE Water in Landscape and Soil Project

Narrative

The LIFE WILL project aims to increase the resilience of people and agricultural landscapes to climate change in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The current situation in both countries is marked by degraded soils, increased erosion, and declining biodiversity, contributing to vulnerability to climate change impacts such as drought and flooding. The project seeks to address these issues by increasing the water retention capacity of landscapes and soil and implementing nature-based adaptation measures through a participatory approach. By involving local actors and the public, the project aims to overcome barriers to landscape and land use changes that promote higher water retention. The project will demonstrate its approach in three pilot sites and share its methodology with other EU countries facing similar challenges.

Financial data

Total Eligible Budget: €2,597,269, EU Contribution: €1,558,361, EU Funding Percentage: 60%

Recommendations

• Implement participatory adaptation approaches and methodologies to increase the involvement of local actors and the public in advocating for effective water retention measures in the soil and landscape. Demonstrate the innovative participatory approach in three pilot sites covering an area of 23 km² in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Replicate the participatory methodology for water retention in the landscape in 30 replication sites, extending the project's impact beyond the pilot sites.

• Raise awareness of the participatory methodology in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and three other EU countries to encourage its adoption and implementation.

• Promote the importance of increasing water retention capacity in landscapes and soil to enhance resilience to climate change impacts, such as drought and flooding.

• Improve governance and information capacity related to climate issues and promote soil carbon storage as a means of mitigating the causes of climate change.

• Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other EU countries facing similar landscape and land management challenges.