A successful gathering in Tuscany
The Regions4Climate (R4C) Challenge Suite Cluster 1 partners (Basque Country, South Aquitaine, Azores and Tuscany) recently came together in April in Tuscany for an inspiring and highly interactive in-person meeting focused on coastal climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and knowledge exchange.
Hosted by the Tuscany team (Regione Toscana and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, with the support of RINA-C), the meeting provided an excellent opportunity for partners to strengthen collaboration, learn from local experiences, and identify opportunities for replication across regions.
A special thank you goes to Lucía, Giorgia, and Luigi, whose organisation and hospitality created a welcoming atmosphere that encouraged open dialogue and fruitful discussions throughout the event.
Learning from Tuscany’s coastal adaptation experience
One of the highlights of the meeting was the visit to Tuscany’s dune protection and restoration initiatives in the Piombino coastal area, including the Sterpaia pilot site.
Participants gained first-hand insights into:
- The implementation of dune protection and habitat restoration measures.
- The role of nature-based solutions in increasing coastal resilience.
- Monitoring approaches and long-term management strategies.
- Practical lessons that can inform adaptation efforts in other European regions.
The field visit complemented technical and scientific presentations on the coastal system, its challenges, and innovative solutions being developed by the Tuscany partners (including University of Florence, IRIS and NEMO).
Scientific exchange and technical discussions
The programme combined field observations with scientific presentations and expert discussions on coastal adaptation.
Sessions explored:
- Flexible adaptation strategies for coastal protection.
- Dune habitat restoration design, implementation, and monitoring.
- Regional experiences from the participating Cluster 1 territories.
- The integration of research, monitoring tools, and stakeholder engagement to support climate resilience.
This mix of practical and scientific perspectives fostered meaningful exchanges between researchers, practitioners, and regional representatives.
Exploring replication opportunities across regions
A central objective of the meeting was to discuss how successful approaches can be transferred and adapted to different regional contexts.
The discussions demonstrated strong potential for collaboration, with several replication opportunities already emerging among the participating regions. These conversations highlighted the value of peer learning and cross-regional cooperation in accelerating climate adaptation.
Connecting regions and communities
Beyond the technical programme, the meeting created valuable opportunities for participants to connect with fellow regions and engage with local stakeholders.
By sharing experiences, challenges, and ambitions, partners strengthened their network and reinforced the collaborative spirit at the heart of the Regions4Climate project. In addition, during the last day a filed trip to Marina di Pisa (pilot site of Horizon Med-IREN Project) was organized by Regione Toscana with the French Partners, being the pilot site similar to the French case as typology of coastal defence system and monitoring. Future collaborations among the participants were strongly recommended.
Reflecting on exploitation and shared impacts
An interactive workshop on exploitation lead by RINA-C enabled partners to identify common priorities and expected impacts across the four participating regions.
Through collaborative exercises and discussion, participants explored:
- Shared adaptation challenges.
- Opportunities for knowledge transfer.
- Common pathways for maximising project impact.
- Future collaboration beyond the current activities.
The exercise revealed many commonalities between regional ambitions and demonstrated the potential for jointly scaling successful climate adaptation solutions.
Meeting objectives successfully achieved
The Tuscany Cluster 1 meeting successfully fulfilled its proposed objectives:
- Inspiring participants through the dune protection system implemented by the Tuscany team.
- Providing technical and scientific presentations on coastal systems, challenges, and solutions.
- Identifying and discussing potential replication actions, with several already under active consideration.
- Strengthening connections and experience-sharing among regions and local communities.
- Conducting an exploitation exercise that highlighted common expected impacts across the four participating regions.
Looking ahead
The meeting in Tuscany marked another important milestone for Regions4Climate Cluster 1. By combining site visits, scientific exchange, collaborative workshops, and regional dialogue, partners advanced their shared mission of accelerating climate adaptation through cooperation and innovation.
The knowledge gained and partnerships strengthened during these days will continue to support future activities and replication efforts across Europe’s diverse coastal regions.
