EUKI ELCA: Podluží region representatives participated in the Partnership Foundation's climate workshop, and Hodonín embarks on a climate change adaptation strategy

On a sunny Tuesday in April, over twenty mayors and officials gathered in the Open Garden in Brno, with representatives of the South Slovácko LAG, the Podluží DSO, and our Climate Protection Manager programme participants. As part of the international climate education project EUKI ELCA (Empowering Local Climate Action), we invited them to a course led by experienced experts from the Partnership Foundation to motivate local government representatives, municipal staff, and municipal companies to manage public property in a climate-responsible manner.

The training course offered a wide range of smart and innovative energy and water management solutions, approaches to blue-green infrastructure, and modern technology for municipal buildings. The practical part focused on prioritising different measures over a specific plan for a fictitious municipality. It also showcased many climate-friendly measures in the Partnership Foundation building and the adjacent nature garden.

Magdaléna Davis, our Czech Climate Programme Manager, was delighted with the high turnout of participating mayors. “It was a pleasure to see how they were very actively involved in the part dedicated to selecting and planning specific climate-friendly measures. They thought a lot about blue-green infrastructure, renewable energy sources, and surrounding farmland," Magdalena declared.

Hodonín as the region's driving force in adaptation

We used the meeting of the mayors of Podluží to celebrate the signing of a trilateral agreement between People in Need, the Partnership Foundation, and the City of Hodonín on the preparation of the Adaptation Strategy of the City of Hodonín to the impacts of climate change for the entire city.

Hodonín officials took part in the training course a year ago, and this year, the municipality's climate planning came full circle. They will develop their adaptation strategy later this year, focusing on strengthening the area’s water retention capacity, using nature-based flood control measures, reducing soil erosion, and preventing flood risks from torrential rains. However, it will also focus on sustainable energy and rainwater management, the development and care of green areas, measures against overheating during heat waves (including measures for buildings), and other preventive measures against the impact of extreme weather events.

The preparation of this climate strategy is unique in the Czech context in that it involves not only the Partnership Foundation’s Adapterra team but also the staff of the Hodonín municipality. The formulation of the strategy will also include the public, associations, and other local actors, such as local institutions and companies. The SOS Morava collection will cover two-thirds of the costs, with the rest covered by the city budget.

The whole Podluží region will have an adaptation strategy

Thanks to our "tornado collection", experts from the Adapterra team have developed Action Plans for adaptation measures to the impacts of climate change for Hrušky, Lužice, and Dolní Bojanovice over the past two years. They have helped municipalities set priorities for further projects aimed at, among other things, strengthening their resilience to the risks of drought, heat waves, and torrential rains. Plans for Moravská Nová Ves and Prušánky will also be in development this year.

In the meantime, we also support tree planting in the municipalities, which contributes significantly to greening and beautifying public spaces. In addition, they will soon perform an important climatic function - they will help to cool their surroundings. This sub-region is under threat of drought and, therefore, needs to act quickly.

The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) was launched in 2017 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) with the aim of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and promoting climate cooperation in Europe. It currently finances 210 cross-border climate projects and thus networks 440 organisations in 31 European countries.