Increasing riparian and coastal areas resilience to climate change, including in waterfront cities and islands.

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Expected Outcome: This topic aims at directly engaging with and supporting riparian and coastal areas, waterfront cities and islands and their communities in demonstrating and accelerating the transitions needed for achieving one or several objectives of the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”. The participation of relevant public bodies managing those areas and their communities as partners of the consortium is strongly encouraged. Project results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes: Member States and Associated Countries are provided with cost-effective and innovative solutions to increasing riparian and coastal areas’ resilience to climate change, especially in waterfront cities and islands, contributing to reach the targets of the EU climate adaptation and water resilience strategies for 2030, but also supporting achievements of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the Water Framework and the Marine Strategy Framework directives; Enhanced ecological functions of riparian and coastal areas including in waterfront cities and islands (e.g.: water quality improvement, pollution remediation, erosion control, morpho-dynamics and sediment transport, biodiversity conservation and restoration); Reduced vulnerability to climate change related risks (e.g.: lowering flood risks by increasing their natural buffer capacity; adapting to sea level rises and extreme events, and enhancing drought resilience by increasing groundwater recharge functions, carbon sequestration, reducing harmful algal blooms, etc.) with biodiversity co-benefits; Increased socio-economic benefits deriving from protecting and restoring riparian and coastal areas and from the remediation of pollution, as well as for recreational and touristic activities; Stakeholders and local competent authorities managing riparian and coastal areas, including in waterfront cities and islands (not limited only to those who are partners in the consortium), are engaged to implement and upscale innovative solutions that contribute to increasing resilience to climate change and water-related risks, including by strengthening synergies with their own programmes and resources and encouraging public and private investment. Scope: Riparian and coastal areas play a critical role in local climate regulation and serve as the buffer regions between land and waterways, providing a wide array of important ecosystem services such as acting as natural barriers against storm surges, flooding, and erosion, filtering pollutants from the water, regulating floods, providing habitats for species and increasing soil health. sequestering carbon. Islands, which offer invaluable natural resources that support people, cultures and livelihoods, are particularly vulnerable to climate change.[1] The proposal should build (when relevant) on previously developed or existing solutions by other projects, funded by EU and national programmes, in particular the European Union Framework programmes for Research…