The Mayor of Valencia, Mr. Joan Ribó, the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Urban Ecology, Mr. Sergi Campillo, and the heads of the Devesa-Albufera Service met on 15th June 2022 with the research team of ECFAS. This meeting coincided with the 4th ECFAS Partners’ Assembly, which was hosted by the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia City Council is collaborating on the design of a European tool to prevent the risk of coastal flooding due to coastal storms; therefore, this meeting aimed to support planning of new phases of collaboration in the creation of an alert system and analysis of the risk of coastal floods, aggravated by effects of climate change.
Mr. Campillo highlighted the potential of this multidisciplinary research project in minimizing the impacts and areas of influence of coastal flooding.
“Valencia is already a European benchmark in the study and prevention of the risks caused by coastal storms, in the hands of applied science and excellence of Valencian public universities. In this way, we reiterate our commitment to the preservation of biodiversity and the natural spaces of our city, with a regional, state and European perspective, and also to ensure the safety of people while ensuring the economic activities of our coast,” said the Councilor for Urban Ecology.
UPV professor and ECFAS partner, Josep E. Pardo emphasized the importance of having the coastal city of Valencia as a European reference, as an experimental laboratory, with real data, contributing to the design of this prevention tool. Considering the risks of storms on the coast, collaboration with coastal territories and access to long-term data series is fundamental for the quality of the research.
The city of Valencia has had continuous and quality monitoring since 1984 and this knowledge is also very useful in defending the low and vulnerable coasts of the whole Mediterranean, with their emblematic ecosystems, such as wetlands, beaches and deltas.
ECFAS coordinator, Dr. Clara Armaroli, Scuola Superiore Studi Pavia IUSS (Italy), affirmed that this initiative covers an important gap, as at European level, there is no prevention tool of the effects of these episodes, which are becoming more frequent and virulent.
“As we saw with the storm Gloria, in January 2020, the storms have a direct impact on public safety, environmental quality and adaptation to climate change,” added Prof. Pardo.
Main photo, L-R: Dr. Jesús Palomar (ECFAS/UPV), Prof. Paolo Ciavola (ECFAS/CFR), Dr. Clara Armaroli (ECFAS/IUSS), Mr. Joan Ribó (Valencia City Council), Prof. Josep Pardo (ECFAS/UPV), Mr. Sergi Campillo (Valencia City Council).
