The management of protected areas, which are of particular importance within the Ticino River basin both in terms of biodiversity protection and enhancement and in reducing major sources of pollution, is inextricably linked to the sustainable management of water resources. This resource has become even more precious considering ongoing and anticipated climate change.
Prolonged drought periods raise a series of questions regarding the use of water resources for the various environmental and socio economic sectors of the entire transboundary Ticino hydrological system. These concerns cannot be separated from the need to safeguard natural capital, making water allocation a critical issue that requires a transboundary governance approach to ensure a balanced management of the entire Ticino basin. Therefore, the activities of this project aim to analyse, understand, and describe the complex interactions between water, economy, environment, and agriculture within the Ticino River basin. This is particularly relevant in the context of climate change, where water availability is subject to increasing variability, both excess and shortage, compared to past century values.
This project, funded by the INTERREG programme VI-A between Italy and Switzerland CCI 2021TC16RFCB033 with project id 0200112, will help identify potential risks, opportunities, and challenges for the transboundary Ticino basin in terms of policies, management, and water-related technologies. Consequently, it will address issues concerning the environment, biodiversity, ecosystems, pollution, and the socio-economic framework by identifying key challenges, developing, and proposing strategies that can be adopted across the entire transboundary region. These strategies will support a common approach to governance, management, and efficient use of water resources within the Ticino basin, paving the way for climate adaptation and the protection of natural capital and biodiversity through participatory approaches and the use of open, flexible, and sustainable techniques and technologies. The innovative and jointly developed solutions fall within the following intervention areas of the program: promoting nature-based solutions and water resource management in both irrigation and lake environments to improve environmental quality and quality of life; installing new technological tools and/or developing small infrastructures; and developing shared monitoring and data exchange systems, including information platforms and other digital exchange systems.
Additionally, actions to enhance environmental sustainability and resilience will be studied. Nature-based solutions will be developed through pilot areas to foster biodiversity, improve the microclimate, increase water storage via wetlands, and support pollinating insects. Research will also focus on optimizing water resource management by integrating smart, remotely controlled irrigation systems and a sensor network to monitor availability in real time, ensuring efficiency in the face of climate change. Therefore, the project will enhance lake ecosystem quality and biodiversity by improving existing monitoring systems.
These actions will not be developed in isolation but rather in synergy with each other and with project partners. They will also incorporate Citizen Science practices through the creation of communities of practice and learning, open to local stakeholders. The approach considers the hydrological cycle and the water’s journey from upstream to downstream in the transboundary Ticino territory, an interconnected system that enables the development of green areas, ecosystems, agricultural zones, renewable energy production, and related economic activities.
The implemented solutions will be integrated and valorised in a digital story telling WebGIS application that using open standards will manage data and produce publicly accessible information on the state of the three developed solutions and the challenges threatening the Ticino water system. OpenLayers, Geoserver and istSOS4 will be the FOSS4G technologies at the core of this application to make data FAIR using mainly the OGC standards WMS and SensorThings API. In addition to the software tools, the open-source paradigm will also be applied to implement an open datalogger designed to collect data from different sensor providing valuable insights into future project actions and climate change impacts. This open approach will allow the integration of data collected from previous project (e.g. INTERREG SIMILE) as well as from existing networks with new sensors installed within this project, field activities, and information and feedback gathered from stakeholders during public meetings planned as part of the initiative.
The ongoing dialogue among different stakeholders and associated partners of the transboundary Ticino basin will create a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of needs, challenges, and opportunities. It will also enable the initiation of actions and measures to address these needs and overcome emerging challenges, ultimately strengthening climate risk mitigation capacity through transboundary collaboration. Additionally, it will integrate climate change adaptation measures into policies, strategies, and regional planning while improving education and fostering greater awareness.
Finally, the project also aims to develop coordinated training and educational activities to raise awareness among policymakers and local decision-makers about implementing transboundary strategies for the sustainable protection and enhancement of the alpine and pre-alpine environment’s attractiveness. This approach will also be transferable to other regions, serving as a key element in maintaining the sustainable use of land and water resources.