Orlivka Community Adaptation Plan to Climate Change Impacts Odesa 2015

Preservation of historical and cultural heritage, tourism and recreation

Green and eco-tourism, which was developed, based on attractive areas and facilities, as well as cultural and historical heritage, increasingly become an essential component of the budget revenues for rural communities and a significant source of earnings for the local people. Adaptation to new conditions of sustainable forms of wildlife, such as ecological and green tourism can become, if necessary, one of the main economic engines and important components of the sustainable development of the Orlivka village society.

Preservation of cultural-historical and natural heritage in the community of Orlivka village with the creation recreational - touristic sector on its base - will give the new jobs and will improve the understanding of value and necessity of careful attitude to cultural and archaeological places, to ecosystems, preserved in an almost natural state. Create conditions for improving the self-esteem of the Orlivka villagers and feeling of pride for small home, which in turn will positively affect the implementation of sustainable rural development and adaptation community to climate change.

Climate change in the region will have mainly positive consequences for development of tourism and recreation industry due to the warm season lengthening. Indirect effects may have a slight deterioration in the water quality in reservoirs, lengthening periods of heat, development of certain types of infectious diseases (malaria, hepatitis, leptospirosis etc.) and others.

Adaptation Measures:

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  Devise a plan for tourism development in cooperation with regional tour operators.
  
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  Promote the organization and conduct archaeological research, museumfication of the separate complexes in the community, such as Stone Mountain, and their inclusion into the tourist routes in region;
  
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  Initiate a scientific conference on natural and historical and cultural heritage of the Orlivka territorial community;
  
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  Restore and manage existing objects interesting for visitors.
  
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  Develop and implement an action plan for spiritual, cultural and environmental education of the local population in cooperation with the Orlivka religious community, as it becomes in some natural protected areas in Carpathians region.
  
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  Develop and conduct pilot tours for tour operators in the area and attend tours for schoolchildren and students.
  
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  To establish the Visitor Centre in the village Orlivka;
  
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  To initiate festivals, summer camps and other interactive activities to inform and increase of public awareness.
  

9. Institutional capacity development and local governance

Institutional capacity and extent of awareness of the authorities, experts and local people are of paramount importance in the region and adaptation of communities to climate change. In this direction, the maximum involvement of non-governmental organizations (not just environmental) as conductor of information policy is important in the framework of adaptation. It is important to expand the network of NGOs, including Youth whose purpose could also be implementation of educational programs on issues of climate change and sustainable development of local communities.

Adaptation Measures:

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  Conduct informational and explanatory work among the population and to prepare relevant materials on climate change and measures to minimize risks;
  
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  Initiate the establishment of regional information and consultation center on issues of Ukrainian Danube adaptation to climate change;
  
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  Implement a training program at Orlivka village secondary school lessons on the subject of Climate Change and adaptation to their consequences;
  
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  Arrange the public events at village community with invited representatives of neighbouring communities and Reni district leadership for disseminating information on measures to overcome the effects of climate change and adaptation in different sectors of socio-economic activities;
  
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  Initiate the establishment of regional reference site to inform local people about the situation in the field of climate change (including at the local level), the rules of behaviour during natural disasters and emergencies of natural and anthropogenic, about practical recommendations for owners to improve the sustainability of houses and other objects to flooding, etc.;
  
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  Promote creation on local television broadcasts thematic series on Climate Change and Adaptation to its consequences in various aspects, taking in account the experience of Orlivka village community;
  
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  Expand the network of NGOs, including Youth organizations, whose purpose could be implementation of educational programs on issues of climate change, sustainable development of local communities;
  
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  Create Village Council and / or the community Internet portal for placing relevant information on their development priorities, to facilitate investors etc.
  

Consider the possibilities to create the Coworking Space (center) for young people - an incubator of ideas for design, discussions and implementation of their own initiatives, including the issues in the field of Climate Change, more effective involvement the creative potential of young people.

Conclusion

Orlivka village can be regarded as forward-looking community with notable growth potential and ability to adapt to Climate Change impact. Despite the high degree of vulnerability in the first place, due to low diversification of industries with priority to agriculture, as well as the low level of awareness of ways and approaches to adaptation, the outflow of population (labour and educational migration), lack of youth perspectives, weak application of sustainable development tools. This adaptation plan, both conceptually and on the level of applied activities (proposals), makes it possible to combine and concentrate the efforts of authorities, public, business and expert environment to reduce the vulnerability of society in climate change conditions.

A key position on the sustainability of the community is to implement the principles of sustainable development, improved planning, diversification of economic structure and the application of integrated approach.

In general, the plan implementation should not only enhance the adaptive capacity of community in relation to Climate Change, but competitiveness, including other local communities that level as well.

Annex. Factors of climate change impact on Danube Delta and Southern Bessarabia region and directions of measures to minimize the threats

Impact factor	Manifestations	The object of exposure (area)	Results / consequences	Measures
1. Temperature	Increasing of water and air temperature in all seasons, periods of extremely high temperature, growth of evaporation intensity.	Farmland, settlements, streams and ponds, all kinds of ecosystems: steppe, forest, sea, Wetland, river and lake.	Arid areas, drought and changing weather conditions as a whole. Eutrophication (flowering) and kill phenomena in water bodies. Reduced snow and ice cover period.	Monitoring and Evaluation: Status Monitoring Agrotechnical: Reducing the level of tilled land and restoration of steppe with their use as pasture, drip irrigation. Adaptation and implementation of new varieties and agricultural crops. Cultivation of a second crop, focus on winter grains, the new rotation. Implementation and dissemination of new environmentally friendly technologies of rice with the creation of conditions for fish spawning and the maintenance of waterfowl species of birds and mammals. Implementation of natural pasture involving breeds of cattle, which is well used, in particular water buffalo. Aquaculture. Growing thermophilic aquaculture objects (fish, shrimp). Water economy: Restoration of the natural regime and increasing water exchange in lakes / reservoirs, and control system improvement and automation, creation of water protection zones. Ameliorative: Melioration, afforestation, water conservation and creation shading spaces (local species) along the banks of rivers and water bodies.
2. Precipitation	Negligible decrease of average annual amount of precipitation their redistribution by season (increase in cold and a reduction in warm period). A higher number and intensity of convective precipitation (heavy rains).	Coastal and delta ecosystems, prairie land areas, farmlands.	Changing the status of ecosystems in the zone of influence, changing agricultural production, damage of infrastructure and facilities.	Agrotechnical: Adaptation and introduction of drought-resistant agricultural crops, changing planting dates, the orientation of agricultural production on the cultivation of winter crops and early maturing crops. Water economy: Introduction of water saving technologies in plant cultivation (a drip irrigation). Minimizing risks: Clearing channels of watercourses, modernization and strengthening of dams, construction and reconstruction of water drain systems. Amelioration: soil conservation and anti-erosion measures. Eco Restoration: Restoration of the natural state of flood plains and meadows, creating of water protection forests, introduction of natural grazing …
3. Sea	Sea-level rise.	Seacoast, the avandelta, human settlements, infrastructure and waterworks along the arms of the Danube (from the estuary to Kiliya).	Flooding / of underflooding, landslides, abrasion, the destruction of hydraulic engineering structures, the penetration of salt water along the sleeves and salty water bodies.	Minimizing risks: improving the planning and urban design, modelling and zonation, strengthening of coasts by natural and technical mean, removal of infrastructure facilities from potential flood zone. Eco restoration: Reducing the anthropogenic impact and creating conditions for the natural adaptation of coastline, restoring coastal ecosystems.
4. Danube River	Change of hydrological mode, raising the maximum and decrease of minimum water levels.	Riversides, floodplain, diked areas (farmlands, fishing ponds), hydraulic structures (dams, floodgates, piers) and infrastructure, including drinking water intakes.	Increased frequency and intensity of floods, flooding of the areas. Increase the frequency and duration of especially low water levels in low flow, water shortages during the summer, and problems with filling lakes / reservoirs.	Water Management: Improving the regulation of water exchange Danube lakes / reservoirs with the Danube; preparation of drinking and household water supply. Minimizing the risks: Development of a common hydraulic model of Danube Delta and digital elevation model for the prediction of flooding; gradual removal of infrastructure facilities (especially dangerous) from potential flooding areas; modernization of flood protection system, reconstruction of dams, construction of dikes to protect certain settlements and infrastructure; anti landslide and shore protection measures in Danube lakes / reservoirs. Implementation projects on integrated use of land resources in the area of potential flooding (energy willow plantation, natural grazing, ecotourism and recreation). Eco Restoration: Restoring the natural state of flood plains.
5. Extreme weather events, natural disasters, emergencies associated with the factors 1, 2, 3	Storms, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, hail, flooding, ice jams, fires (forests and cane).	Infrastructure facilities and environment objects, human settlements.	Increased frequency of phenomena, including the catastrophic emergencies.	Prediction and monitoring: monitoring of environmental conditions, weather forecasting (meteoradar), process modelling and the timely notifications of population. Risk minimization: Creation of an early warning system and the local response. Prevention by improving the planning and urban design, zonation on placement of objects construction and infrastructure. The development of digital maps of flood risk. Clearing and upgrading storm sewage systems, culverts hydraulic engineering structures under roads and embankments. Fire-fighting measures. Eco Restoration: Restoring small rivers.
6. Cumulative Effect of factors	Combination of several factors simultaneously.	Infrastructure facilities and environmental settlements.	Destruction, material losses as minimum, risk of health and life of people in areas of influence.	All the above-mentioned events. Increasing the NRF areas and ecological network development.
7. Alien and invasive species, including pests, parasites, disease vectors	Invasion and / or dissemination	Human, biodiversity, natural living resources (fish, plants, etc.), the crop plants and livestock.	The loss of local biodiversity, changes in of the species composition, reduce of resources, epidemics, epizootic diseases and epiphytotic.	Monitoring and Evaluation: Development of the monitoring system by invasive & alien species. Biotechnical: Regulation of the number of highly dangerous species search and implementation of new measures on their usage (conversion to raw material resource etc.) Water management: Preparation of water intakes to the number of outbreaks (blooms) of toxic algae. Eco restoration: Preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, increasing the territories NRF, strengthening their protection regime, including fire fighting.
General measures: - Development of regional forecasting models of climate change; - Creation of comprehensive monitoring key indicators system of climate change and its effects; - The creation of regional information and consultation center on issues of adaptation to climate change; - Development of a website on the behaviour under the threat of flooding to local residents; - Dissemination of information about the nature and consequences of climate change on the Danube; - Conducting public awareness measures on climate change and its effects; - Inclusion into educational and training programs the climate change issues.

1^ For wintering and winter wheat vegetation are particularly important agro-climatic conditions in the fall. In conditions that are predicted because of climate change, particularly, because of changes in temperature, it will be necessary to review the terms of sowing this crop, according to agro-climatic conditions that should be postponed for 20 - 25 days (9 - 16 October).

2^ Increased precipitation in winter and early spring, as well as softening temperature, create unique conditions for accumulation humidity in the soil at the beginning of spring fieldwork. This creates the need to postpone the timing of sowing (15 - 30 days earlier than usual agro-climatic optimum timing). Also significantly will improve the agro-climatic conditions for vegetation, especially during the crop earing.

3^ http://wwf.panda.org/uk/news_ukr/publications_video/?206062/Danube-Delta-Vision