Climate Canvas is a tool that helps organizations and communities identify and assess the potential impacts of climate change on their projects or activities. In the context of a hiking project at Skadar Lake, the Climate Canvas is used to identify and evaluate the risks and opportunities presented by climate change and to develop strategies to mitigate and adapt to those impacts.
Vranjina is a village situated on the West side of the island Vranjina in the central part of Skadar Lake National Park. Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkans, with an area of 40,000 ha. It is an aquatic/wetland ecosystem, proclaimed as National Park in 1983 and Ramsar site in 1995.
The village has a small population, which is mostly made up of the locals. The village has a typical Mediterranean architecture and customs, with narrow streets, stone houses, and a church. The village is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes, including Skadar Lake and the mountain ranges.
Vranjina is also home to an ornithological station that provides a base for bird-watching and scientific research in the Skadar Lake area. The lake is a well-known bird-watching destination in Europe and is home to a wide variety of bird species, including the Dalmatian Pelican, the Pygmy Cormorant and the White-Headed Duck.
Vranjina island and village (known as Small Venice) are connected to the mainland by a motorway and railway embankment. The Village has almost no arable land and the majority of the population is traditionally engaged in fishing. The village is also popular with tourists, mostly for Skadar Lake and the bird watching opportunities. In the last few decades, mainly due to pollution growth and climate change, the hydrology of the lake has changed, resulting in declining fish harvests. Consequently, the inhabitants of Vranjina have been increasingly turning to tourism for their livelihoods.
In order to increase tourist traffic and extend the tourist season to include winter, group of local NGOs and enthusiasts initiated a project that would expand the network of hiking trails to connect the village with tourist attractions such as lake view points and Monastery Vranjina (Episcopal seat in 12 Century), a well-known feature of the island. The main hiking trail is circular and has two variants: the Northern route over Ledina meadow and the Western route over Zadruga and Via Ferrata beneath the top. Both variants start at 8m above sea level, while the highest point is the top of Velji Vrh hill at 303 m above sea level. Other trails go from Village to the Monastery.
Once completed, the network of hiking trails will be 12 km. Solar-powered lighting would also be installed around the Monastery, camping site, rest areas, and viewpoints. Additional scenic views along the trail are also planned to be built.
The project team used the Climate Canvas methodology to identify the potential impacts of climate change on trail conditions and accessibility. They identified that changes in precipitation patterns could lead to flooding or landslides that make the trail difficult or impossible to navigate. The Climate Canvas helped to identify these risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, such as building raised walkways or rerouting the trail to avoid flood-prone areas.
The Climate Canvas was also used to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on the local communities that rely on the lake for their livelihoods. For example, changes in water levels can impact the local fishing and agriculture industries. The Climate Canvas helped the project team to identify these risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, such as supporting alternative livelihoods or promoting sustainable tourism.
Overall, the Climate Canvas was a useful tool for a hiking project at Skadar Lake, helping to identify and evaluate the potential impacts of climate change and develop strategies to mitigate or adapt to those impacts.
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