The MountResilience project held its latest Replication Lab (RepLab) visit in the Tyrol region of Austria, one of the project’s six demonstrator regions. Replicator partners from four European regions, Catalonia (Spain), Primorje-Gorski Kotar (Croatia), Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy), and the Subcarpathian Region (Poland), travelled to Tyrol for two intensive days of knowledge exchange, field visits, and collaborative working sessions, with the opportunity to learn first-hand from the adaptation solutions being developed and tested on the ground by the Tyrol demonstrator team.
The visit opened with a keynote by Prof. Johann Stötter (University of Innsbruck / alp-S), who presented a sobering picture of climate change in Tyrol. Temperatures in the region have already risen by +3.3°C since pre-industrial times, exceeding both the Austrian average (+3.1°C) and the global mean (+1.4°C). Under a fossil-fuel scenario, Tyrol could face warming of up to +4.8°C by 2050, with dramatic consequences for glaciers, biodiversity, alpine ecosystems, and natural hazard dynamics. Participants received also a presentation from KLAR! manager Michaela Gasser-Mark on the Arlberg Stanzertal programme, Austria’s national climate adaptation model region initiative. The session highlighted concrete measures already underway, including wild bee monitoring and biodiversity trails, citizen-led biotope creation, conversion of monoculture forests towards climate-resilient mixed species, and the development of guides for climate-resilient tourism businesses. A key takeaway was the value of embedding adaptation within existing local governance structures and building from community engagement.
Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the solutions being implemented on the ground in Tyrol, with local partners presenting their work across three key thematic areas: Buildings & Settlements, Financing & Monitoring, and Services, offering replicators concrete examples of how climate adaptation measures are being operationalised at regional level. These thematic sessions were delivered by Julia Scharting (Standortagentur Tirol GmbH), Fabian Klier (Klimabündnis Tirol), Elsa Ventruba (alp-S GmbH), Patricia Erler (Klimabündnis Tirol), Lisa Heim (Land Tirol) and Valerie Mense (Energieagentur Tirol), whose combined expertise provided a rich and multi-sectoral perspective on Tyrol’s adaptation journey.
The afternoon of Day 1 was dedicated to a hands-on RepLab session run by INOVA+ with the participation of the 4 replicator partners, focused on advancing their individual Replication Plans.
Day two took participants to the mountain destination of Seefeld, a region heavily dependent on snow-based winter tourism and already confronting the consequences of reduced snow reliability. The visit to Arena365 and guided tour of practical adaptation examples on the ground provided a powerful real-world complement to the session’s thematic focus: how to transition from a snow-dependent tourism economy towards a more resilient, year-round model. The destination was presented by Elias Walser, CEO, and Michaela Kraler, Sustainability Coordinator, who guided participants through Seefeld’s climate adaptation journey and the concrete measures being implemented across the territory.
The Tyrol team represented by Elsa Ventruba (Alps GmbH) who presented case studies sharing both methods used, including expert interviews, stakeholder surveys, social network analysis, and participatory workshops, and honest reflections on what worked and what didn’t. Key process lessons included the importance of starting with local stakeholders (such as local destination management organisations), defining clear goals from the outset, and accepting the experimental nature of transformation processes.
Replicator partners left with a clearer understanding of the systemic challenges facing mountain tourism regions, a set of tested methodological approaches they can adapt to their own contexts, and renewed momentum for progressing their Replication Plans. The visit also reinforced a core MountResilience principle: effective climate adaptation requires combining scientific rigour, stakeholder co-creation, and the courage to experiment. The next RepLab visit is planned for June 2026 in Piemonte, Italy.
