Valais, Switzerland

Regional Demonstrators

Valais, the third largest canton in Switzerland, is often described as Europe’s water tower. It is strongly committed to addressing the challenges linked to climate change. The Swiss demonstrator of the MountResilience project, implemented in Val de Bagnes, offers an innovative solution for the future management of water, balancing increasing competitive uses and changes in natural supply. 

Climate change has a major impact on water. New periods of drought are emerging, particularly affecting agriculture, and the thawing of permafrost destabilises the soil, endangering infrastructure and communities. Flood risks are also significantly changing, and the evolution of hydrological regimes has consequences for water management in the Alps and downstream lowlands dependent on Alpine water, such as the Po, Rhône, Danube, and Rhine rivers. It also affects energy management: 60% of Swiss electricity is produced by dams, which also serve as major energy storage units for renewables through large-scale pumped-storage installations. Tourism activities that rely on water are also facing unprecedented situations due to climate change. 

Addressing these challenges requires key stakeholders to be brought together in order to develop solutions that integrate the environmental situation, scientific knowledge, the realities of various uses, and innovative perspectives, often inspired by nature. 

The Swiss demonstrator of MountResilience aims to create a system based on scientific data that fosters dialogue, co-creation of solutions, faster decision-making, and adoption by numerous stakeholders. It involves three main components: 

• Quantitative and qualitative monitoring of the watershed, notably involving next-generation sensors that, for example, provide flow data in natural environments. 

• The creation of a digital platform that translates mountain data into simple, understandable, and engaging indicators for all stakeholders, including non-specialists. The platform explores data representations, cultural dimensions, and complementary services that promote interest and engagement. 

• Methods and services to implement this platform in public communities, to support decision-making related to the challenges of water management and climate change. 

The demonstrator aims to establish a new relationship between society, the environment, and scientific knowledge through the concrete implementation of innovative digital and social solutions. 

Climate challenges  

• Create a new connection between water stakeholders, including citizens, and the actual environmental situation, to foster a better understanding, informed decision-making, and new behaviors. 

• Transform competitive uses into collaborative strengths, grounded in scientific data, to support decision-making that effectively responds to climate change. 

• Move beyond short-term technical and economic perspectives to promote sustainable adaptation to climate change, which benefits all stakeholders by integrating aspects of responsibility, opportunity, and cultural values. 

What has been done so far?  

• Watershed monitoring 
• Implementation of quantitative sensors 
• Development of remote qualitative sensors to enable near real-time data acquisition 
• Development of digital architecture 
• Conversion of raw data into relative indicators 
• Digital platform 
• Clarification of the overarching challenge: engagement 
• Definition and refinement of key interface parameters 
• Co-creation workshops for indicator representation 
• Development of additional content to foster engagement 
• Finalisation of workshops with municipalities 
• Involvement of stakeholder umbrella organisations (e.g., farmers, tourism) 
• Analysis of decision-making processes and engagement factors 
• Literature review to support new methodology 
• Communication plan development 
• Preparation of contributions to large-audience events and collaborations with museums