From climate risk to adaptation strategies
On 13 July 2026, the IUAV University of Venice will host the international seminar “Adaptation to climate change and fire risk. From vulnerability assessments to adaptation measures for woodland and grassland areas” at the Tolentini campus, Sala Due Colonne. The event is organised within the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Karst Firewall 5.0 project.
The seminar will bring together researchers and experts from several European regions to address an increasingly urgent challenge: understanding how climate change is reshaping wildfire risk in forests and grasslands, and how spatial planning, ecosystem management and digital technologies can help reduce its impacts.
Starting from the experience of the cross-border Karst region between Italy and Slovenia, the discussion will also include case studies and expertise from Portugal, Greece, Türkiye and other Mediterranean areas. Key topics will include vulnerability and exposure assessment, wildfire modelling, adaptation measures and new approaches to the governance of natural areas.
Karst Firewall 5.0 and Infordata’s contribution
The afternoon session will focus on the results of Karst Firewall 5.0, a project designed to strengthen wildfire resilience in the cross-border Karst area through environmental analysis, prevention measures, institutional cooperation and advanced digital tools. Its solutions include monitoring and warning systems, Earth observation technologies and an integrated digital platform supporting wildfire risk assessment, monitoring and management.
Among the speakers will be Marko Petelin, CEO of Infordata Sistemi, who will present the Karst Firewall platform developed by Infordata. The solution brings territorial information, weather data and risk-analysis tools together in a single digital environment, supporting prevention, monitoring and decision-making activities. The platform has also been developed as an open tool for cross-border wildfire intelligence in the Karst region.
The seminar will therefore provide an opportunity to connect scientific research, spatial planning and technological innovation, bringing together expertise from across Europe and practical tools developed specifically for the Karst territory.
Seminar programme
9:30 – Coffee break and welcome
10:00 – Wildfire risk and impact assessment
The first session will focus on vulnerability, exposure, hazard probability and wildfire impacts:
- Wildfire impacts on industrial facilities in Portugal – Miguel Almeida, ADAI;
- Vegetation recovery after the 2022 wildfire on the Karst Plateau – Andraž Čarni, Mateja Breg Valjavec, Lucia Čahojová and Aljaž Jakob, ZRC SAZU;
- Wildfire risk to ecosystem services in Northern Pindos National Park, Greece – Giorgios Mallinis;
- Highly inflammable species and adaptive management in Türkiye – Ali Kavgaci;
- Fine-scale modelling of wildfire likelihood, hazard and emissions in Southern Italy – Michele Salis, CNR;
- Wildfire spread and behaviour modelling to inform fuel and land management strategies in Mediterranean areas – Liliana Del Giudice, CNR.
12:00 – Wildfire adaptation measures: between innovation and tradition
- Landscape planning and wildfire risk reduction: a Portuguese case – Domingos Lopes, UTAD;
- Adaptive governance for the Karst region – Del Bianco et al., ISIG.
12:50 – Light lunch
14:00 – The Karst Firewall 5.0 project
The final session will present and discuss the project results:
- Vulnerability analysis – Massimiliano Granceri Bradaschia, IUAV;
- Grassland enhancement for wildfire risk reduction in the Karst area – Mateja Valjavec, ZRC SAZU;
- Wildfire platform for the Karst region – Marko Petelin, Infordata Sistemi.
The seminar will conclude at 16:00.