The process was completed in June 2018 with the submittal of a document by the NELS Network to the Government of Navarra containing specific proposals in the field of spatial and urban planning, which may be extended to the entire Region, in the form of Planning Criteria or Technical Instructions, according to the transposition made by the Territory and Landscape Planning Service. The fact that the four pilot municipalities are representative of most of the municipalities in Navarre and are located in the four main climatic sub-regions identified in Navarre guarantees the transferability of the work.
During the process, minor inconveniences have arisen which, nonetheless, have not prevented completing the actions according to plan and successfully achieving the objectives. In particular, agents participating in the training course have experienced initial difficulties (including the municipal work teams) when trying to assimilate novel concepts and technical aspects related to climate adaptation in connection with urban planning, as well as difficulties in matching the pace and quality of the work of the different municipal teams at certain times. (In Navarre, most small municipalities do not have specific technical specialists and the planning drafting teams have had different time availability).
It is important to highlight that the political and technical commitment of the four pilot councils with EGOKI has been firm and, despite the difficulties that have arisen at certain moments, they have provided solutions and given priority to the project. This, together with the collaborative work scheme and the equally firm commitment of the group of entities that have signed the agreement, has been the main success factor.
Regarding the execution of the specific work of including adaptation criteria in the planning, it should be noted that, being a novel subject, the different technical specialists have addressed the work in different ways, making the task of compiling the conclusions into a common document that should guide the future work of all Navarre municipalities complex.
Verifying the fact that the best way to advance in knowledge is learning by doing and sharing and comparing that which is being worked on has been a positive experience, thus proving that the foreseen methodology has turned out to be strongly valid. Having different teams working simultaneously and mutually supporting one another has been fundamental, as it has facilitated motivating the technical specialists at all times and kept them from becoming discouraged due to lack of confidence in their capacity to tackle such a novel task.
During the process, useful data sources have been identified as well as certain information gaps and specific studies that are needed to further determine the climatic scenarios, dangers, vulnerability and the adaptive capacity of different systems and specific sectors. From this angle, the process has also been useful to identify the available and unavailable information that might be necessary for integrating climate adaptation into spatial and urban planning and transferring the need to carry out studies, collect indicators, etc. on a local scale to the Government of Navarre and Lursarea. The positive aspect is related to the absence of accurate information, which has allowed enhancing the technical specialists’ analytical capabilities and decision-making skills at their discretion (expert judgment).
The close collaboration among all signatory entities of the agreement and the inclusion of the Navarre Delegation of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) is again worth noting, which has also contributed to the project in the form of training and advisory initiatives.
All of the above has highlighted EGOKI as a project that facilitates coordination between public administrations and entities related to climate change, favoring the development of the Climate Change Roadmap of Navarre (KLINA).