What it takes to replicate local adaptation Lessons and partnership opportunities from Ukraine
What does a community need to adapt and implement a solution developed elsewhere? A measure must fit local climate risks, natural conditions, land ownership, institutions and the capacity for long-term care. Communities need to understand results, assess suitability, prepare projects, learn from others and monitor progress. The panel examines how donor support can cover these activities alongside implementation.
This session presents one answer from Ukraine. Adapterra UA makes local adaptation visible, motivates municipalities through recognition and turns adaptation into a public conversation. The panel asks how the competition could become a lasting national mechanism that helps local governments act faster, and how partners in Europe and beyond can support it. Adapterra UA is a national adaptation competition and platform for sharing experience, organised by NGO Ecoclub with Czech partner Nadace Partnerství within the PAABS project. The first two editions received 50 applications in 2025 and 51 in 2026, including 31 municipal applications across both years. The 2026 entries came from 19 regions. Approximately three in four applications were submitted by women.
Selected initiatives are documented online, while winners receive up to UAH 80,000 to develop their work. Public voting attracted more than 2,500 participants in each year. This experience demonstrates communities’ commitment to adaptation during war and provides material for learning, technical advice and project preparation.
The Czech Adapterra programme combines awards and a case database with advisory services and study visits. Its work on risk assessment, investment preparation, coordination and public participation provides a comparison for strengthening the Ukrainian approach.
Simulation and collective decisions. Ecoclub and Nadace Partnerství are adapting the Czech Adapterra simulation game for Ukraine. Officials and residents plan adaptation measures on a community map within a limited budget, learning to agree on choices before implementation.
Networks and participation. Ukrainian Climate Network member organisations were behind both winning projects in 2025. Its adaptathon and Climate Weeks help identify initiatives, engage applicants and connect communities.
Lessons from implementation. At Zalyvky, rewetting works slowed drainage and helped retain water; the project team reports that recurring peat fires have stopped, while ecological monitoring and maintenance continue. In Rivne, the Sad Istorii initiative used satellite heat mapping to help select 18 locations, planted 30 large trees and financed the work through crowdfunding.