Month: September 2026

LIFE COSTAdapta presented its Tidal Pool-Reef solution in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and explored new synergies to advance coastal resilience

Brussels, 17 September 2026. The European project LIFE COSTAdapta participated on Tuesday, 15 September, and Wednesday, 16 September, in the Atlantic–WestMED Stakeholder Conference 2026, held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The event brought together representatives from public institutions, research organisations, companies, investors, organisations and European projects working in the fields of sustainability and the blue economy.

Throughout the two-day event, LIFE COSTAdapta had its own stand in the exhibition area, where it presented the project’s progress and showcased its approach to adapting coastal areas to climate change. Rocío Armada Gallego, Project Officer at Fundación Finnova, represented the project and took part in the networking activities held during the event.

The stand also featured Patricia del Mar Caro Ruiz, LIFE COSTAdapta’s Technical Coordinator and researcher at the University Institute of Oceanography and Global Change (IOCAG) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), and Nareme Herrera López, researcher and geographer at the University of Cantabria. Their participation helped bring the project’s scientific and technical dimension closer to visitors and provided an opportunity to share information on the diagnostic and adaptation work being carried out in Gran Canaria.

One of the main elements presented was the Tidal Pool-Reef system, a solution inspired by the Canary Islands’ tradition of building tidal pools. The project aims to develop and test this methodology as a gradual solution to contribute to the adaptation of Gran Canaria’s coastline to sea-level rise, combining coastal protection with biodiversity conservation.

The conference also provided LIFE COSTAdapta with an opportunity to exchange experiences and explore new collaboration opportunities with stakeholders from the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean regions. In this context, the project shared exhibition space with ONE-BLUE, fostering dialogue between European initiatives focused on the protection of marine ecosystems and the development of a sustainable blue economy.

The participation also contributed to strengthening the project’s European dimension and establishing contacts with representatives of cooperation programmes and initiatives. Meetings held during the event included Vincent Ernoux, Coordinator of the Interreg NEXT MED Programme Branch Office for the Western Mediterranean, and Axel Rodríguez Garrote, Project and Programme Development Officer at the Interreg MED Programme.

About LIFE COSTAdapta

LIFE COSTAdapta is a seven-year European project coordinated by the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council (CIEGC). Its objective is to develop and test an innovative and gradual Tidal Pool-Reef system to adapt Gran Canaria’s coastline to climate change and sea-level rise. The project has a total budget of €3,337,563, of which €2,002,538 is co-financed by the European Union through the LIFE Programme. Its consortium comprises CIEGC, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the University of Cantabria, INGECID, Raley Estudios Costeros, ECOncrete AQUA, Fundación Canaria para el Reciclaje y Desarrollo Sostenible (FCR), and Fundación Finnova.

In the framework of UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week, the project highlights the use of mathematical modeling and digital coastal monitoring tools as decision-making pillars

Translating complex scientific data into accessible visuals enabled San Felipe residents and El Circo surfers last July to understand how the innovative ‘Tidal Pool-Reef’ system operates

Brussels 9 September 2026. On the occasion of the Digital Learning Week promoted by UNESCO, the European project LIFE COSTAdapta highlights the strategic role of digital modeling, data simulation, and scientific pedagogy in addressing the challenge of adapting our coastlines to rising sea levels.

In modern coastal engineering, climate action and learning begin in the digital environment. The LIFE COSTAdapta consortium employs state-of-the-art technologies to mathematically model how waves interact with the northern coast of Gran Canaria and to carry out precise tracking of beach evolution in specific enclaves like San Felipe. These digital simulations allow researchers from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the University of Cantabria (UC) to predict future climate scenarios and optimize the structural design of the innovative ‘Tidal Pool-Reef’ (arrecife-charcos de marea) system.

Environmental Education for Co-design owever, digital learning is not restricted to the scientific community. One of LIFE COSTAdapta’s primary goals, in line with UNESCO’s philosophy of democratizing technological knowledge, is to transfer this complex digital data to society in an accessible and educational format.

A clear example of this was the community-listening campaign carried out last July in the neighborhood of San Felipe and the surf-break area of El Circo. Through an itinerant campaign utilizing physical, interactive wooden display boards, the project team “translated” the coastline’s digital simulations and profiles. This allowed neighbors, surfers, and visitors of all ages to understand the physics behind the tide pools. This pedagogical exercise fostered a transparent dialogue, enabling the community to provide feedback grounded in a real understanding of the project’s science.

About the Project

LIFE COSTAdapta has a duration of 7 years (84 months) and a total budget of €3,409,864, of which €2,045,818 is co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. Coordinated by the Consejo Insular de la Energía de Gran Canaria (CIEGC) of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the multidisciplinary consortium is composed of CIEGC, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the University of Cantabria (UC), INGECID, RALEY Estudios Costeros S.C.P., ECOncrete AQUA, the Canary Foundation for Recycling and Sustainable Development (Canarias Recicla – FCR), and the Finnova Foundation.

For more information: https://costadapta.energiagrancanaria.com/

The European project stresses the importance of understanding climate change to strengthen the adaptation of Gran Canaria’s coastline

Gran Canaria, 8 September 2026. The celebration of International Literacy Day highlights the importance of access to knowledge as a tool for addressing major social and environmental challenges. In this context, the European project LIFE COSTAdapta highlights the role of environmental literacy in understanding the impacts of climate change and advancing towards a more resilient coastline in Gran Canaria.

Understanding how the coastline is changing, what consequences sea level rise may have and what adaptation options are available allows citizens to participate more actively and knowledgeably in the protection of their environment.

Environmental literacy is particularly relevant in island territories such as the Canary Islands, where coastal areas concentrate a significant part of economic, social and recreational activity. For LIFE COSTAdapta, climate change adaptation must go hand in hand with knowledge and awareness among the people who live in and enjoy these spaces.

A coastline prepared for the future

LIFE COSTAdapta addresses the adaptation of Gran Canaria’s coastline to sea level rise through an innovative methodology based on the design and testing of a progressive Tidal pool-reef system.

The proposal combines traditional tidal pool construction techniques, characteristic of the Canary Islands and Macaronesia, with advanced solutions. The aim is to progressively strengthen natural coastal protection, support the creation and conservation of habitats and help reduce vulnerability to the effects of climate change.

The project is based on a principle of particular relevance to local communities: coastal adaptation must allow these spaces to remain part of everyday life for local communities.

LIFE COSTAdapta therefore seeks to increase coastal resilience without affecting local use. Protecting coastal areas also contributes to safeguarding economic activities linked to the coastline, including tourism, without proposing a transformation of beaches aimed at replacing their use by local residents.

Knowledge for shared adaptation

Awareness is essential to ensure that adaptation solutions are understood and valued by society. Environmental literacy helps translate concepts such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and climate resilience into the everyday reality of people living close to the sea.

In this context, LIFE COSTAdapta approaches adaptation as a process that requires knowledge, innovation and collaboration between public authorities, the scientific community, businesses and citizens.

The project is coordinated by the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council (CIEGC), part of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, and brings together seven partners: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), University of Cantabria (UC), INGECID, Investigación y Desarrollo de Proyectos, Raley Estudios Costeros S.C.P., ECOncrete AQUA, Fundación Canaria para el Reciclaje y Desarrollo Sostenible (FCR) and Fundación Finnova.

With a duration of 84 months, LIFE COSTAdapta has a total budget of €3,337,563, of which €2,002,53 is co-financed by the European Union through the LIFE Programme.

The initiative contributes to European climate adaptation objectives and reinforces the need to prepare coastal areas for an environmental scenario undergoing significant transformation.

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