The webinar, part of European Maritime Day In My Country 2026, will share experiences in risk assessment, nature-based solutions and EU funding opportunities to protect coastlines
Brussels / Canary Islands, Thursday 22 October 2026. — The EU-funded LIFE COSTAdapta project will host the webinar “Islands and coasts on the front line: coastal risks and climate adaptation in the EU Outermost Regions” on Wednesday 28 October, a meeting to share experiences and knowledge on the challenges that island and coastal territories face as a result of climate change.
The event will take place from 14:00 to 15:15 (Canary Islands time) / 15:00 to 16:15 (CET, Brussels time), online and in English, with automatic captions. It is part of European Maritime Day In My Country 2026, the European Commission initiative that brings the EU’s maritime dimension closer to regions and citizens.
Because of their insular nature and their exposure to the effects of climate change, the EU Outermost Regions face major challenges linked to sea-level rise, coastal erosion and extreme weather events. Risk assessment, spatial planning and adaptation measures are therefore essential to strengthen the resilience of their communities and ecosystems.
The Canary Islands as a reference case for coastal risk assessment
The webinar will focus on the Canary Islands as a reference case for identifying the areas most vulnerable to climate change. The coastal risk analyses produced by GRAFCAN for each island provide key information to guide planning and decision-making on adaptation, helping to anticipate climate impacts and to define measures tailored to each territory.
LIFE COSTAdapta will also be presented. In San Felipe (Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria), the project is developing a nature-based adaptation solution: the tidal pool–reef system. It aims to strengthen the protection of the coastal strip by working with natural processes, and could be transferred and replicated on other islands and in other European regions facing similar challenges.
Cooperation between regions to protect our coasts
The programme will bring together institutional representatives, environmental specialists, researchers and professionals working on risk management and climate adaptation.
The opening will be led by Patricia Caro Ruiz, project manager and researcher at IOCAG, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), LIFE COSTAdapta lead partner, who will moderate the session; Dario Vaschetto, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE); and Cristina Domínguez Beautell, Delegate of the Government of the Canary Islands in Brussels.
The session on coastal risk assessment in the Canary Islands will feature Raúl Salvador García Brink, Councillor for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge of the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo de Gran Canaria), and Nareme Herrera, geographer and GIS specialist at the University of Cantabria.
The nature-based solutions session will showcase the potential of the LIFE COSTAdapta tidal pool–reef system, presented by Iñaki Pérez Anzola, architect and researcher at ULPGC.
One of the highlights will be the round table “Each region and its coast”, moderated by Patricia Caro Ruiz, on coastal risks and adaptation strategies in the Outermost Regions. Speakers will include Jesús González Navarro, Director of Environment (Las Palmas) and Climate Change at Gesplan, Government of the Canary Islands; Asier Furundarena Hernández, researcher at Gesplan; and Renato Sérgio Verdadeiro Marques, Senior Technician at the Natural Risk Management Division of the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Climate Action of the Azores.
EU funding to boost climate adaptation
The event will include a session on EU funding opportunities to develop and scale up coastal adaptation measures. Paulina Menem, EU Project Manager at Fundación Finnova, will present funding routes to support new initiatives and strengthen cooperation between territories.
The webinar is aimed at regional, island and local authorities; universities and research centres in marine sciences and coastal engineering; environmental agencies and climate change offices; EU institutions and LIFE projects; and citizens interested in coastal protection. Registered participants will receive the recording and conclusions afterwards.
Event details
- Event: Islands and coasts on the front line: coastal risks and climate adaptation in the EU Outermost Regions
- Date: Wednesday 28 October 2026
- Time: 14:00–15:15 (Canary Islands time) / 15:00–16:15 (CET, Brussels)
- Format: online (Microsoft Teams), free of charge
- Language: English, with automatic captions
- Registration: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/islands-and-coasts-on-the-front-line-eu-outermost-regions-adapt-tickets-2003205162566
The event is organised by Fundación Finnova with the support of the LIFE COSTAdapta partners, as part of the European Commission’s European Maritime Day In My Country 2026.
About LIFE COSTAdapta
LIFE COSTAdapta (LIFE22-CCA-ES-LIFE-COSTAdapta, No 101113851) is a climate change adaptation project on the coast of Gran Canaria, running from July 2023 to June 2030. It has a total budget of €3,337,563 €, of which €3,337,563 is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Programme. It is coordinated by the Island Energy Council of Gran Canaria (CIEGC), with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the University of Cantabria, INGECID, Raley Estudios Costeros, ECOncrete AQUA, Fundación para el Desarrollo Sostenible Canarias Recicla (FCR) and Fundación Finnova as partners.
More information: https://costadapta.energiagrancanaria.com
Press contact: Yolanda Durán, LIFE COSTAdapta Communications – Fundación Finnova · yolanda.duran@finnova.eu
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.