As the Horizon Europe project ClimEmpower reaches completion, Frederick University's ISTOS Center reflects on its contribution to strengthening climate resilience in the Troodos Mountains, one of the project’s five Southern European study regions.

On the Cyprus side, the project brought together the Troodos Development Agency (ANET), representing the participating communities and their local priorities, and ISTOS Center, a Frederick University Research Unit and is led by Professor Petros Christou. This collaboration connected scientific research with local knowledge and supported the development of practical resources for communities, decision-makers and younger audiences.

Four Community of Practice (CoP) meetings were organised in cooperation with ANET, bringing together representatives of local authorities, government departments, academia, civil protection, businesses and community organisations. The discussions focused on the risk of wildfires, drought, heatwaves and their consequences for the Troodos region. They helped identify local vulnerabilities and adaptation priorities, as well as gaps in climate information, emergency preparedness, technical capacity and access to funding. In this way, the concerns and experience of Troodos communities were directly reflected in project activities.

The ISTOS Center research team also contributed to the scientific dissemination of ClimEmpower results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences, including Climate and the SPIE proceedings of RSCy2025. A key research output involving the team was the article “Climate-Resilient Land-Use Planning Across Heterogeneous Southern European Hazard Regions”, published in Land (MDPI). The study introduced the Hazard–Sector Translation Framework, a structured approach for converting climate-risk evidence into practical land-use recommendations by linking hazards and their consequences with affected sectors, planning measures and implementation instruments across the five ClimEmpower regions.

Beyond scientific publication, emphasis was placed on translating research into accessible and practical tools. The 33-page Fire Detective Guide was developed for children aged 10–14 (download it here), explaining wildfire ignition and spread, the influence of weather and climate on fire danger, forest ecosystems, prevention, preparedness, safe behaviour and post-fire recovery through age-appropriate activities. In parallel, the research framework was further translated into the educational guide “Converting Climate Risks into Actionable Land-Use Plans”, developed with contributions from a member of the ISTOS Center research team and the ClimEmpower coordination team. The guide supports policymakers, mayors and planners in moving from climate-risk information to concrete planning measures, responsibilities and implementation priorities, using practical exercises and a running example from Troodos without requiring advanced climate-modelling or GIS expertise.

ISTOS Center extends its appreciation to ANET, the ClimEmpower consortium and all participating stakeholders for their collaboration and for the local knowledge shared throughout the project.

ClimEmpower was funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101112728.