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On Thursday 27^th January, the second workshop of the participatory process was carried out in person with the previously selected stakeholders for the case study of Rimini. The workshop was organized and implemented by Flaminia Squitieri (WUR), with the support of Mattia Neri (UB) and Elena Toth (UB). The workshop was held in the Laboratorio Aperto Rimini Tiberio space thanks to the hospitality of Anna Montini (Municipal Councillor for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Blue Economy of Rimini Municipality).

The serious game “SIMTWIST: THE GAME. Scenarios and proposals for the future to ensure water supply in Rimini” was played during the workshop. The game was originally designed for the Benidorm case study by Joanne Craven, a professional consultant specialized in developing this kind of tool and trained at the prestigious UNESCO-IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. The game was adapted for the Italian case study by Flaminia Squitieri. The game was developed and played to explore the implications and different measures to address a future scenario in which the Rimini water system is threatened. Several factors may threaten the system, including climate change, increased rainfall variability, decreasing water availability, and increased demand for water from the tourism sector. Stakeholders discussed and proposed perceived benefits, impacts, barriers, and requirements for implementing different measures in this future scenario.

The final objective was to formulate a strategy common to all the stakeholders to preserve the robustness of the water system. All stakeholders present played together around the same table. Central to the discussion was the need for targeted and continuous collaborative projects between the parties. The final strategy proposed envisaged a combination of measures such as:

• Increasing collaboration among stakeholders by developing targeted projects (Collaborazione – Progetti Mirati) and promoting an integrated vision (Collaborazione – Visione Integrata)
• Adopting good water-saving practices in tourism facilities (Risparmio idrico – Adozione Buone Pratiche)
• Implementing new water storage facilities (Infrastrutture – Aumento Stoccaggio)
• Adopting economic instruments such as increasing tariffs to increase investments and reduce consumption (Strumenti economici – Aumento Tariffa)
• Increasing awareness through the definition and implementation of a communication strategy for citizen-user education (Sensibilizzazione – Educazione e Comunicazione)

The following people attended the workshop:

– Tonino Bernabè (Romagna Acque)

– Marco Martelli (Romagna Acque)

– Maurizia Brunetti (Hera)

– Emanuele Galloni (Hera)

– Antonio Bortolotti (Hera)

– Anna Montini (Comune Rimini)

– Alessandro La Lampa (AIA)

– Mauro Vanni (Cooperativa Bagnini Rimini Sud)

– Andrea Albini (Cooperativa Bagnini Rimini Sud)

Elena Toth, Mattia Neri, and Irene Cicconi from University of Bologna attended the workshop online. Moreover, Giuseppe Selvaggiuolo, who works for Laboratorio Aperto Tiberio, provided support for the event logistics and attended the workshop as a spectator. ATERSIR and Servizio Turismo, Commercio e Sport – Regione Emilia-Romagna did not partecipate in the workshop.

The workshop was very successful! The innovative game tool facilitated knowledge sharing and social learning processes and enabled the emergence of new ideas. Interesting discussions emerged among the participants, leading to exchanging knowledge, experiences, and insightful information. Stakeholders gave positive feedback to the game and the overall experience, acknowledging how the unexpected final choices were the product of refinement work based on a mutual exchange of ideas and practices. They also stressed the importance of having the opportunity to discuss different topics all together at the same table.

Thanks to everyone who actively participated and contributed to the workshop with enthusiasm!

The second live workshop was carried out with Benidorm stakeholders

On Thursday 28^th October, the second workshop (live) was carried out with the previously-selected stakeholders for the case study of Benidorm. The workshop was organized by Maria Reyes (WUR), Rubén Villar (UA), and Antonio Rico (UA). The workshop was celebrated on the premises of Consorcio de Aguas de la Marina Baja thanks to the hospitality of Jaime Berenguer (Exploitation Chief of Consorcio de Aguas de la Marina Baja). During the workshop, a serious game was plated, designed by Joanne Craven, an proffesional consultant specialized in this tool and trained at the prestigious Unesco-IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. This game has enabled to explore different measures to overcome future threats (such as climate change) to water demand and water supply. Also, the stakeholders could debate and propose the perceivedbenefits, impacts, obstacles, and requirements of implementing these measures in this future scenario. The game was played in parallel sessions in two different groups: The following people assisted to the workshop:

-Jaime Berenguer (Consorcio de Aguas de la Marina Baja)

-Nieves Mondéjar (Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar)

-Juan Domingo Cortés and Raúl Guardiola (Comunidad de Regantes de Callosa d’En Sarria)

-Jordi Sanjuan (HOSBEC)

-Vicente Mayor (Ayuntamiento de Benidorm)

-Vicente Sapena (HIDRAQUA)

-Angel Uribe (Comunidad de Regantes del Canal Bajo del Algar)

-Miguel Orts (Comunidad de Regantes de Villajoyosa)

-Carlos Aliaga (EPSAR)

 

The workshop was very successful due to the amount of new information obtained thanks to this innovative tool. The stakeholders enjoyed the game and had the opportunity to debate about several topics. We thank all of them sincerely for their participation and their enthusiasm!

 

 

 

 

 

On 25^th and 26^th October, the SIMTWIST project had its second annual meeting in person in Alicante. The team from the University of Bologna and the University of Wageningen were also present. On Monday 25^th October, all the project’s members met at the University of Alicante to present the progress of each work package and discuss work that still needs to be carried out to complete the objectives and expected outcomes. On Tuesday 26^th, the University of Alicante organized a field trip so all the team members could visit the complex water system of the Marina Baja. Some sites visited were: Guadalest Reservoir, Amadorio Reservoir, Fuentes del Algar water sources, and the case-study city of Benidorm. The meeting was successful and enriching for all the team members.

 

 

 

Several members of the SIMTWIST project participated in the European Geophysical Union General Assembly 2021, held online between April 19th and April 30th, highlighting some preliminary results for the Benidorm (spain) and Rimini (Italy) case studies.

The Spanish SIMTWIST project partners presented their work in which the topics of interest related to tourist water consumption was analyzed. These topics were identified by scientific researchers, decision-makers and stakeholders from the tourist sector applied to the Benidorm case study.

The Italian partners analyzed the features and patterns that characterize the tourist water consumption in hotels and bathing establishments in Rimini, showing the influence of category, size, opening period, and water-demanding facilities (restaurant, pool, spa, garden, etc.).

In Rimini, the number of water-meter readings declined substantially in the last years: water meters are conventional, meaning that are manually read, and they are aging. However, the municipality is testing a smart-metering approach, installing a set of smart-meters in tourist premises.

On April 20th 2021, the coordinator of the SIMTWIST Project, Dr. Bas Amelung made an online presentation at the Mid-term JPI Water Evaluation Meeting. The purpose of the mid-term meeting was to present the current development of the funded projects and to provide the opportunity to the Project Coordinators and the Follow-up Group members to exchange ideas and feedback. The discussions after each session of project presentations were intended to foster coordination and future collaboration among all the projects.

Participants: Water JPI 2018 Project Coordinators and Research Team Members, Follow-up Group Experts, Water JPI Funding Organisations.

The presentation of the SIMTWIST project can be found on the link below.

SIMTWIST Mid-term_new3

 

On April 8th 2021 we participated in the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting ( in the session Urban Climate Governance II), presenting our preliminary results about the analysis of the hydrosocial cycle in Benidorm.

 

 

We have presented a new approach to analyzing power relationships between stakeholders that allow interpreting and proposing solutions to the main challenges and threats that support water systems in tourist environments.

 

MSc. student Flaminia Squitieri, with the collaboration of Dr. Maria Reyes (Wageningen University) and the Italian team from the University of Bologna, Dr. Elena Toth and Dr. Matia Neri, carried out the first workshop in the case study of Rimini. Eight of the nine-selected stakeholders attended the workshop on Monday 12th April 2021. The workshop lasted around twwo hours and a half, and was a good opportunity for all stakeholders to meet. During this meeting, all stakeholders had the opportunity to present their own conceptual maps, which were developed on the the interviews carried out online also by Flaminia, and polished afterwards with the feedback of each stakeholder. Also, Flaminia presented all the work done behind the maps, and the main interest topics that were identified in common for all stakeholders. Each stakeholder chose  what they believe is the most important interest topic and defended it. Afterwards, a votation took place to rank these interest topics, and finally, based on this ranking, each stakeholder could express their satisfaction towards this ranking. Fortunately 6 of the 8 participants felt comfortable with this prioritization, which allow us to focus on certain topics at the moment of developing the Agent -Based Model (ABM) for Rimini water supply system.

Dr. Maria Reyes, with the collaboration of MSc. student Alejandro Basa, Dr. Matthew Hare (James Hutton Institute), Dr. Antonio Rico (University of Alicante) and Dr. Rubén Villar (University of Alicante), carried out the first workshop in the case study of Benidorm. Ten of the eleven-selected stakeholders attended the workshop on Tuesday 24th of November 2020. The workshop lasted three hours, and was a good opportunity for all stakeholders to meet. During this meeting, all stakeholders had the opportunity to present their own conceptual maps, which were developed on the the interviews of the first fieldwork, and polished afterwards with the feedback of each stakeholder. Also, Dr. Maria Reyes presented all the work done behind the maps, and the main interest topics that were identified in common for all stakeholders. Each stakeholder chose the most important interest topic and defended it. Afterwards, a votation took place to rank these interest topics, and finally, based on this ranking, each stakeholder could express their satisfaction towards this ranking. Fortunately 7 of the 10 participants felt comfortable with this prioritization, which allow us to focus on certain topics at the moment of developing the Agent -Based Model (ABM).

On February 16th, the MOOC Tourism and Climate Change dictated by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and offered by the EdX platform will start. The registration to the course is open through the following link:

https://www.edx.org/course/tourism-and-climate-change

This MOOC explores the mutual impacts of tourism stakeholders and the climate. The course aims to understand how tourism and climate change are inextricably connected, Among the key lecturers of the course it is worth highlighting two members of the SIMTWIST project: Dr. Bas Amelung (WUR) and Dr. Sandra Ricart from the University of Alicante. This course is a good opportunity to take on the challenge of reimagining the tourism industry toward low-carbon, sustainable development.

Flaminia Squitieri, MSc. student form the Department of Environmental Systems Analysis of the University of Wageningen, carried out online interviews to 7 stakeholders related to water system in Rimini. These interviews were originally planned to be carried out in person in the month of March 2020. Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the fieldwork was modified, and the interviews were carried out online between April and October 2020 with the collaboration of Dr. Elena Toth and Dr. Mattia Neri.  Each of the interviews was divided into two sections: the first part consisted of a conceptual map regarding the perception of what a robust integrated water system requires, while the second part consisted of a questionnaire on governance and the capacity to reach agreements on key issues of the water system. The analysis of each stakeholder’s conceptual model is an essential part of the project’s WP3, which focuses on participatory modelling of the water system. On the other hand, the questionnaire is a fundamental component of WP4, which deals with the hydro-social cycle of the city of Rimini.