GarMultiRisk Training Workshops

The GarMultiRisk project, which focuses on analyzing natural hazards present in the Garrotxa region, returned to the area on April 8 and 9. Members of the Centre for Territorial Sustainability (CST), the Garrotxa County Council, and the Multirisk Prevention research group from IDAEA-CSIC organized a series of training workshops aimed at identifying the challenges, potential, and needs of professionals working in natural risk management in Garrotxa.

On April 8, the workshop was addressed exclusively to technical personnel and emergency services, and included participants from Civil Protection, Municipal Police, Fire Brigade, Red Cross, Forest Defense Association (ADF), Rural Agents, and environmental technical staff. The workshop was repeated on April 9 for political representatives from various municipalities within the region.

Despite the difference in participants, the structure of the two days was similar. The workshops began with a theoretical session led by Dr. Joan Martí Molist, researcher with the Multirisk Prevention group at IDAEA-CSIC, who delivered a talk on natural hazards, clarifying key concepts and outlining the core aspects of effective risk management.

The session continued with a practical component led by Dr. Marta López Saavedra, also from the Multirisk Prevention group. This part introduced potential final outputs of the project: static maps showing hazard and multihazard levels, future scenarios, accompanying reports, and interactive viewers for visualizing the map-based information.

Participants were then divided into small groups to work with A1-sized sheets, where they were asked to evaluate each prototype (maps, reports, viewers) based on four criteria: usefulness, format, clarity, and suggestions. Using sticky notes, they completed the sheets and later shared their ideas with the rest of the participants.

This participatory method, known as "focus groups", is widely used in the business sector to encourage engagement from all attendees. In the case of these training workshops, it proved valuable for collecting feedback that will help shape the final products of the GarMultiRisk project, ensuring they are as useful and practical as possible for those responsible for managing natural risks in Garrotxa.

Image credits: Iris Schneider

The GarMultiRisk project is supported by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the call for grants for the implementation of projects contributing to the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (2021–2030).

With the support of: