The Cávado Intermunicipal Community is a collective person of public law and encompasses the municipalities of Amares, Braga, Barcelos, Esposende, Terras de Bouro and Vila Verde (NUTS III Cávado).​

As an institutional space for municipal/intermunicipal co-operation seeks to foster the articulation of actions between its municipalities and other partners, and to promote an integrated approach to territorial development interventions and a central platform for territorial cohesion.​

CIM do Cávado aims to combine, promote and articulate common interests to the associated municipalities, in the area of ​​collective proximity services, and municipal investments in terms of:​

Cávado Climate Change Adaptation Strategy​

CIM Cávado and the municipalities have a long work in the scope of the development of adaptation to climate change strategies, namely in the identification of the territory vulnerabilities to climate change (current and future) with the identification of adaptation measures/solutions/options/actions to the territory.​

The main climate changes identified and projected for the Cávado regions indicate:​

Decrease in average annual precipitation causing more frequent and intense droughts – significant decrease in the number of days with precipitation, increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts.​

Increase of extreme phenomena’s, in particular intense or very intense precipitation in short periods of time, with the expected occurrence of more intense winter storms, accompanied by rain and strong wind.​

Increase in average annual temperature, especially maximum temperatures and Heat waves – more frequent and intense heat waves.

Based on the vulnerabilities and adaptation options identified for the territory within the scope of the Cávado Intermunicipal Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, CIM Cávado’ s objective as an inter-municipal entity is to promote the revisiting of the Strategy and the development of an action plan with the identification of projects and actions to adapt the territory to climate change on an inter-municipal scale, with the identification of a time schedule for implementing actions and the identification of funding lines.​

All the six municipalities of the region are at the moment facing the challenge of drawing up municipal climate action plans in fulfilment of the provisions of the Portuguese Climate Law. ​

Principal climate change challenges :​

In the north-western subregion of Cávado, the main climate challenges are floods and strong winds, coastal erosion, threats to elevated sandy areas; flooding and drought in coastal areas and in the river Cávado basin; and a high possibility of water shortage associated to prolonged heat waves, as well as a reduction of the rivers’ flow and subsequent proliferation of aquatic invasive species. ​

Existing strategic engagements:

“Energy and Climate Transition” is one of the 5 Priority Axes of intervention defined by CIM Cávado in the 2021-2027 “Cávado Strategy”; its scope includes the promotion of energy transition, circular economy, and decarbonisation in the Cávado territory. Current elaboration of the Study of the Intermunicipal Strategy for adaptation to climate change for NUTSIII Cávado identifies measures for climate change adaptation and mitigation, the elaboration and implementation of the Action Plan. CIM Cávado is one of the 8 Portuguese regions that signed the EU MACC Letter for Adaptation to Climate Change, aligning with, and contributing to the objectives of the European Green Pact and the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.​

Landscapes and demos

The project will restore degraded ecosystems using NBS to improve the resilience of ecosystems with special consideration to the multifunctional management of water lines of the Cávado basin, providing solution for both floods and drought and proliferation of aquatic invasive species.