Developing a data-driven approach to climate-proof a regional spatial planning instrument: the Bavarian Alpenplan

This article develops a data-driven methodological analysis for the enhancement of a regional spatial planning instrument, the Alpenplan in the German federal state of Bavaria, regarding adaptation to climate change and the prevention of natural hazards. The approach considers six criteria related to climate risk: water retention potential of soils, extreme flood risk, forests for protection of soil and against avalanches, avalanche risk, landslide susceptibility, and climatic compensation areas. We computed a GIS-based overlay analysis for the Bavarian Alps to determine multifunctional areas of exceptional importance for future-proofing against climate change. It is recommended that their protection level should be upgraded to Alpenplan Zone C. As a Nature-based Solution for climate change adaptation, the recommendations are discussed in the context of spatial planning in the Alps more widely and in other mountain areas.