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

Supplementary Figure S1 Supplementary Figure S2 Supplementary Figure S3 This article develops a data-driven methodological analysis for the enhancement of a regional spatial planning instru-ment, the Alpenplan in the German federal state of Bavaria, regarding adaptation to climate change and the preven-tion 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 multifunc-tional areas of exceptional importance for future-proofing against climate change. It is recommended that their protec-tion 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.