Research brief: Prioritise risks and improve adaptation strategies in the Veneto coast through the application of a custom AI tool

Research brief: Prioritise risks and improve adaptation strategies in the Veneto coast through the application of a custom AI tool Maria Katherina Dal Barco, Veronica Casartelli, Marcello Sanò, Sebastiano Vascon, Silvia Torresan, Andrea Critto 11 October 2025 1 Title Prioritise risks and improve adaptation strategies in the Veneto coast through the application of a custom AI tool Highlights ● A custom AI tool, COAST-AId, was developed to support multi-risk assessment and adaptation planning for the Veneto coast, integrating scientific, policy, and stakeholder knowledge. ● The tool applies the EUCRA framework to systematically identify, analyse, and prioritise coastal climate risks, including sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme weather events. ● Stakeholder testing confirmed the tool’s effectiveness in generating actionable insights for risk management, while highlighting areas requiring calibration and context-specific refinement. ● COAST-AId enhances decision-making by combining heterogeneous data sources, supporting transparent evaluation of policy readiness and urgency of action. ● The framework demonstrates strong potential for scalability, adaptability to other regions, and broader application in AI-assisted coastal resilience planning. Recommendations The integration of COAST-AId into local and regional planning could support the prioritization of coastal risk reduction and resilience strategies in the Veneto region. Multirisk assessments would benefit from expanding the range of hazard indicators, improving local data quality, and further leveraging AI capabilities to enhance decision-making. Strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration among policymakers, environmental agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders is essential to develop comprehensive, context-sensitive climate adaptation strategies. Promoting stakeholder engagement and community participation will increase awareness of coastal climate risks and encourage the adoption of proactive, locally-driven adaptation measures. Finally, COAST-AId’s scalable and transferable design enables its application in other coastal and non-coastal regions, supporting broader efforts for AI-assisted climate risk management. Context Coastal areas are at the frontline of climate change, facing rising seas, floods, and extreme events. In the Veneto region, these risks demand a shift from single hazard to integrated multi-risk approaches. The EUCRA framework provides guidance for identifying, analysing, and prioritising risks, supporting better adaptation strategies. COAST-AId adapts this framework locally, combining scientific evidence, policy analysis, and stakeholder input. Its application highlighted both strengths (such as scalability and synthesis capacity) and challenges, including data limitations and occasional misalignments. By linking science and policy, COAST-AId supports more effective coastal adaptation and resilience building. 2 Illustration/Graph/Picture Graphical abstract Want to know more? ● Article: ● Full reference: Dal Barco, M.K., Casartelli, V., Sanò, M., Vascon, S., Torresan, S., & Critto, A. (2025). Prioritise risks and improve adaptation strategies in the Veneto coast through the application of a custom AI tool. International Journal on Disaster Risk Reduction, 130(November 2025), 105818. ● Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105818 ● MYRIAD-EU website: www.myriadproject.eu ● X: @Myriad_EU ● Contact: Maria Katherina Dal Barco ([email protected])