The LIFE SHARA project establishes the bases of a long-term transnational cooperation protocol between the Adaptation Units of Portugal and Spain that will catalyze joint actions and projects, and will lead to the organization of the first Iberian Adaptation Conference.

Spain and Portugal share a very specific geographic space - the Iberian Peninsula - and have territories in a unique and exclusive biogeographical region of both countries: the Macaronesia. These circumstances mean that joint action in adapting to climate change has a very high synergistic potential towards common challenges, risks and vulnerabilities.

Portugal adopted in 2015 its National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (ENAAC 2020) which included among its objectives to "establish a system of Iberian cooperation to adapt to climate change, support the articulation of adaptation strategies of Portugal and Spain, and promote an integrated intervention in the border regions, and promote a mechanisms of water resources management in the watersheds shared by both countries. "

The LIFE SHARA project is a key contribution to achieving this goal and will serve as the engine to carry out a series of joint actions over the next four years. The first step will be to strengthen cooperation between both administrations by establishing a cooperation framework between the Adaptation Units of Spain and Portugal for the identification of risks, vulnerabilities, priorities and common actions.

This cooperation framework will be established on the basis of the principles of simplicity and the search for synergies between both countries. It will meet once a year with the following purposes:

• systematic exchanges of information on adaptation strategies and plans, and on the relevant activities that take place under these frameworks;
• identification of project areas or adaptation measures for common or articulated development;
• Identification of coordination needs between Iberian authorities and agents on issues of priority for both countries.

Another of the actions highlighted with Portugal is the organization of an Iberian Conference in 2020 to promote interaction between actors and communicate the state of the art in terms of adaptation to climate change in Spain and Portugal.

Throughout the project, thematic seminars will also be developed, with the participation of the different administrations and agents involved, including the cross-border component Spain-Portugal.