Climate adaptation in Main-Spessart: communities are tackling the challenges!

Climate adaptation in Main-Spessart: communities are tackling the challenges!

On November 4, 2025, the start of the “Climate Adaptation in Main-Spessart” forum took place at the picturesque Rothenfels Castle, bringing together 33 representatives from various municipalities and specialist departments. Among the guests were mayors, district councilors and farmers and foresters, who together addressed the pressing issue of climate change. In her opening speech, District Administrator Sabine Sitter made it clear how important climate protection and adaptation strategies are, even if the media attention in this area often leaves much to be desired. main-spessart.de reports that presenter Dr. Sabine Hafner emphasized the aim of the event: to discuss solutions to climate adaptation and to provide information about measures and funding opportunities.

A central theme was the presentation of best practice examples, which included both the integration of trees and green spaces into urban planning and the creation of water retention areas. Speaker Hanna Skiba from the Bavarian State Office for the Environment pointed out the uniqueness of the district, which is home to two different climate zones. Johannes Wolf and Lukas Weis reported on current municipal activities in the area of ​​water and highlighted the challenges arising from changes in weather conditions.

Urgency of climate adaptation

Climate change is already noticeable in Main-Spessart, as the results of the workshops repeatedly emphasized. The district is faced with the consequences of dry periods in the summers of recent years as well as the heavy rain events in 2023 and 2024, which have affected many communities. Therefore, the development of a climate adaptation strategy for the region is considered extremely necessary. This is funded as part of a cooperation project between the LAG Spessart and the LAG Wein, Wald, Wasser, for which 13,104 euros were provided each. The focus is on a comprehensive analysis of past and future climate changes. weinwaldwasser.de

The challenges arising from these climatic changes affect numerous areas: from infrastructure to water supply to agriculture and forestry. Nature conservation and tourism are also affected. The planned steps to overcome these challenges include, among other things, data evaluation and visualization of climate data, the presentation of projected changes and the involvement of the public in the communication process.

A goal for the future

An important aspect of the discussion was the district's goal of being energy self-sufficient by 2035. Philipp Mähler, project manager for the energy transition, reported that the electricity sector has improved from 47% in 2013 to almost 70%. The regional management is planning future events and excursions to promote exchange and networking among those involved. These measures are of great importance in order to jointly address the challenges posed by climate change.

In conclusion, it can be said that the “Climate Adaptation in Main-Spessart” forum represents an important first step in helping the communities and actors in the region to proactively meet the challenges of climate change and show a good hand in securing the future.