Scientists increasingly engage with stakeholders in order to develop more acceptable and applicable solutions particularly
for climate change impact, adaptation, and vulnerability assessments. We present methodology, results, and experiences of
a participation process in a regional soil water erosion vulnerability assessment in Austria. A peer group consisting of agricultural
extension specialists, administration, and scientists identified the impacts of uncertain future precipitation on soil water
erosion and the effectiveness of relevant soil conservation measures as the most crucial knowledge gap. We applied the bio-physical
process model Environmental Policy Integrated Climate to simulate potential sediment yields using the Revised Universal Soil
Loss Equation methodology and crop yields to calculate gross margins. The simulations have been performed for five climate
change scenarios until 2040 and three alternative crop management practices. A heterogeneous expanded stakeholder group provided
knowledge on regional crop production and management and thus contributed to a first validation of the model input data. Model
results indicate an increase in severely erosion-prone cropland by 76 to 135 percent with higher precipitation sums for 2040,
on average. Furthermore, reduced tillage and cultivating winter cover crops have been identified as effective adaptation measures
reducing mean sediment loss between 7 and 31 percent, on average. A peer group validated model output with respect to relevance,
plausibility, and usability of results and confirmed the usefulness of the results to inform the public debate on regional
climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in agriculture.
