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The Lake Balaton Adaptation project aims to improve the understanding of the region's vulnerability and resilience to global change, specifically targeting water quality, water quantity, land use, biodiversity, and demographics. The project employs an integrated assessment model to monitor interactions between the ecosystem and human systems across 52 lakeshore communities. Key components include the development of indicators for early warning, capacity building for local stakeholders, the implementation of adaptation pilot projects, and the alignment of national policies with local adaptation needs.

The document outlines a five-step participatory scenario development (PSD) process designed to integrate local stakeholder knowledge with scientific climate projections to create plausible future development pathways. It argues that the most effective PSD brings together 'expert' and stakeholder knowledge to balance biophysical risks with social issues. A case study in Lake Balaton, Hungary, illustrates the process, where 80 participants identified key economic factors—such as tourism and agriculture—and developed adaptation strategies including rainwater storage and the use of native crop varieties. The guide concludes that PSD helps identify development priorities that simultaneously increase adaptive capacity, though it notes the challenge of linking quantitative climate data with qualitative scenarios.