Nature-Based Solutions for Optimizing the Water – Ecosystem – Food Nexus in Mediterranean Countries

Silvia Vanino; Valentina Baratella; Tiziana Pirelli; Donato Ferrari; Antonella Di Fonzo; Fabrizio Pucci; Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis; Maria A. Lilli; Zübeyde Albayram Doğan; Tuncay Topdemir; Sami Awabdeh; Luna Al-Hadidi; Nabeel Bani Hani; Andreas Panagopoulos; Vassilios Pisinaras; Anna Chatzi; Estrella López Moya; Christina Papadaskalopoulou; Dimitris Tassopoulos; Efstathia Chatzitheodorou; Alessandro Pagano; Raffaele Giordano; Ivan Portoghese; Esteban Henao; Anna Osann; Stefano Fabiani

doi:10.20944/preprints202402.1688.v1

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preprints.org > environmental and earth sciences > environmental science > doi: 10.20944/preprints202402.1688.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Nature-Based Solutions for Optimizing the Water – Ecosystem – Food Nexus in Mediterranean Countries

^* ,

Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis

Maria A. Lilli

Zübeyde Albayram Doğan

Christina Papadaskalopoulou

Dimitris Tassopoulos

Efstathia Chatzitheodorou

Version 1 : Received: 28 February 2024 / Approved: 29 February 2024 / Online: 29 February 2024 (07:05:42 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Vanino, S.; Baratella, V.; Pirelli, T.; Ferrari, D.; Di Fonzo, A.; Pucci, F.; Nikolaidis, N.P.; Lilli, M.A.; Doğan, Z.A.; Topdemir, T.; Awabdeh, S.; Al-Hadidi, L.; Bani Hani, N.; Panagopoulos, A.; Pisinaras, V.; Chatzi, A.; López, E.; Papadaskalopoulou, C.; Tassopoulos, D.; Chatzitheodorou, E.; Pagano, A.; Giordano, R.; Portoghese, I.; Henao, E.; Osann, A.; Fabiani, S. Nature-Based Solutions for Optimizing the Water–Ecosystem–Food Nexus in Mediterranean Countries. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4064. Vanino, S.; Baratella, V.; Pirelli, T.; Ferrari, D.; Di Fonzo, A.; Pucci, F.; Nikolaidis, N.P.; Lilli, M.A.; Doğan, Z.A.; Topdemir, T.; Awabdeh, S.; Al-Hadidi, L.; Bani Hani, N.; Panagopoulos, A.; Pisinaras, V.; Chatzi, A.; López, E.; Papadaskalopoulou, C.; Tassopoulos, D.; Chatzitheodorou, E.; Pagano, A.; Giordano, R.; Portoghese, I.; Henao, E.; Osann, A.; Fabiani, S. Nature-Based Solutions for Optimizing the Water–Ecosystem–Food Nexus in Mediterranean Countries. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4064.

Abstract

Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) can help to achieve multiple Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus Do-main Objectives & Nexus Resilience Qualities, facilitating the transition to more resilient agrifood systems and providing an evidence base for a broader Nexus policy dialogue. This paper de-scribes the stepwise methodology developed in the EU-funded LENSES project to carry out a comprehensive analysis of NBSs in 6 pilot areas in 5 Mediterranean countries, and presents the results of NBSs implementation in 4 pilot areas, highlighting obstacles and opportunities. The methodology includes the development of an analytical evaluation framework and of a com-prehensive catalogue of Nexus-related NBSs, whose suitability needs to be assessed at the local level to achieve better use of protected/natural ecosystems, increase the sustainability and mul-tifunctionality of managed ecosystems and design and manage novel ecosystems. Subsequently, in a collective learning process which supported the operationalisation of the WEF Nexus, NBSs were identified that address specific contextual vulnerabilities, improve water distribution and enhance food security, while preserving ecosystems and supporting adaptation to climate change. The added value of the proposed methodology lies in the multi-stakeholder participatory approach to gain in-depth knowledge of local agri-food systems, including their main WEF-related challenges, and to facilitate overcoming barriers to NBS implementation.

Keywords

Nexus, sustainability; biodiversity; resilience; water distribution; food security; ecosystem services

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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