Implementing Nature Based Solutions for Water Management. A Systematic Literature Review of Actors and the Drivers and Barriers to Adoption

Climate change, rising demand, pollution, and ecosystem degradation are intensifying pressures on water resources and increasing interest in nature-based solutions (NbS). This systematic literature review examines water-related NbS and implementation actors, drivers, and barriers. A Scopus search covered English- and Spanish-language publications from 2010 to 2024, with reporting informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Of 186 records initially retrieved, 53 publications from 2017 to 2024 were retained. Descriptive bibliometric analysis and qualitative categorization, supported by VantagePoint version 15.2, identified 12 thematic categories, six driver dimensions, and seven barrier dimensions. Forty-seven publications appeared during 2020–2024, representing 88.7% of the retained corpus. The synthesis encompasses urban blue-green infrastructure, wetlands, river and floodplain restoration, rural landscapes, groundwater management, and related governance approaches. Implementation depends on interactions among public authorities, researchers, businesses, communities, landowners, utilities, and funding organizations. Stable financing, institutional coordination, technical capacity, and meaningful participation emerge as recurring enabling conditions. The findings support context-sensitive planning and comparable long-term monitoring. However, database and subject-area restrictions, heterogeneous study designs, and incomplete reporting of screening and appraisal procedures limit reproducibility and generalization. Publication frequency should not be interpreted as evidence of effectiveness or implementation success.