Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas
The formulation of effective policies to address both the present allocation and future conservation of natural resources in an integrated way remains an essential and challenging task. In this regard, managing the Nexus is increasingly seen as a priority in resource governance. Nature-based Solutio...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1469762/full |
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| author | Dimitrios Malamataris Vassilios Pisinaras Alessandro Pagano Valentina Baratella Silvia Vanino Manuel Bea Konstantinos Babakos Anna Chatzi Stefano Fabiani Raffaele Giordano Petros Kafkias Estrella López-Moya Christina Papadaskalopoulou Ivan Portoghese Dimitris Tassopoulos Andreas Panagopoulos |
| author_facet | Dimitrios Malamataris Vassilios Pisinaras Alessandro Pagano Valentina Baratella Silvia Vanino Manuel Bea Konstantinos Babakos Anna Chatzi Stefano Fabiani Raffaele Giordano Petros Kafkias Estrella López-Moya Christina Papadaskalopoulou Ivan Portoghese Dimitris Tassopoulos Andreas Panagopoulos |
| author_sort | Dimitrios Malamataris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The formulation of effective policies to address both the present allocation and future conservation of natural resources in an integrated way remains an essential and challenging task. In this regard, managing the Nexus is increasingly seen as a priority in resource governance. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gradually being advocated to enhance sustainable and resilient Nexus management efforts. Designing and planning NbS tailored to local contexts requires a thorough understanding of the specific challenges and perspectives, as well as the divergent perspectives among stakeholders. This paper presents and analyses an effective stakeholder engagement strategy, based on the Learning & Action Alliances (LAA) scheme and aimed at identifying Water-Ecosystems-Food (WEF) Nexus challenges and selecting NbS in two case studies in the Mediterranean area (Greece and Italy). In total, 60 stakeholders were engaged in more than 40 events (workshops, seminars, open days, field trips etc.), while 25 individual interviews were also conducted. By fostering collaboration and stakeholder ownership, the methodology provided actionable insights and promoted context-specific solutions. The stakeholders proposed 24 NbSs in the Italian case study, most of which were related to agricultural landscape management, while in the Greek case study, 2 of the 4 top-ranked measures were NbSs. The findings underline the importance of participatory approaches and transdisciplinary tools in addressing Nexus challenges, offering a replicable framework for sustainable resource management in resource-stressed regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7171b7907e494bcdbc90c084b0d01b13 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9375 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Water |
| spelling | doaj-art-7171b7907e494bcdbc90c084b0d01b132025-01-24T07:13:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Water2624-93752025-01-01710.3389/frwa.2025.14697621469762Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areasDimitrios Malamataris0Vassilios Pisinaras1Alessandro Pagano2Valentina Baratella3Silvia Vanino4Manuel Bea5Konstantinos Babakos6Anna Chatzi7Stefano Fabiani8Raffaele Giordano9Petros Kafkias10Estrella López-Moya11Christina Papadaskalopoulou12Ivan Portoghese13Dimitris Tassopoulos14Andreas Panagopoulos15Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, Soil and Water Resources Institute, Thessaloniki, GreeceHellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, Soil and Water Resources Institute, Thessaloniki, GreeceConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Sede di Bari, Bari, ItalyCentro Agricoltura e Ambiente, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, ItalyCentro Agricoltura e Ambiente, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, ItalyAsociación Ecoadapta, Madrid, SpainHellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, Soil and Water Resources Institute, Thessaloniki, GreeceHellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, Soil and Water Resources Institute, Thessaloniki, GreeceCentro di Politiche e Bioeconomia, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, ItalyConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Sede di Bari, Bari, ItalyDRAXIS Environmental S.A., Thessaloniki, GreeceAsociación Ecoadapta, Madrid, SpainDRAXIS Environmental S.A., Thessaloniki, GreeceConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Sede di Bari, Bari, ItalyDRAXIS Environmental S.A., Thessaloniki, GreeceHellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, Soil and Water Resources Institute, Thessaloniki, GreeceThe formulation of effective policies to address both the present allocation and future conservation of natural resources in an integrated way remains an essential and challenging task. In this regard, managing the Nexus is increasingly seen as a priority in resource governance. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gradually being advocated to enhance sustainable and resilient Nexus management efforts. Designing and planning NbS tailored to local contexts requires a thorough understanding of the specific challenges and perspectives, as well as the divergent perspectives among stakeholders. This paper presents and analyses an effective stakeholder engagement strategy, based on the Learning & Action Alliances (LAA) scheme and aimed at identifying Water-Ecosystems-Food (WEF) Nexus challenges and selecting NbS in two case studies in the Mediterranean area (Greece and Italy). In total, 60 stakeholders were engaged in more than 40 events (workshops, seminars, open days, field trips etc.), while 25 individual interviews were also conducted. By fostering collaboration and stakeholder ownership, the methodology provided actionable insights and promoted context-specific solutions. The stakeholders proposed 24 NbSs in the Italian case study, most of which were related to agricultural landscape management, while in the Greek case study, 2 of the 4 top-ranked measures were NbSs. The findings underline the importance of participatory approaches and transdisciplinary tools in addressing Nexus challenges, offering a replicable framework for sustainable resource management in resource-stressed regions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1469762/fullstakeholder engagementCausal Loop Diagramsserious gameSWOT analysisMediterranean areasustainability |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrios Malamataris Vassilios Pisinaras Alessandro Pagano Valentina Baratella Silvia Vanino Manuel Bea Konstantinos Babakos Anna Chatzi Stefano Fabiani Raffaele Giordano Petros Kafkias Estrella López-Moya Christina Papadaskalopoulou Ivan Portoghese Dimitris Tassopoulos Andreas Panagopoulos Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas Frontiers in Water stakeholder engagement Causal Loop Diagrams serious game SWOT analysis Mediterranean area sustainability |
| title | Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas |
| title_full | Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas |
| title_fullStr | Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas |
| title_short | Managing Water-Ecosystem-Food Nexus using participatory approaches: insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two Mediterranean areas |
| title_sort | managing water ecosystem food nexus using participatory approaches insights from an innovative methodological approach developed in two mediterranean areas |
| topic | stakeholder engagement Causal Loop Diagrams serious game SWOT analysis Mediterranean area sustainability |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1469762/full |
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