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Integrating nature-positive solutions into our economy

The Deliverable "D4.5: Focus Sectoral Strategies for mainstreaming freshwater restoration" provides a high-level summary of the six MERLIN Sectoral Strategies.

The MERLIN project aims to mainstream transformative ecosystem restoration and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across all of Europe’s freshwater environments.

MERLIN aspires to go beyond mainstreaming business as usual to mainstreaming a transformation in our relationship with the freshwater environment as a response to the biodiversity and climate crises.

This involves working at the landscape, regional, national and EU scales to understand how different public and private organisations can work together. The mainstreaming activities include:

  • Where to mainstream? – Mapping restoration needs and opportunities.
  • Who can mainstream? – Illustrating how businesses can work with Nature.
  • How to mainstream? – Identifying policy, value chain, and private financing enablers and barriers.

The project works top down from EU level data and institutions; and bottom up from the experiences within our 18 case studies. In particular, we focus on transformative changes within six economic sectors:

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Agriculture

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Hydropower

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Insurance

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Navigation

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Peat Extraction

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Water Supply and Sanitation

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The MERLIN sectoral strategies integrate freshwater Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into six key sectors, focusing on ecosystem restoration through measures like soil management, wetland restoration, and barrier removal. Developing these strategies required sectoral Communities of Practice (CoPs) to foster collaboration, though full engagement remains an ongoing effort. The strategies outline actions addressing key implementation questions, starting with evidence gathering, followed by knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and policy shaping. Collaboration, funding, and cross-sectoral partnerships at local, national, and European levels are crucial for success. Policy support, including signals from initiatives like the European Green Deal, remains essential to reassure economic sectors. While these strategies mark progress, overcoming resistance to change will be necessary for real-world implementation.

Read more about what we have learnt so far about the sectors in our Round Table Protocols. The sector's relationship with freshwater restoration and NbS, as well as our proposed cooperation points from where transformation could arise can be seen in the Sectoral Briefings. 

The interconnections between the sectors are highlighted in Deliverable "D4.1: Mainstreaming aquatic restoration using Nature-based Solutions" in the chapter "Cross Sectoral Briefing".