As climate change continues to disrupt the water cycle and create unpredictable weather patterns, the resilience of our water management systems is vital. A number of projects funded by the Horizon Europe programme, such as NBRACER, NICE_NbS, MULTISOURCE, UNP+, CARDIMED among others are dedicated to working with Nature-based Solutions (NbS) on different water-related challenges across landscapes, to develop pathways for urban and regional transformations through integrated water management.
The recent NetworkNature Science-Policy event in Brussels on “Nature-based Solutions for water resilience: What to do with too much (dirty) water” brought policymakers, researchers and practitioners from various water NbS projects to discuss current policy frameworks, showcased central learnings and results from the projects, and identified opportunities to embed NbS for water deeper into policy and practice.
Representing the European Research Executive Agency, Piret Noukas kicked off the event by highlighting the research and innovations generated by Horizon Europe projects to help cities and regions become more resilient through NbS, and how policymaking can provide incentives for scientists to contribute. Trudy Higgins of DG Environment at the European Commission then described the policy developments unfolding in the EU, specifically with the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy and recast Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
These presentations were followed by a round of storytelling by representatives of MULTISOURCE, NBRACER, NICE_NbS and CARDIMED, each delving into the types of problems they are tackling, and the results yielded. For instance, the NICE project has deployed living walls in Turin, Italy, which provide an array of benefits from noise insulation, to air quality and temperature regulation. However, maintaining green infrastructure can lead to a higher demand for water. Greywater – waste water from sewage systems – is a useful alternative for non-potable use cases. The grey water is directed away from traditional treatment plants, processed with nature-based filtration and contaminant removal methods, and then fed to the green walls. Not only do the nature-based solutions applied here reduce the amount of clean water needed for irrigation, they also allow the water to be re-used several times, providing a low-cost and energy efficient means to adapt to climate change and boost urban resilience.
Three dynamic fishbowl sessions then unpacked key dimensions of impact evaluation, integrated planning and financing. These sessions stressed the need for public and private sector financing for NbS, for integrated planning and governance to ensure NbS are woven into local water strategies, and adopting NbS at scale was seen as critical to produce long term sustained positive impacts of NbS.
The outcomes of this science-policy event will feed into a policy brief. Stay tuned!