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Sustainability
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Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Management of Water Resources
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Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Management of Water Resources

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 13366

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marie Anne Eurie Forio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Interests: river management; biodiversity; water quality; ecosystem services; river basin modelling and analysis; Bayesian belief networks; natural retention measures; nature-based solutions; ecotechniques; sustainable islands; sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Peter Goethals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Interests: aquatic ecology; monitoring; assessment; ecological modelling; water quality management; ecotechnology; decision support tools; sustainability; ISO standards related to water monitoring and assessment documents via the BELGAQUA and B-IWA organisations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Martin Volk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, D04318 Leipzig, Germany
Interests: natural resources management; integrated river basin management; scale-appropriate modelling; multi-objective optimization; trade-offs; synergies; ecosystem services; sustainability; hydrology; soil erosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are inspired and supported by insights gained from ecosystems and nature. These solutions can enhance water quality, improve water availability and reduce risks associated with water-related disasters and climate change (EU commission, UN). They are cost-effective solutions which have the potential to not only protect, restore, and sustainably manage aquatic ecosystems but also provide environmental, social and economic benefits addressing the water-related challenges of the society. NBS can potentially contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainability Development Goals due to their plausibility in generating livelihoods and decent jobs, supporting food and energy security, enhancing biodiversity, rehabilitating and maintaining ecosystems, and promoting human health and well-being. In particular, water management has been prominently dominated by traditional and man-made infrastructure while NBS remain underexploited (UN). The underutilization of NBS could be due to the lack of interest and confidence among stakeholders in these solutions which is partly due to the insufficient data(bases) and assessment as well as the limited applications of methods such as models and analytical tools to evaluate their cost-effectiveness in an evidence-based manner. Moreover, an enormous gap exists in the literature on the strategies to efficiently and effectively implement NBS. This Special Issue solicits original articles, concept papers and critical reviews containing novel contributions providing an evidence-based assessment of the effectiveness, benefits and drawbacks of NBS and their application in the context of sustainable management of water resources. Papers linking NBS to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, ecosystem services, and climate change are in particular welcome.

Dr. Marie Anne Eurie Forio
Prof. Dr. Peter Goethals
Prof. Dr. Martin Volk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • aquatic ecosystems
  • ecosystem services
  • ecological engineering
  • water retention measures
  • nutrient cycling
  • river basin modelling
  • multi-criteria analysis
  • trade-off tools
  • decision support systems
  • cost-benefit analysis
  • nature-inspired methods
  • natural processes
  • water management
  • sustainable development
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • climate change
  • climate adaptation
  • climate resilience

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2200 KiB  
Article
Framework for Planning and Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions for Water in Peri-Urban Areas
by Ana Paula Morais de Lima, Aline F. Rodrigues, Agnieszka Ewa Latawiec, Viviane Dib, Fernanda D. Gomes, Veronica Maioli, Ingrid Pena, Fernanda Tubenchlak, Alanna J. Rebelo, Karen J. Esler, Amy M. P. Oen, Nancy Andrea Ramírez-Agudelo, Elisabeth Roca Bosch, Nandita Singh, Lina Suleiman and Sarah E. Hale
Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7952; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137952 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4174
Abstract
Recent efforts to achieve social, economic, and environmental goals related to sustainability emphasize the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS), as grey infrastructure alone is insufficient to address current challenges. The majority of frameworks proposed in the literature fail to address the full potential [...] Read more.
Recent efforts to achieve social, economic, and environmental goals related to sustainability emphasize the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS), as grey infrastructure alone is insufficient to address current challenges. The majority of frameworks proposed in the literature fail to address the full potential of NBS, neglecting long-term results, unintended consequences, co-benefits, and their contribution to achieving global environmental agreements, such as the Agenda 2030, especially for water management in a peri-urban context. Here we present an innovative framework that can be applied to both NBS project planning and evaluation for several water-based challenges, giving practitioners and researchers a tool not only to evaluate ongoing projects but also to guide new ones. The framework considers three main stages of a NBS project: (1) context assessment, (2) NBS implementation and adaptation process, and (3) NBS results. This tool has the potential to be used to evaluate whether NBS projects are aligned with sustainability dimensions through a set of adaptable sustainability indicators. The framework can also highlight how the NBS targets are related to the sustainable development goals (SGD) and contribute to catalyzing the 2030 Agenda. The framework is an important tool for water management and other NBS types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Management of Water Resources)
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Review

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17 pages, 2491 KiB  
Review
Modelling Impacts of Nature-Based Solutions on Surface Water Quality: A Rapid Review
by Fábio André Matos and Peter Roebeling
Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7381; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127381 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3450
Abstract
Global climate change and growing urbanization pose a threat to both natural and urban ecosystems. In these, one of the most impacted elements is water, which is responsible for a large variety of ecosystem services and benefits to society. Mathematical models can be [...] Read more.
Global climate change and growing urbanization pose a threat to both natural and urban ecosystems. In these, one of the most impacted elements is water, which is responsible for a large variety of ecosystem services and benefits to society. Mathematical models can be used to simulate the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs), thus helping to quantify these issues in a practical and efficient manner. This paper presents a rapid review of literature in which the effects of NBS on water quality were assessed with the help of modelling methods. It was found that only 14 papers deal with the topic in regard to NBSs. Most of these papers were published in European countries, using Nitrogen and/or Phosphorus as the studied water quality indicators and focusing predominantly on wetlands. The literature suggests that NBS can positively impact surface water quality, even under future climate conditions, while being a justified investment from an economic standpoint. It is suggested that more information is required in order to expand the evidence base on the effectiveness of NBS for water quality improvement as well as to develop better and more standardized methods to model NBS impacts on water quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Management of Water Resources)
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Other

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26 pages, 2605 KiB  
Perspective
Natural/Small Water Retention Measures: Their Contribution to Ecosystem-Based Concepts
by Julie Magnier, Benoît Fribourg-Blanc, Tatenda Lemann, Felix Witing, William Critchley and Martin Volk
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031308 - 4 Feb 2024
Viewed by 3652
Abstract
The increasing incidence of droughts and heavy rainfall events is exacerbating conflicts between human and environmental demands for water. However, through providing multiple water-related ecosystem services and benefits simultaneously, Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM) can mitigate such competing claims. Thus, they also contribute [...] Read more.
The increasing incidence of droughts and heavy rainfall events is exacerbating conflicts between human and environmental demands for water. However, through providing multiple water-related ecosystem services and benefits simultaneously, Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM) can mitigate such competing claims. Thus, they also contribute to the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals and environmental targets set out in water- and agriculture-related policies of the European Union. In particular, NSWRM provide for the sound management of watersheds, which can significantly contribute to improved water quality and availability—as well as improving the resilience of agriculture and society. This paper demonstrates how NSWRM fit into the framework of ecosystem-based concepts, including Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM), Green Infrastructure (GI), Sustainable Land Management (SLM), Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), and Nature-based Solutions (NbS). NSWRM, as a distinct concept, bring added value to the other concepts by focussing on easy-to-implement, modestly sized, localised technical solutions to problems associated with water management, sediment, and nutrient loss. Through experience under the EU Horizon 2020 project OPTAIN (“OPtimal strategies to retAIN and re-use water and nutrients in small agricultural catchments across different soil-climatic regions in Europe”), we show what NSWRM are, how they are linked to each of the ecosystem-based concepts, and how they can help add value to these concepts. Fourteen case studies are drawn upon from diverse countries across Europe. As a result of this analysis, we present the potential for the application of NSWRM in the context of these concepts, while helping to identify planning tools, the expertise required, and potential funding mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Management of Water Resources)
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