A review of water-energy-food-ecosystems Nexus research in the Mediterranean: evolution, gaps and applications

Abstract

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus has gained recognition as an innovative approach for analyzing the interconnectedness of global resource systems and achieving sustainability goals. In the Mediterranean, where water scarcity, climate change, and ecosystem degradation pose significant challenges, implementing an integrated Nexus approach is crucial. Through an integrative review of 136 scientific articles, we found that water-energy interlinkages dominate Nexus research in the Mediterranean, driven by the need for energy-intensive water distribution systems to meet drinking and irrigation water demands. However, the expansion of the Nexus approach to other components is limited, mostly focusing on assessing impacts on the physical environment and climate, without capturing feedback dynamics.

Furthermore, Nexus research in the Mediterranean is primarily conducted at isolated case study levels, with few studies working at the entire Mediterranean scale. There is promising evidence of Nexus research expanding to socio-economic interactions, cultural and behavioral change, and resource governance innovations, but these domains remain segregated due to limited integration of methods across disciplines. To advance Nexus implementation in the region, sustainable technology and natural resources management, which are key fields of operationalization, would benefit from harmonization.

In conclusion, Nexus research in the Mediterranean would benefit from integrating knowledge in multi-scale, multi-sector, and multi-dimensional frameworks to support technological, socio-economic, and governance interventions. This would enable a more comprehensive and coherent approach towards achieving water, food, and energy security while preserving the environment in the Mediterranean region.

Riparian Forests as Nature-Based Solutions within the Mediterranean Context: A Biophysical and Economic Assessment for the Koiliaris River Watershed (Crete, Greece)

“…Besides addressing the main natural hazard faced by the area, we also assessed possible co-benefits associated with NBS development. Since within the existing literature ecosystems are the least represented component of the WEFE Nexus and climate implications have been marginally considered [18], we focused on habitat quality as a proxy for biodiversity conservation and enhancement, consistently with [80], which identifies habitat protection as an ecosystem service group, and [64] that refers to habitat creation and maintenance as one out of 18 categories of nature's contributions to people. We also considered carbon sequestration as a proxy for NBS contribution to climate change mitigation.…”

“…For example, it plays a pivotal role within the Water Policy Framework for Actions 2030 developed by the Union for the Mediterranean [10] and the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean (PRIMA) Foundation introduced the WEFE Nexus as a new thematic stream of funding in 2019 [11]. Although the Nexus concept has been widely promoted in policies and research since 2011 [12] and despite some progress in the last decade emphasizing its role and increasing policymakers' awareness [13], operationalizing the WEFE Nexus remains challenging [14,15], including for the Mediterranean region [12,[16][17][18]. A recent review of the WEFE Nexus research in the Mediterranean [18] highlighted that existing research is dominated by a focus on water-energy interlinkages within the agriculture sector, while "ecosystems" is the least represented component of the WEFE Nexus in the Mediterranean.…”

“…Although the Nexus concept has been widely promoted in policies and research since 2011 [12] and despite some progress in the last decade emphasizing its role and increasing policymakers' awareness [13], operationalizing the WEFE Nexus remains challenging [14,15], including for the Mediterranean region [12,[16][17][18]. A recent review of the WEFE Nexus research in the Mediterranean [18] highlighted that existing research is dominated by a focus on water-energy interlinkages within the agriculture sector, while "ecosystems" is the least represented component of the WEFE Nexus in the Mediterranean. This implies, for example, that non-agriculture ecosystems, such as forest ones, are way less explored within the framework of the WEFE Nexus and, even more importantly, that despite a general agreement about the importance of integrating natural ecosystems and their services into the Nexus approach [15,19,20], this remains very patchy in practice and is mainly limited to provisioning services [21,22].…”

“…This implies, for example, that non-agriculture ecosystems, such as forest ones, are way less explored within the framework of the WEFE Nexus and, even more importantly, that despite a general agreement about the importance of integrating natural ecosystems and their services into the Nexus approach [15,19,20], this remains very patchy in practice and is mainly limited to provisioning services [21,22]. Finally, existing research has investigated the WEFE Nexus mainly from a biophysical perspective, while socioeconomic dimensions have been identified as important but not fully addressed yet [18,23,24]. Existing gaps are due to several barriers and limiting factors, ultimately referring to the fact that the sustainable management of the WEFE Nexus constitutes a 'wicked' problem from a technical standpoint but it becomes even more complex when ecosystem-related aspects are considered, together with their policy and socioeconomic implications [24].…”

“…It could also function to raise stakeholders' awareness and participation in decision-making processes [53] and would help in supporting the inclusion of NBS within ecosystem restoration and management planning [54]. However, there is still a lack of cases demonstrating the support of NBS economic assessment for decision making in planning activities within the framework of the WEFE Nexus, which would help the feedback loop between WEFE components to be closed [18]. The use of ecosystem approach and ecosystem service knowledge to assess alternative scenarios within the WEFE Nexus requires selecting and implementing appropriate indicators for measuring the expected outcomes [55]; the adoption of appropriate economic approaches and methodologies to identify and analyze costs and benefits associated with alternative scenarios [47]; and considering the specific needs of various stakeholder groups [56].…”