=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3293/paper93
|storemode=property
|title=Introducing Nature-based Solutions to Optimize the Water-Ecosystems-Food Nexus Across the Mediterranean Basin: The Plain of Tarquinia (IT) Case Study - Abstract
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3293/paper93.pdf
|volume=Vol-3293
|authors=Tiziana Pirelli,Valentina Baratella,Antonella Di Fonzo,Stefano Fabiani,Raffaele Giordano,Maria A. Lilli,Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis,Alessandro Pagano,Ivan Portoghese,Silvia Vanino
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/PirelliBFFGLNPP22
}}
==Introducing Nature-based Solutions to Optimize the Water-Ecosystems-Food Nexus Across the Mediterranean Basin: The Plain of Tarquinia (IT) Case Study - Abstract==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3293/paper93.pdf
Introducing Nature-based Solutions to Optimize the Water-
Ecosystems-Food Nexus Across the Mediterranean Basin: The
Plain of Tarquinia (IT) Case Study - Abstract
Tiziana Pirelli 1, Valentina Baratella 2, Antonella Di Fonzo 1, Stefano Fabiani 1, Raffaele
Giordano 3, Maria A. Lilli 4, Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis 4, Alessandro Pagano 3, Ivan Portoghese 3
and Silvia Vanino 2
1
Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro di Politiche e Bioeconomia,
via Barberini 36, Rome, 00187, Italy
2
Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Centro Agricoltura e Ambiente, via
della Navicella 2-4, Rome, 00184, Italy
3
Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IRSA-CNR), viale F. de Blasio 5, Bari,
70132, Italy
4
School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Summary 1
The sustainable use of natural resources, such as water and land, particularly in the
Mediterranean region is conditioned by resources availability, changing climatic conditions
and increasing socio-economic stresses. In this context, the project “LEarning and action
alliances for NexuS EnvironmentS in an uncertain future” (LENSES) is developing a stepwise
approach to identify, based on a participatory process, local Water, Ecosystems and Food
(WEF) challenges that can be addressed through Nature Based Solutions (NBSs). Identified
NBSs aims to co-achieve multiple Nexus Domain Objectives (i.e., sectoral goals) activating
Nexus Resilience Qualities that should facilitate the transition towards more efficient and
resilient Nexus systems. In this project, these measures will address vulnerabilities identified
in 7 pilot areas distributed across the Mediterranean region and linked to (i) socio-institutional
frame, and (ii) climate change. Building on the assumption that biodiversity is the only viable
pathway to guarantee water-food security, the NBS will support the delivery of ecosystem
services and provide evidence-base for the broader Nexus policy dialogue. Under this
perspective, this paper introduces the methodology developed in the LENSES project which
aims to improve water allocation, enhance food security while preserving ecosystems and
aiding climate change adaptation, through a collective learning process which supports the
operationalization of the WEF Nexus. The developed evaluation framework includes a
comprehensive catalogue of Nexus related NBSs, whose suitability needs to be evaluated at
local level to achieve a better use of protected/natural ecosystems, increase the sustainability
and multi-functionality of managed ecosystems, design and manage new ecosystems. The
paper reports the preliminary outcomes and lessons learned from the implementation of the
LENSES approach in the plain of Tarquinia, which is the Italian case study area of the project.
To this end, the paper discusses local WEF challenges identified through a participatory
process, which counted on the engagement of a diverse set of relevant stakeholders from across
different level. Then, it identifies potential NBSs that can help addressing these challenges and
increasing the resilience of the WEF nexus, for the long-lasting benefit of local ecosystems.
Ultimately, the paper focuses on the deep transformations processes required to our social and
economic systems, and the crafting of integrative governance systems and co-design aspects
Proceedings of HAICTA 2022, September 22–25, 2022, Athens, Greece
EMAIL: tiziana.pirelli@crea.gov.it (A. 1); valentina.baratella@crea.gov.it (A. 2); antonella.difonzo@crea.gov.it (A. 3);
stefano.fabiani@crea.gov.it (A. 4); raffaele.giordano@cnr.it (A. 5); marialilli02@gmail.com (A. 6); nikolaos.nikolaidis@enveng.tuc.gr (A.
7); alessandro.pagano@ba.irsa.cnr.it (A. 8); ivan.portoghese@ba.irsa.cnr.it (A. 9); silvia.vanino@crea.gov.it (A. 10)
ORCID: 0000-0001-6509-3285 (A. 1); 0000-0002-9735-4256 (A. 2); 0000-0002-5258-4699 (A. 3); 0000-0003-0709-5391 (A. 4); 0000-
0002-8103-4055 (A. 5); 0000-0002-6223-7519 (A. 7); 0000-0002-2511-9396 (A. 8); 0000-0001-6425-4411 (A. 9); 0000-0001-5837-509X
(A. 10)
©️ 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
478
that are needed to operationalize the WEF nexus and bring to effect these deep systemic
changes. The outcomes of this paper can inform policy makers at local and national level and
support the drawing of improved policies and decisions that foster a fair and sustainable
allocation of resources, thus accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
Keywords
Nature Based Solutions, WEF, NEXUS, Ecosystems, Participatory approach
479