Natural/Small Water Retention Measures: Their Contribution to Ecosystem-Based Concepts

Julie Magnier (), Benoît Fribourg-Blanc, Tatenda Lemann, Felix Witing (), William Critchley and Martin Volk
Additional contact information
Julie Magnier: Office International de l’Eau—OiEau, 87100 Limoges, France
Benoît Fribourg-Blanc: Office International de l’Eau—OiEau, 87100 Limoges, France
Tatenda Lemann: Centre for Development and Environment—CDE, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Felix Witing: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
William Critchley: World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), Sustainable Land Management Associates, Pitlochry PH16 5EW, UK
Martin Volk: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-26

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 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.

Keywords: Natural/Small Water Retention Measures; Natural Water Retention Measures; Green Infrastructure; Sustainable Land Management; Ecosystem-based Adaptation; Nature-based Solutions; integrated water management; Horizon2020; ecosystem restoration; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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