Wetlands, not wastelands: New project to boost Europe’s drought resilience

Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts worldwide. In fact, half of Europe is at risk of suffering from droughts. Wetlands’ water-storing capabilities are a promising nature-based solution (NBS) for mitigating drought risk and its consequences. These vital ecosystems store around 15% of the Earth’s freshwater and can recharge local aquifers. But there’s few evidence-based practices to use wetlands in water management.

The EU-funded project NBS4Drought aims to close that gap. It will develop tools, policies and practices for wetland-focused water management. It will also demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of wetlands as a nature-based solution. To achieve its objectives, NBS4Drought has selected seven different wetland showcases located across five distinct bioclimatic zones in Europe. These range from a wetland park in Barcelona, Spain to small wetlands around Lake Constance, Germany.

Water properties, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and economic and social dimensions will be evaluated at those sites. These showcases will undergo a collaborative co-creation and co-development process which emphasises involvement of the local stakeholders and long-term maintenance. Citizen science initiatives and a multi-stakeholder approach are instrumental to the project, helping sites across Europe to better use wetlands for water management.

At the kick-off meeting in Aarhus, Denmark, scientific coordinator Shubiao Wu from Aarhus University highlights that this project is the “first EU-funded NBS project that focuses on drought.” He says that “we are focusing on evidence-based research and innovations to show short-term benefits, but also long-term effects in the next 100 years.”

The international and interdisciplinary research team includes 24 partners from eight European countries: Denmark, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and Germany. The project runs from September 2024 until August 2029.

For more information, visit the website at https://nbs4drought.eu/.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Dr. Daniel Hölle
European Science Communication Institute
Email: dh@esci.eu