This study develops a quantitative framework to assess how Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), implemented through agroecological practices, perform within the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus. While NbS are widely recognized for their environmental benefits, few studies provide operational tools to quantify their cross-sectoral trade-offs at the farm level. To address this gap, an intensity-based WEFE assessment and a composite WEFE Nexus Index were applied to a rainfed vineyard in Northern Spain and compared with prevailing conventional practices. The analysis integrates water, energy, carbon, and productivity indicators to reveal nexus interactions rather than sectoral footprints. Results show that the transition to agroecological practices reduces energy demand by 72

This paper examines how Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus projects, as perceived by a European expert sample drawn primarily from academia, can help bridge the gap between academia and practice to achieve greater long-term impact. Drawing on an expert survey, particularly involving members of the EU-based NexusNet COST Action, the study aims to assess the current status of WEF+ Nexus projects (NPs), identify perceived impact dimensions, and evaluate the effectiveness of existing approaches to their design, governance, and implementation. Survey findings reveal perceived key challenges and barriers to achieving lasting project impact, including limited understanding of the Nexus approach. Predominantly academic respondents point to a perceived disconnect between research and practice, which they associate with insufficient systematic impact assessment and weak policy implementation, alongside siloed institutional structures, and resistance to change. In response, the authors propose a set of practical impact indicators and tailored recommendations for improving WEF+ NP design and implementation. These recommendations emphasize mainstreaming Nexus thinking in education and capacity building, enhancing stakeholder engagement, strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration, ensuring policy coherence, and securing sustainable financing for WEF+ initiatives. By addressing these factors, the study supports the development of more integrated and transdisciplinary solutions and calls for further refinement of impact measurement tools to better capture the real-world contributions of WEF+ NPs to sustainable development.

Integrated approaches for managing natural resources are said to meet increasing demand for water, energy, and food, while maintaining the integrity of ecosystems, and ensuring equitable access to resources. The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus has been proposed as a cross-sectoral approach to manage trade-offs and exploit synergies that arise among these sectors. Although not initially included as a component of the Nexus, the role of nature in sustaining the water, energy, and food sectors and in regulating their interrelationships is increasingly recognised by Nexus researchers and practitioners. To converge existing approaches that integrate nature into the WEF Nexus and suggest a common framework, we - an interdisciplinary group of natural resources management researchers and systems thinkers from the European research network NEXUSNET COST Action - followed a collaborative process of knowledge creation combining literature review, elicitation of expert opinion and collaborative writing. Our results reveal a multiplicity of concepts utilised in the literature to represent, partially or fully, "nature" in the Nexus, such as "environment", "ecosystems", "ecosystem services", "social-ecological systems", and "biodiversity". Disparity was also found in the role attributed to nature, represented by three key paradigms: (1) ecosystems as the fourth component of an expanded Nexus, i.e., the WEF-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus; (2) ecosystems as a foundational layer to the Nexus; and (3) the WEF Nexus as a central component of social-ecological systems (SES). By creating a hybrid approach that brings together the benefits of the respective paradigms, we present a forward-looking WEFE Nexus conceptualisation. This paradigm expands the mutual interlinkages among water, energy and food to the entirety of SES, thus acknowledging the social-ecological processes that are affected by and affect the WEF Nexus. The results of this collaborative research effort intend to provide researchers and stakeholders with means to better understand and ultimately manage Nexus issues towards a transformative change.

Optimizing agricultural inputs at the farm scale requires a holistic understanding of water, energy, food, and ecosystem (WEFE) interdependencies. This study develops a composite Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem Nexus Indicator (WEFENI) and applies System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) to assess vineyard sustainability in northern Spain. This study is the first to introduce WEFENI at a fine spatial resolution, applying it at the grape variety and small-plot level to capture sustainability differences within a single farm. Five key indicators water footprint, carbon footprint, energy footprint, income, and productivity were selected based on their relevance to environmental and socio-economic performance. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and field measurements, complemented by secondary data from meteorological and governmental databases. The indicators were normalized, weighted using the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, and aggregated into a composite WEFENI. The dynamic model was constructed to simulate monthly interactions within the WEFE nexus, enabling scenario-based analysis and capturing feedback-driven behaviour across resource systems.Results show substantial variation in WEFENI scores across agro-climatic zones and grape varieties. The Low Zone achieved the highest score (0.739) due to gravity-fed irrigation and low energy demand, while the High Zone scored lowest (0.556) because of energy-intensive pumping. At the variety level, 15 grape varieties demonstrated a balance between high sustainability and profitability demonstrating the added value of WEFENI in identifying optimal crop choices. Scenario analysis revealed that precision agriculture produced the greatest improvement in WEFENI (+0.102), followed by improved energy efficiency (+0.056), whereas reduced precipitation decreased the score (−0.056).The proposed framework enhances the replicability of farm-level sustainability assessments by explicitly defining indicator selection, system boundaries, and calculation procedures. The integration of WEFENI with SDM enables dynamic, scenario-based evaluation of trade-offs and synergies, providing a robust decision-support tool for sustainable resource management in agriculture.

The Mediterranean region faces significant challenges within the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus due to water scarcity, increasing agricultural and energy demands, and ecosystem degradation exacerbated by climate change. This research addresses these challenges by integrating two water footprint (WF) methodologies, the volumetric Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) and the impact-oriented Water Scarcity Footprint (WSF) and then correlating the results with the WEF Nexus Index and other sustainability indicators, to explore trade-offs and synergies across water, energy, food, and ecosystem dimensions at multiple scales. Findings highlight that the most significant impacts of water consumption stem from the cultivation of water-intensive crops in water-scarce regions, both within and beyond the Mediterranean. This underscores the pivotal role of virtual water trade and the global implications of local water management practices. The results further reveal critical disparities in water resource use and stress among Mediterranean countries, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions and international cooperation to address these challenges. By elucidating the interdependencies between water and the other WEFE Nexus dimensions, this study contributes valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders striving to achieve sustainable resource management and resilience in the Mediterranean region and beyond.

Sustainable resource management in the face of climate change is a pressing challenge for our society. This paper delves into the water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus, a scientific framework that supports the integrated assessment and management of the interconnected resources. Shifting from sectoral to cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary perspectives, the WEFE nexus addresses interdependencies and interactions among water, energy, food, ecosystems, and climate. This paper focuses on the extended nexus, incorporating ecosystems as a fourth pillar, underscoring the importance of considering ecosystems on an equal footing with water, energy, and food sectors. In addition, the paper emphasizes the significance of monitoring and modelling techniques, laying the foundations for understanding the nexus complexities and assessing uncertainty. The paper offers an overview of integrated nexus modelling, system analysis and socio-economic modelling, bridging the gap between nexus science and practice. It highlights the role of multifaceted stakeholder engagement methods, policy assessment, and institutional analysis in nexus models. Quantifying the nexus through indicators, and its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, EU Green Deal, and EU Blue Deal are also key focal points. Finally, the last part of the paper addresses challenges in existing nexus modelling attempts, advocates for the integration of transdisciplinary information, and presents lessons learned. The paper concludes with recommendations for the future of the WEFE nexus, emphasizing its potential in fostering transformative change toward sustainable resource management and inclusive policymaking.

The nexus concept has considerably matured during the past decade. Numerous literature reviews have significantly contributed to taking stock of the advancements in knowledge and tool development to improve science-policy support on highly connected and interdependent resources. However, literature reviews often focus on specific sector-based nexus concepts (such as water-energy-food nexus) and analyses (such as environmental assessment, technical tools, or the management and policy dimension). Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the actual nexus and the resources it builds upon still needs to be improved. This paper aims to test the validity of the nexus construct for research and practice. Based on a systematic review of reviews, including 62 nexus-related review papers and subsequent consultation of some sixty nexus experts, we suggest a robust but flexible approach to advancing the Resource Nexus for research and practice. In doing so, the knowledge provided by nexus research may provide more substantial support to decision-makers when designing and implementing policies for the sustainable management of environmental resources.

Since the 2000 s the demand for sand has proliferated at the coastal-land interface to fill up the increasing demand straining Blue Economy (BE) activities and provision of water-energy-food resources. Recent studies have revealed that increased sand mining in both coastal and freshwater zones has continued to impact livelihood-ecological systems threatening the provision of livelihood goods and services. These impacts are exacerbated by a lack of comprehensive frameworks to regulate sand mining and trade; creating the need to develop micro and macro-frameworks and guidelines for sustainable sand mining. This paper uses a non-systematic literature review approach to build on this gap to develop an understanding of the resource nexus perspectives and trade-offs due to sand mining. The paper proposes a novel framework based on the Ecosystem Service Assessment advanced from the review of the literature to guide risk assessments toward more sustainable sand mining. In order to add evidence, the paper analyses in-depth the state of Kerala - one of India's coastal states that has experienced unprecedented rates of sand mining since the 1990 s especially along the Chavara coast albeit with less research on the intersectionality of mining on the resource nexus. Both the framework and our case study highlight how sand mining stresses local ecosystems and livelihoods thus increasing vulnerability to both human and environmental impacts. The paper brings to the fore seven (7) key steps that local institutions can use to guide sustainable sand mining and build integrated governance systems that promote interaction among natural capitals in a given area and livelihood considerations. The article further documents that the use of coherent guidelines and the framework can help in amalgamating the various actors in a given system that can guide local participation in local resource management and the development of cooperative agreements for the sustainable utilization of resources among coastal communities. This could further help understand the resource nexus from the perspective of the synergies and trade-offs in the BE.

<p>Nexus research is advancing from knowledge creation towards public awareness and inclusiveness for civil society, public-private partnerships, and knowledge partners. Nexus research was mainly focused on a better understanding of interlinkages between the relevant resources at stake (e.g., water, energy, food, and ecosystems), the focus is increasingly searching for building communities, training, and career development. </p> <p>Research on the WEFE nexus increasingly aims to create platforms building capacity among institutions, knowledge partners, and capacity development. Educational and learning programs are developed by hot spots of the nexus. Expanding transdisciplinary research methods could facilitate building a community and network of nexus professionals. Capacity development and awareness are also critical for the successful planning and implementation of nexus practices. Some successful examples of knowledge creation for inclusiveness are shared.  The presentation will identify some key enablers and measures to advance the nexus in practice. Nexus research benefits from advancing along this route.</p> <p> </p>

The nexus has gained importance in assessing interlinkages between related resources and is critical to achieving broader policy goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or targeted objectives related to biodiversity and climate. Creating awareness of such interactions offers a basis to seek synergies that might be created. Guided by an extensive literature review and a consultation of nexus experts, the presentation will summarize the main features of the nexus and an overview of essential resources that are critical for consideration in a Resource Nexus concept. Definitions of the nexus provided in the literature typically relate to focused and often limited approaches. Moreover, some steps are presented to advance the concept in Resource Nexus assessments. In light of the latter, an effort is made to propose a more robust definition of the Resource Nexus for its application and operationalization for policy support.

Soils and their properties play an important role in land evaluation studies. Often such studies focus on larger scales ranging from watersheds up to the national scale or even larger. Soil properties are often known at smaller scales, sometimes at the level of individual soil samples. The aim of this study is to show how point information on soil hydraulic properties, i.e., water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics, can be upscaled via soil textural classes to a soil physical units map of a region or nation. Base information is the Dutch soil map (1:50,000) and the hydraulic properties of individual soil samples. All individual soil samples for which hydraulic properties were measured were divided based on their texture into eighteen top-soils and eighteen sub-soils. For each of these thirty-six groups geometric average water retention and hydraulic conductivity characteristics were derived. In total 368 derived soil profiles are distinguished in the Dutch soil map consisting of soil layers that are linked to the thirty-six texture groups. For each soil profile eight static hydraulic properties were calculated. The soil profiles were then clustered based on these properties into seventy-nine clusters or units, which then make up a soil physical units map for the Netherlands. It has been demonstrated that dynamically simulated transpiration reduction for the clustered situation is similar to obtained for all individual soil profiles. At the Dutch national scale, the difference in simulated transpiration reduction between runs using all 368 soil profiles or the 79 soil physical units was less than 2.5 % percentage-points in 96 % of all plots or less than 5 % percentage-points in 99 % of all plots. Similar good correspondence was obtained for other water balance terms as well, including actual transpiration, actual evaporation at the soil surface, degree of saturation at 15 and 30 cm depth, the integrated water flux at 100 cm depth and surface runoff.

Over the past decades, the understanding and assessment of cross-systems interactions have gained momentum in research and policy-support. As such, scientific literature on Nexus assessment methods and applications continues to grow, followed by numerous state-of-the-art reviews. Among the flexibility and variety of Nexus approaches, comprehensive, transferable and accessible methodologies with operational potential are missing. To address this gap, we introduce the SIM4NEXUS approach, which emerged from twelve test cases. Fledged from practice, the approach is a unique output in the Nexus research field. It is informed by the development of twelve case studies, which differ in spatial scope, socioeconomic and biophysical contexts, and Nexus challenges. The studies were conducted under similar conditions (e.g., timeframe and multidisciplinary teams of experts and dialogues with practitioners from policy and business). We find that transdisciplinarity and the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods are vital elements in Nexus assessments for policy support. Additionally, we also propose steps to advance Nexus assessments: 1) integration of the policy cycle in research (including monitoring and evaluation, and offer support during the implementation process), 2) multidisciplinary collaboration with different levels of engagement and financial support, 3) inclusion of ecosystems and other relevant dimensions (e.g., health) in the Nexus. Ultimately, the SIM4NEXUS approach provides practice-based guidance on conducting a Nexus assessment, and we recommend it for future Nexus assessments by the research community, institutions, and private actors.

In 2020 heeft WENR onderzoek gedaan naar de effecten van het keren van een klei op veengrond, waarbij zand uit de ondergrond naar boven is gehaald. Hoewel nog recent na de kering in 2017, blijkt er landbouwkundig een duidelijke verbetering voor de mogelijkheden voor weidebouw en maisteelt. Uit de onderzoeksliteratuur blijkt een vermindering van CO2-emissie door het keren. Doordat bij onderzochte bedrijven nog 59% van de organische stof ondiep in het profiel is achtergebleven, zal het effect hiervan lager zijn dan mogelijk is en treedt er nog steeds maaivelddaling op. Onzekerheden zijn er vooral door het grotere risico op uitspoeling van nutriënten, onzekerheid over de afvoersnelheid van water en de druk op archeologische, cultuurhistorische, aardkundige en landschappelijke waarden.

Cultural non-profit organisations are facing increasing pressure regarding their various financial support systems due to major crises, cutbacks in funding and the current COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, little is known about the giving-behaviour of private donors in relation to the Dutch cultural industries. The question addressed in this research is how the motivations and consequent expectations of private donors influence their giving behaviour in terms of acknowledgments and crowding effects. In contrast to earlier findings, the quantitative results of this research demonstrate that Dutch private donors are mostly driven by philanthropic motivations instead of gain motivations. Secondly, if driven by a gain, greater acknowledgments from the cultural organisations are expected by the private donors. Lastly, private donations are proven to be associated with crowding-effects in relation to the different financial support systems and the COVID-19 crisis. The limitations of this research call for a more experimental study design to confirm these findings.

The water-energy-food-land-climate nexus sectors interact in a complex system operating on many scales. Better understanding this system, and its response to change (e.g. climate change, policy implementation) is urgently required, yet little progress has been made on integrating real policy objectives into nexus models to assess potential nexus-wide impacts of policy decisions. Given current concerns on resource scarcity, and on the growing appreciation of how connected the sectors are, under-standing how the implementation of policy objectives in one area will impact (1) other nexus sectors and (2) potential future system behaviour, is becoming vitally important. Despite this, little progress has been towards such an understanding. In this work, a fully integrated system dynamics model of the water-energy-food-land-climate nexus in Latvia is presented. The model couples all the nexus sectors in a feedback driven modelling framework. Latvia is represented in five distinct yet inter-acting regions, allowing finer scale interrogation of results and policy implications. In addition, real Latvian policies are integrated within various nexus sectors (e.g. a policy to improve crop yields or to expand agricultural lands at the expense of other land use types). Due to the integrated nature of the model, executing any policy will not only have an impact within the policy sector (e.g. water), but the nexus-wide impacts can also be determined (e.g. on GHG emissions). Results show that due to the inter-connectedness, impacts range far more widely than may be anticipated. For example, implementing policies to achieve goals related to cereal land coverage in Latvia prevents the attainment of policy goals relating to emissions reductions. As such, synergies can be identified and harnessed, while trade-offs can be avoided. Policy can then be (re-)designed to maximise nexus-wide benefits. This work is carried out in the framework of the H2020 project SIM4NEXUS, which will deliver 10 more such models exploring the policy impacts on the nexus at different scales (sub-national to European). As such, the work starts to fill a crucial academic and applied knowledge gap: how policies designed for a single sector have impacts that ripple throughout the entire nexus. As such, guidelines for more intelligent policy design can start to be formulated, something that is lacking in current nexus research.

The sustainable management of natural resources under climate change conditions is a critical research issue. Among the many approaches emerged in recent times, the so-called ‘nexus approach’ is gaining traction in academic and policy circles. The nexus approach presupposes the analysis of bio-physical, socio-economic and policy interlinkages among sectors (e.g., water, energy, food) for the identification of integrated solutions and the support of policy decisions. Ultimately, the nexus approach aims to identify synergies and trade-offs among the nexus dimensions. Concerning policy, the nexus approach focuses on policy coherence, i.e., the systematic identification and management of trade-offs and synergies between policies across sectors. This paper investigates the coherence between policies on the water-land-energy-food-climate nexus in Greece. The systematic analysis of policy documents led to the elicitation of nexus-related policy objectives and instruments. Then, the coherence among objectives and between objectives and instruments was assessed using the methodology proposed by Nilsson et al. A stakeholder (trans-disciplinary) orientation was adopted and the need to incorporate stakeholders’ recommendations as to policy coherence assessment was highlighted. Overall, the findings revealed that climate and food/agricultural policies represent critical future priorities in Greece by stimulating progress in other nexus-related policies (energy, water, land policies) and being positively influenced by them.

Water, energy, food, land and climate are tightly connected, and actions on one sector impact other sectors, creating feedbacks and unanticipated consequences. SIM4NEXUS (Sustainable Integrated Management for the nexus of water-land-food-energy-climate for a resource-efficient Europe) does address all these resources and their interlinkages, and also account for the possible impact on these elements in response to climate and relevant policy changes. Twelve case studies are implemented to test them at different scales (i.e. regional, national, transboundary, European and global). Barriers to a resource efficient and low-carbon Europe are addressed, including policy inconsistencies and incoherence and knowledge gaps related to the complex interactions. Gaming has been established as means for understanding policies, leading to acceptance, mitigating conflicts and seeking for compromise. However, to our best knowledge, never has a Serious Game been developed for the nexus, and based on such extensive list of scientifically sound models, data and methodologies. Serious Games are developed in SIM4NEXUS as an enhanced visualisation tool, assisting users in better understanding and visualising policies at different scales, towards a better scientific understanding of the Nexus of water-land-food-energy-climate.

The water-energy-land nexus requires long-sighted approaches that help avoid maladaptive pathways to ensure its promise to deliver insights and tools that improve policy-making. Climate services can form the foundation to avoid myopia in nexus studies by providing information about how climate change will alter the balance of nexus resources and the nature of their interactions. Nexus studies can help climate services by providing information about the implications of climate-informed decisions for other economic sectors across nexus resources. First-of-its-kind guidance is provided to combine nexus studies and climate services. The guidance consists of ten principles and a visual guide, which are discussed together with questions to compare diverse case studies and with examples to support the application of the principles.

Wageningen Environmental Research (WENR) has been in the process of updating the Soil Map of the Netherlands, scale 1:50,000, since 2010. The map distinguishes between various different soil units with peat layers in the upper horizons of the profile. The thickness of the peat is being reduced by oxidation and subsidence. To manage these peat soils it is important to have information on the thickness of the peat layer. This study has resulted in a peat thickness map for the peat soil areas in the Eemland region north of Amersfoort and an updated soil map of these peat soil areas at scale 1:50,000.