Publications

This brief synthesises lessons from recent EU-funded projects, with a particular focus on the EURO-Mediterranean region. It analyses existing barriers and outlines actionable recommendations for funding frameworks, while recognising the specific resources and long-term commitment required for successful collaboration. These recommendations focus on funding framework conditions, emphasising the process quality of science-practice interfaces in transdisciplinary research projects and capacity building.

This study examines participatory water governance through co-design processes, in the form of “Living Labs”, implemented at the Malia and Agia sites in Crete, Greece, as part of two PRIMA projects. Living Labs involved key stakeholders in addressing water management challenges related to tourism and agriculture at these Cretan sites. Participants participated in dynamic sessions mediated by digital tools such as Mentimeter and spatial mapping activities.

In this perspective paper, we explore the co-creation of water knowledge (CCWK) concept to value multiple and diverse forms of knowledge. We identify four overarching principles (inclusivity, openness, legitimacy, and actionability), highlighting the importance of establishing relationships and collaborative leadership, adopting key tools and techniques, and integrating knowledge for water resources management. Furthermore, we argue that prioritizing epistemic justice is essential for effective CCWK. To address these, we advocate for more interdisciplinary and reflexive research practices that challenge and disrupt Western scientific traditions shaped by functionalist and colonial legacies.

This study applies the Water Balance Approach (WBA), originally developed for the Kansas High Plains Aquifer, to evaluate pumping reduction strategies in a data-sparse Mediterranean aquifer. Using 14 years (2010–2023) of water-level records from 35 monitoring points and indirect estimates of annual groundwater use, we establish a linear relationship between average annual water-level change and total pumping. This relationship is used to quantify pumping volumes required for stable water levels and to assess the impact of different management targets.

In this perspective paper, we explore the co-creation of water knowledge (CCWK)concept to value multiple and diverse forms of knowledge. We identify four overarchingprinciples (inclusivity, openness, legitimacy, and actionability), highlighting the importance ofestablishing relationships and collaborative leadership, adopting key tools and techniques,and integrating knowledge for water resources management. Furthermore, we argue thatprioritizing epistemic justice is essential for effective CCWK. 

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) aim to address natural and anthropogenic risks, enhancing ecosystem-based approaches, biodiversity, human health, and socio-economic growth. Despite the growing interest in NbS applications, their integration into landscape planning at the catchment scale remains limited, given the multi-disciplinary comprehensive features related to them.