Demonstrating wetlands as Nature-Based Solutions on resilience development to extreme drought across European cities and landscapes.

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Climate change is exacerbating the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts worldwide. Despite this pressing reality, there exists a widespread underestimation of drought risk among the European population. In this critical context, wetlands emerge as a promising solution for enhancing water management and mitigating the impact of severe droughts, since they store a large portion of the Earth's freshwater and have the potential to recharge local aquifers. Despite the increasing recognition of wetlands as NBS, there remains a lack of comprehensive quantitative evidence and understanding regarding their cost-effectiveness under different European conditions. The objective of the NBS4Drought initiative is to systematically demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of wetland-based NBS in sustainable water management, particularly in alleviating the impacts of extreme droughts, and to expedite their widespread adoption across Europe. The outcomes will underscore the efficiency, replicability, and sustainability of NBS across diverse regions, furnishing stakeholders with compelling technical, economic, and social evidence to advocate for NBS in climate change adaptation strategies. To achieve this, 7 different wetland showcases identified from 5 distinct bioclimatic zones in Europe have been selected and will undergo a collaborative co-creation and co-development process, ensuring community involvement and the long-term maintenance of these NBS. The data gathered from the advanced monitoring program will drive hydrological, life cycle and socioeconomic assessments to demonstrate their cost-effectiveness, alongside the development of tools and policies to facilitate their replication throughout Europe. Citizen science initiatives and a multi-stakeholder approach, coupled with a robust communication and exploitation strategy, will be pivotal in fostering capacity building across European nations.