MANAGING RESILIENT NEXUS SYSTEMS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY SYSTEMS DYNAMICS MODELLING

ended

REXUS ambitious goal is to bring transformative change in the way our societies approach the Water Food Energy Climate Nexus. The project argues that this is possible only through the activation of inclusive nexus partnerships, the Learning & Action Alliances (LAAs). The objective is for the pilot case Alliances in Europe and Latin America to develop shared visions and adaptive Nexus Management Strategies that will meet the Nexus sectoral objectives as well as broader criteria, such as habitat protection. In this context, LAAs will (a) co-produce new knowledge regarding Nexus interactions to inform the development of System Dynamics Models at suitable spatial and temporal scales and (b) explore multiple co-developed scenarios of demographic change, climate change, socio-environmental, economic incentivization and regulatory policies. Thus, SDM development is the means to (i) develop stakeholder platforms of trust, (ii) test the efficacy of integrated cross-sectoral policies, and (iii) build legitimacy for evidence-based decisions towards sustainable transitions. SDMs will inform climate risks assessments for combined-resource-management strategies by capturing the cascading effects among Nexus domains. The pilot cases will be the test-beds for the integration of methods, such as thematic biophysical modelling using Earth Observation, environmental cost valuations, natural capital and carbon accounting to explore case-specific challenges (including greening the CAP). In response to these challenges, Ecosystem-based Adaptation measures will be planned for these regional and transboundary systems. On a policy level, for the first time, REXUS will explore the opportunity to link Climate Adaptation (i.e. the Paris Agreement framework) to Nexus management as a means to push forward the Nexus agenda. The approaches above will support REXUS’ vision for Nexus systems that are managed within renewable natural resource constraints and in appreciation of climate feedbacks. The REXUS consortium is not meant to take side in the ongoing political discussions in the different pilot areas and the scope of the project activities is not intended to review and/or question any international or other form of agreement among the counties involved.