2021/11/02     Dresden, Germany

From agri-food and forest systems to climate change and biodiversity, researchers at UNU-FLORES engage in a range of research themes to advance the Resource Nexus. In further advancing the nexus mindset, we also consider various analytical perspectives from governance to health.

A truly integrated management of environmental resources calls for a study of not only the individual components of the Resource Nexus but also the interlinkages between them. To get an idea of what our researchers have been busy with, here are our recent publications:

A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development
Stephan Hülsmann, Mahesh Jampani

How does an integrated management of environmental resources via the Nexus Approach help achieve the respective Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? This book provides conceptual considerations and practical examples on how to implement the Nexus Approach in cities and multifunctional land-use systems to increase resource use efficiency and develop a low carbon economy.

Climate Change, Security, and the Resource Nexus: Case Study of Northern Nigeria and Lake Chad
Sustainability 
Samuel Stephen Wakdok, Raimund Bleischwitz

Applying the climate-security-resource nexus, this paper analyses the impacts of climate change and its implications for human security for the regions of Northern Nigeria and Lake Chad and describes consequences for the implementation of the SDGs. The authors discuss collaboration and green markets for the future of Lake Chad, along with an integrated agricultural nexus policy.

Complexity in Water Management and Governance in Handbook of Water Resources Management: Discourses, Concepts and Examples
Sabrina Kirschke, Jens Newig

This chapter describes analytical concepts of complexity in water management and governance and distinguishes them from related concepts such as wicked and uncertain problems. The authors discuss approaches to address complex problems, including installing an integrated water resources management, implementing a Nexus Approach to environmental resources and sectors, and addressing poor water quality within the European Water Framework Directive.

Examples of Water and Land Use Management in Handbook of Water Resources Management: Discourses, Concepts and Examples
Bernhard Tischbein, Maksud Bekchanov, John P. A. Lamers, Navneet Kumar, Kai Schwärzel, Lulu Zhang, Tamara Avellán, Usman Khalid Awan, Fazlullah Akhtar, Anik Bhaduri, Janos J. Bogardi, Yanhui Wang, Pengtao Yu, Anh Bui, Mauricio Nevado Amell, Luana Tesch, Lúcia La Barca Pedrosa, Renato Mariano, Sanjana Balachandran, Kurt Brüggemann

Shedding light on several examples, both in the thematic and geographical sense, manifesting the need to address water and land management in an integrated way, this chapter reviews irrigation and soil management techniques, performance assessment of irrigation, and water delivery scheduling for irrigated agriculture. The authors emphasise the need for careful afforestation planning to avoid aggravating water shortage downstream and introduce constructed wetlands as a low-cost wastewater treatment technology.

Green Water Appropriation of the Cropland Ecosystem in China
Science of the Total Environment
Weijing Ma, Feili Wei, Jianpeng Zhang, Daniel Karthe, Christian Opp

Based on estimates of the green water footprint (GWF) of main crops in China between 1979 and 2016, this article introduces and applies a new concept revealing the relationship between the GWF and precipitation: the green water appropriation rate (GWar). In addition to illustrating the development of the GWar in each province, the authors assess its correlation with the effective irrigation rate and agricultural GDP. The results aim to provide a scientific basis for the development of water-appropriate agriculture and full utilisation of rainwater.

Sustainable Development as the Ultimate Target of Adopting a Nexus Approach to Resources Management in Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity
Serena Caucci, Lulu Zhang, Karla Locher-Krause, Stephan Hülsmann

Resource productivity is critical to achieving resource-based SDGs, namely food, water, and energy security, and incentivise adopting a Nexus Approach. Based on examples and case studies, this chapter highlights the need to include innovative tools such as ecosystem services and participatory approaches in the assessment of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus to adopt resource management in achieving sustainable development.

The Transition Value of Business Models for a Sustainable Energy System: The Case of Virtual Peer-to-Peer Energy Communities
Organization & Environment
Frederik Plewnia, Edeltraud Guenther

Peer-to-peer energy communities connect electricity consumers and producers on platforms, allowing them to trade energy with each other. By synchronising local production and consumption, connecting decentralised actors, and creating new markets, they can promote a more sustainable energy system. This manuscript investigates the organisations’ business models and what value they may provide to stakeholders and the energy system.

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