2022/06/08     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:

Assessing the Potential of Water Reuse Uptake Through a Private–Public Partnership: A Practitioner’s Perspective
Circular Economy and Sustainability
Isabella Georgiou, Serena Caucci, Jonathan Clive Morris, Edeltraud Guenther, Peter Krebs

Despite its potential contribution to effective integrated water management through inter-sectorial synergies, there are not many studies exploring the potential of treated wastewater use under a private–public partnership (PPP). This paper aims to provide a holistic overview of the main factors affecting the effectiveness of PPPs in using treated municipal wastewater in the industrial sector.

Fragmented Infrastructure Systems in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Assessment from an Environmental Resource Nexus and Public Health Perspective in Urban Infrastructuring
Daniel Karthe, Halim Lee, Gantuya Ganbat

A combination of unplanned urban sprawl, deficits in water and energy infrastructures, and worsening traffic congestion gave rise to numerous environmental problems in Ulaanbaatar. Integrated approaches – such as the Resource Nexus – that consider urban infrastructural multiplicity and interlinkages between different environmental domains are needed to transform the Mongolian capital into a healthier city.

Groundwater Policy and Planning in The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible
Jenny Grönwall, Marianne Kjellén, Gabriel Eckstein, Kerstin Danert, Lesha Witmer, Rebecca Welling, Viviana Re, Katharina Davis, Lulu Zhang

Groundwater policy defines objectives, ambitions, and priorities for managing groundwater resources, for the benefit of society. Planning translates policy into programmes of action. Both are often part of a wider water resource policy and planning framework. This chapter addresses the specific challenges pertaining to groundwater.

Leistungsmessung an der Universität der Vereinten Nationen: Eine Perspektive aus dem nicht-wirtschaftlichen Bereich
Controlling
Edeltraud Guenther, Sabine Becker-Thierry, Bastian Nebel, Sabrina Kirschke

This article analyses the initiation and design of a process to record and evaluate the effects of a United Nations University institute on the environment, the economy, politics, and society, using the example of UNU-FLORES.

Manganese Pollution in Mining-Influenced Rivers and Lakes: Current State and Forecast under Climate Change in the Russian Arctic
Water
Vera A. Matveeva, Alexey Alekseenko, Daniel Karthe, Alexander V. Puzanov

Mining regions in different parts of the world have been associated with the significant pollution of water, sediments, and soils by manganese and other chemical elements. This study assesses the degree of geochemical transformation caused by open-pit extraction and processing of mineral resources in the Kovdorsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, aiming to predict further changes driven by industrial pressure and high climatic instability in the polar region.

Results-Based Management of Wicked Problems? Indicators and Comparative Evidence from Latin America
Environmental Policy and Governance
Sabrina Kirschke, Tamara Avellán, Lucía Benavides, Serena Caucci, Angela Hahn, Andrea Müller, Claudia Beatriz Rubio Giraldo

Environmental problems are often wicked, shaped by conflicts, complexity, and uncertainty. By combining the results-based management literature with an analytic understanding of wickedness, this manuscript identifies 12 indicators for an effective management along four management stages and three dimensions of wicked problems and applies the concept in the context of Latin America.

Safe Use of Wastewater in Agriculture (SUWA): Reflecting on the Journey of Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals since 2015
Atiqah F. Salleh, Hiroshan Hettiarachchi

This report looks back at UNU-FLORES’s journey of supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the Safe Use of Wastewater in Agriculture (SUWA) initiative since 2015.

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