Ecosystems provide a range of services, including water purification, erosion prevention, and flood risk mitigation, that are important to water resource managers. But as a sector, water resources management has been slow to incorporate ecosystem protection and restoration, for a variety of reasons, although related concepts such as nature-based solutions and green infrastructure are gaining traction.
TheEnvironment Analysis and Planning in Metropolitan Areas working Group is pleased to announce the publication of a Special Issue in Environmental Management on Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Water Resources Management. The Special issue was coordinated by Dr Blal Adem Esmail and MSc. Paulina Guerrero as part of a collaborative effort by members of the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) - Sectoral Working Group on ES in Water Management.
In their introductory paper, the organizers of the Special Issue explain some of the existing challenges to wider uptake of the ecosystem services concept in water resources management. Hence, they introduce some promising avenues for research and practice, elaborated in more detail through 12 papers, spanning five continents and a variety of contexts, which make up a Special Issue. Cross-cutting themes include (A) ecosystem services as a flexible concept to communicate with stakeholders; (B) participatory processes to involve stakeholders in research; (C) multiple values, and valuation methods, of water-related services; and (D) applications of decision-support tools. They conclude with a summary of research gaps and emphasize the importance of co-producing knowledge with decision makers and other stakeholders,  to improve water resources management through the integration of ecosystem services.
Most of the articles are open access and available here. The publications may be of interest to anyone working on water management and ecosystem services, green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions. Several case studies from around the world are featured as well as innovative methods and literature reviews. For an overview and synthesis, check the introductory article here.
Link to existing tweet:

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