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Description
The Water-Energy-Biodiversity-Climate-Food Nexus (in short Nexus) initiative (WatNex) aims to empower a multidisciplinary network of experts and stakeholders working on water, energy and food sustainability by raising their awareness on the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the context of climate change. The initiative aims to expand and strengthen the Nexus in regions where the WatNex facilities and/or funding are insufficient compared to European standards. The important goal of the initiative is to provide professional skills development and personal development
Summary of the results
During the implementation the WatNex Collaborative Platform was established. The platform facilitates live meetings as well as remote case study work and contributes to efficient project management and knowledge sharing between team members. It enables the networking of WatNex core team members ,from Norway and Croatia, with participants from other European countries (Belgium, UK, Finland etc.) but also from regions struggling with resource scarcity (e.g. Serbia, Israel). The aim of the broader WatNex team is to work together on various case studies aimed at raising collective awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the context of climate change within nexus systems such as water-energy-biodiversity-climate-food at both European and global levels. The WatNex initative team organized four networking weeks in Israel, Croatia, Norway and Belgium, and events ranged from centralized networking sessions with industry leaders to in-depth discussions on local nexus challenges and sharing best practices. The external events served as platform to promote educational board gamePharmaBusters and comprehensive business plan and recommendations for improving the visibility and sustainability of the Ecological Station Vrlika in Croatia, both developed as part of case studies. The result of third case study are summarized in a comprehensive report that aims to serve as a catalyst for fundamental change in biodiversity monitoring across Europe.