Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RETOUCH Nexus (REsilienT water gOvernance Under climate CHange within the WEFE NEXUS)
Reporting period: 2024-07-01 to 2025-12-31
The RETOUCH NEXUS project addresses the challenge of water scarcity and climate‑related pressures in Europe by developing more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable water governance approaches grounded in the Water‑Energy‑Food‑Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus. Its overall objective is to help public authorities, stakeholders, and communities plan and manage water resources in a way that balances societal needs, environmental protection, and economic efficiency. Across six diverse regions in Europe, the project designs and tests new tools, such as Nexus‑smart indicators, cross‑sector governance schemes, and economic valuation models, that support decision‑making and long‑term water security. Through stakeholder engagement, participatory workshops, training activities, and new communication formats, the project empowers citizens, strengthens the capacity of authorities, and promotes evidence‑based policies that can reduce drought and flood risks, improve resource efficiency, and contribute to climate resilience and sustainable development. The project integrates Social Sciences and Humanities by using participatory governance methods, multi‑actor engagement mechanisms, behavioral insights, and social‑innovation approaches to ensure that diverse societal perspectives, local knowledge, and community needs shape the design and implementation of water‑governance solutions, making them more inclusive and transferable across regions.
During the second reporting period, RETOUCH NEXUS advanced the scientific and technical foundations needed to improve water governance under the WEFE (Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems) Nexus approach.
Significant progress was made across all core work packages.
- The project finalized and operationalized a comprehensive Nexus‑smart monitoring framework, including 35 water‑governance indicators and two digital tools, Indicator Overview and Build Your Own Indicator, which allow users to select, combine, and analyze indicators tailored to local governance contexts. These tools were tested through expert workshops and training sessions, ensuring methodological robustness and practical usability.
- All six European case studies advanced the application of integrated hydro‑economic, hydrological, and socio‑institutional models, generating site‑specific evidence on water availability, competing demands, climate impacts, and possible economic instruments for more sustainable allocation. This included the development of WEFE‑aligned hydro‑economic models, system‑dynamics approaches, random‑utility modelling, input–output analysis, and business‑model concepts adapted to local conditions.
- The project completed scientific work on innovative multi‑actor, multi‑level governance mechanisms, assessing new approaches for coordination, inclusiveness, and transparency. This work produced a cross‑case comparative analysis of governance practices and a set of targeted recommendations for improving water‑policy coherence and integration.
- Across the six case study territories, stakeholder input and empirical observations were used to test modelling assumptions, validate economic instruments, and identify governance bottlenecks. These activities enabled the preparation of policy briefs, evidence‑based governance pathways, and practical recommendations that link scientific outputs to policymaking environments.
Altogether, the project delivered substantial technical outputs: validated monitoring frameworks, advanced modelling tools across multiple case studies, comparative governance assessments, and locally actionable recommendations that strengthen water resilience and cross‑sector planning.
Significant progress was made across all core work packages.
- The project finalized and operationalized a comprehensive Nexus‑smart monitoring framework, including 35 water‑governance indicators and two digital tools, Indicator Overview and Build Your Own Indicator, which allow users to select, combine, and analyze indicators tailored to local governance contexts. These tools were tested through expert workshops and training sessions, ensuring methodological robustness and practical usability.
- All six European case studies advanced the application of integrated hydro‑economic, hydrological, and socio‑institutional models, generating site‑specific evidence on water availability, competing demands, climate impacts, and possible economic instruments for more sustainable allocation. This included the development of WEFE‑aligned hydro‑economic models, system‑dynamics approaches, random‑utility modelling, input–output analysis, and business‑model concepts adapted to local conditions.
- The project completed scientific work on innovative multi‑actor, multi‑level governance mechanisms, assessing new approaches for coordination, inclusiveness, and transparency. This work produced a cross‑case comparative analysis of governance practices and a set of targeted recommendations for improving water‑policy coherence and integration.
- Across the six case study territories, stakeholder input and empirical observations were used to test modelling assumptions, validate economic instruments, and identify governance bottlenecks. These activities enabled the preparation of policy briefs, evidence‑based governance pathways, and practical recommendations that link scientific outputs to policymaking environments.
Altogether, the project delivered substantial technical outputs: validated monitoring frameworks, advanced modelling tools across multiple case studies, comparative governance assessments, and locally actionable recommendations that strengthen water resilience and cross‑sector planning.
The RETOUCH NEXUS project has produced several results that go beyond current practice in water governance and WEFE‑Nexus research.
1. The Nexus‑smart monitoring framework is the first to integrate 35 governance indicators with flexible digital applications that allow users to build customized indicator sets and apply them in different institutional contexts. This provides an adaptable, evidence‑based method for assessing and improving water governance performance.
2. The suite of WEFE‑integrated modelling approaches developed across the six case studies represents a significant methodological advancement: hydrological, hydro‑economic, input–output, and behavioral models were combined for the first time to quantify cross‑sectoral impacts, value water under competing uses, and simulate climate‑induced changes with governance‑relevant precision. These models form transferable tools that other regions can adopt for more holistic resource planning.
3. The project also advances the state of the art through its development of economic instruments and business‑model concepts that internalize WEFE interdependencies, including water pricing frameworks, insurance schemes, market mechanisms, and financing strategies. These tools help public authorities and operators design resource‑efficient, climate‑resilient, and socially fair water‑management solutions.
Potential impacts include improved water security, stronger climate‑change adaptation capacities, better alignment of economic incentives with environmental protection, and more resilient governance frameworks across Europe.
For further uptake, key enabling conditions include: continuing data collection for indicator‑based monitoring, further demonstration and replication of the modelling tools, strengthened links with regulators, and support for scale‑up/out of innovative governance schemes and economic instruments.
1. The Nexus‑smart monitoring framework is the first to integrate 35 governance indicators with flexible digital applications that allow users to build customized indicator sets and apply them in different institutional contexts. This provides an adaptable, evidence‑based method for assessing and improving water governance performance.
2. The suite of WEFE‑integrated modelling approaches developed across the six case studies represents a significant methodological advancement: hydrological, hydro‑economic, input–output, and behavioral models were combined for the first time to quantify cross‑sectoral impacts, value water under competing uses, and simulate climate‑induced changes with governance‑relevant precision. These models form transferable tools that other regions can adopt for more holistic resource planning.
3. The project also advances the state of the art through its development of economic instruments and business‑model concepts that internalize WEFE interdependencies, including water pricing frameworks, insurance schemes, market mechanisms, and financing strategies. These tools help public authorities and operators design resource‑efficient, climate‑resilient, and socially fair water‑management solutions.
Potential impacts include improved water security, stronger climate‑change adaptation capacities, better alignment of economic incentives with environmental protection, and more resilient governance frameworks across Europe.
For further uptake, key enabling conditions include: continuing data collection for indicator‑based monitoring, further demonstration and replication of the modelling tools, strengthened links with regulators, and support for scale‑up/out of innovative governance schemes and economic instruments.