LENSES
Duration: 36 months. May 2021 - April 2024.
Status: Ongoing
Budget: 3,482,000 €
Funding program:
EU PRIMA
Reference number:
Grant agreement 2041
LENSES aims to enhance the comprehension and improve the sustainable management of the Nexus WEF systems (Water, Energy, Food). It proposes a novel WEF Nexus management approach, moving away from compartmentalisation and isolation of the Nexus components (Water, Energy, Food), toward carrying out a co-management of those components, exposing their intricacy while generating novel methodologies and tactics that mitigate uncertainty in relation to their dynamic evolution.
In order to achieve a sustainable co-management of the WEF Nexus, LENSES proposes the deployment of System Dynamics Modelling1(SDMs) as an approach to provide improved understanding of the interdependencies of the Nexus domains as well as of the dynamic interactions between them over time. This will be done through the activation of collective learning processes engaging all decision-makers and stakeholders interested/involved in the Nexus management.
The system will be applied in different pilot cases carried out in a number of Mediterranean river basins, covering a wide range of environmental, socio-economic and socio-technical conditions that are relevant for the whole Mediterranean area, namely, Doñana (Spain), Tarquinia (Italy), Pinios (Greece), Koiliaris (Crete), Gediz (Turkey), Hula Valley (Israel), Middle Jordan Valley (Jordan).
The proposed Nexus management approach in LENSES should deliver an equitable and socially acceptable allocation of resources, in particular by involving all stakeholders and helping them build the capacity to carry out the actions resulting from the Nexus-based solutions. Ultimately, LENSES aspires to improve water allocation, food security and ecosystem preservation while aiding climate change adaptation.
LENSES activities are carried out by thirteen partner organisations, comprising research centres, SMEs and one NGO. Over fifty experts from six Mediterranean basin countries, namely Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel and Jordan, are involved.
Partners:
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| CREA (Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria) Coor | IT |
| TEFSA- UNIPD (Universitá degli Studi di Padova) | IT |
| IRSA CNR (Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) | IT |
| ETIFOR srl (Consultancy) | IT |
| AGRISAT (Company) | SP |
| ECOADAPTA (NGO) | SP |
| SWRI (Soil and Water Resources Institute) | GR |
| TUC (Technical University of Crete) | GR |
| DRAXIS (Environmental Technologies) | GR |
| MIGAL (Galilee Research Institute) | IL |
| NARC (National Agricultural Research Center) | JO |
| UTAEM (International Agricultural Research and Education Center) | TR |
| EA-TEK (International R&D, Engineering, Software and Consultancy) | TR |
MENBO is a member of the Advisory Board of the Project and contributes to the project by providing regular feedback on the activities carried out and the outputs achieved.
Footnotes
System Dynamics modelling is explicitly centered on the analysis of system structure, aiming at describing the many circular, interlocking, reinforcing, balancing and dynamic (even time-lagged) relationships among its components.↩︎