{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107487", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:16:29Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-12-13", "title": "Comparative geotechnical analysis of slope stabilization through conventional, soil and water bioengineering, and combined solutions", "description": "The sustainable mitigation of hydrogeological hazard through the geotechnical stabilization of natural and artificial slopes is an ethical and technical goal of increasing global relevance. In this context, \u201cgray\u201d geotechnical stabilization solutions involving the use of inert materials, injections of cement mixtures and steel elements, have been prevalently used in the past decades and have thus come to define the present \u201cconventional\u201d approach. These solutions may meet engineering performance criteria but are unable to attain desirable sustainability standards. The practice of Soil and Water BioEngineering (SWBE) draws from ancient empirical experience and is rapidly gaining new momentum due to the increased focus on environmental protection and requalification. SWBE and can be effectively conducted through the design and implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) by using living plants, alone or in combination with locally available materials, to improve the engineering performance of ecosystems while fostering an increase in their biodiversity and environmental value. The domain of applicability of NBS is limited to quasi-surficial instability phenomena, since the root systems which provide resistance to destabilizing forces are found mainly at shallow depths from ground surface. Moreover, biological and physical processes intervening in NBS result in the temporal variation of their mechanical resistance and engineering performance. \u201cCombined\u201d solutions involving the presence of \u2013 and synergy between - gray and green solutions may ensure the simultaneous attainment of safety and sustainability. This paper describes the conceptual standpoints and operational framework used for the comparative assessment of the engineering design performance of conventional, NBS, and combined solutions for a slope stabilization intervention on a site located near Florence, Italy. Stability is assessed quantitatively through limit equilibrium methods for multiple scenarios defined in terms of technological solutions, temporal stage, and level of engineering conservatism in design parameters. Temporal trends of the factors of safety against sliding are defined statistically and assessed qualitatively and quantitatively. The comparative analysis suggests that the combined solution provides the best option at the Montisoni site as it ensures sufficient short-terms, post-stabilization stability as well as increased stability overtime due to the improvement in the mechanical contribution of NBS components. The paper brings innovative contributions with respect to the equivalent geomechanical modeling of NBS and combined solutions in limit-equilibrium analyses and to the discussion of criteria to be considered in the assignment of design values in stability analyses.", "keywords": ["Geotechnical engineering; Bio-geotechnics; Slope stability; Soil and water bioengineering; Nature-based solutions; Statistics"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://flore.unifi.it/bitstream/2158/1403973/1/Uzielli%20et%20al.%202024%20-%20Comparative%20geotechnical%20analysis%20of%20slope%20stabilization.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107487"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecological%20Engineering", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107487", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107487", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107487"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s00114-021-01748-8", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:14:55Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-09-07", "title": "Societal importance of Antarctic negative feedbacks on climate change: blue carbon gains from sea ice, ice shelf and glacier losses", "description": "Abstract

Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses\uffe2\uff80\uff94becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60\uffe2\uff80\uff93100 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921), ice shelves (4\uffe2\uff80\uff9340 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffe2\uff80\uff89=\uffe2\uff80\uff89giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (<\uffe2\uff80\uff891 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921). Estimates suggest that, amongst these, reduced duration of seasonal sea ice is most important. Decreasing sea ice extent drives longer (not necessarily larger biomass) smaller cell-sized phytoplankton blooms, increasing growth of many primary consumers and benthic carbon storage\uffe2\uff80\uff94where sequestration chances are maximal. However, sea ice losses also create positive feedbacks in shallow waters through increased iceberg movement and scouring of benthos. Unlike loss of sea ice, which enhances existing sinks, ice shelf losses generate brand new carbon sinks both where giant icebergs were, and in their wake. These also generate small positive feedbacks from scouring, minimised by repeat scouring at biodiversity hotspots. Blue carbon change from glacier retreat has been least well quantified, and although emerging fjords are small areas, they have high storage-sequestration conversion efficiencies, whilst blue carbon in polar waters faces many diverse and complex stressors. The identity of these are known (e.g. fishing, warming, ocean acidification, non-indigenous species and plastic pollution) but not their magnitude of impact. In order to mediate multiple stressors, research should focus on wider verification of blue carbon gains, projecting future change, and the broader environmental and economic benefits to safeguard blue carbon ecosystems through law.Constructed wetlands (CWs) can be considered as an efficient nature-based solution for the treatment of agricultural drainage water (ADW) and consequently for the mitigation of non-point source pollution. Aiming to provide suggestions for the construction and implementation of CWs, this paper proposes and discusses key parameters of CW design and operation. In order to verify the effect of these features, different case studies were reviewed, focusing on the performance of CWs that are treating agricultural drainage water. The findings showed that design and operational factors (e.g., the application of simple hydraulic structures and vegetation establishment) can improve pollutant removal efficiencies by increasing hydraulic retention time. Hydraulic efficiency of CWs can also be enhanced through certain shape characteristics (e.g., adoption of a high aspect ratio and creation of a long and narrow CW shape). The careful consideration of these parameters before and during CW implementation can therefore help these systems to achieve their full potential. However, further study is recommended to assess the effects of some parameters (e.g., flow direction and the application of deep zones).In the attempt to foster circular economy (CE), cities are increasingly adopting urban living labs (ULLs) as sites of co-production aimed at testing alternative solutions based on the reuse of products, reduction of consumption and recycling of materials. Taking this perspective, our study adopts an exploratory research design to discover the pragmatic implications emerging from a case study. The City of Turin joined proGIreg, a European project that entails the regeneration of former industrial districts by means of nature-based solutions (NBS). Ranging from aquaponics to green roofs, seven NBS have been experimented in Turin, which rely on the use of natural systems to tackle social, economic and environmental challenges efficiently and sustainably. Among them, the most promising is related to the production and test of the \uffe2\uff80\uff98new soil\uffe2\uff80\uff99, a blend obtained by mixing earth materials coming from construction sites with compost, zeolites and mycorrhizae. The case herein presented is interesting to analyse for the multi-stakeholder management setting used, where public institutions, private companies, research institutions, citizens and associations collaborated in the co-creation and testing phase of the NBS. Consequently, the data collected through participant observation and direct interviews allow researchers to describe multi-stakeholders\uffe2\uff80\uff99 dynamics and how they work. Thus, this paper narrates a micro-contextual experience while providing a critique. Results include an analysis of the unique combination of different stakeholders, which strongly impacted on the management and the effectiveness of the entire project. By consequence, the paper offers both theoretical contributions to the relational branch of stakeholder theory and practical evidence in demonstrating the importance of the relational branch of the theory over a more traditional transactional view.

", "keywords": ["Circular economy", "New soil", "Circular economy Urban living lab Nature-based solutions New soil Sustainable transition Turin", "Urban living lab", "9. Industry and infrastructure", "05 social sciences", "Nature-based solutions", "Turin", "01 natural sciences", "12. Responsible consumption", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "8. Economic growth", "0502 economics and business", "Sustainable transition", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/1805054/1/Ascione2021_Article_UrbanLivingLabsCircularEconomy.pdf"}, {"href": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s43615-021-00011-6.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00011-6"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Circular%20Economy%20and%20Sustainability", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s43615-021-00011-6", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s43615-021-00011-6", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s43615-021-00011-6"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-03-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100006", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:16:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-05-24", "title": "Ecosystem services from combined natural and engineered water and wastewater treatment systems: going beyond water quality enhancement", "description": "Abstract Combined natural and engineered water and waste water systems (cNES) are nature-based solutions that utilise naturally occurring processes to remove impurities from water and therefore contribute to the ecosystem service of water quality enhancement. We hypothesise that these systems may also have a potential to deliver ecosystem services other than their primary purpose of water purification and we use spatially-explicit modelling tools to determine these benefits. We focused on three different types of cNES: bank filtration (BF), managed aquifer recharge/soil aquifer treatment (MAR/SAT), and constructed wetlands (CW), and combined the ecosystem services cascade, DESSIN and CICES conceptual frameworks with multiple InVEST 3.4.4 models to investigate the spatial distribution of intermediate ecosystem services within the sites as well as in the surrounding landscape. We also determined the role of habitats present within the sites in wider landscape\u2019s connectivity to the nearest Natura 2000 areas using the Circuitscape 4.0 model, assessed the public perception of the aesthetic value of two of the cNES technologies, i.e. CW and MAR/SAT, via an online survey, and linked the determined ecosystem services to their likely beneficiaries. Our results indicated that the sites characterised with semi-natural ecosystems had a good potential for ecosystem services provision and that the selected cNES technologies were favourably received by the public as compared to their engineered equivalents. We concluded that determination of ecosystem services potential from nature-based solutions, such as cNES technologies, should be done in consideration of various contextual factors including the type of habitats/ecosystems present within the proposed solutions, the location within the landscape as well as properties and ecosystem services potential of the areas surrounding the sites, all of which can be facilitated by deployment of spatially-explicit ecosystem service models at early stages of the planning process.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Nature-based solutions", "0211 other engineering and technologies", "Water and waste water treatment", "Habitat connectivity", "02 engineering and technology", "15. Life on land", "551", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "Circuitscape", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Ecosystem services", "InVEST models", "14. Life underwater", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100006"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecological%20Engineering", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100006", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100006", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100006"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11585/929974", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:26:04Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-06-29", "title": "Effects of Design and Operational Conditions on the Performance of Constructed Wetlands for Agricultural Pollution Control \u2013 Critical Review", "description": "Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) can be considered as an efficient nature-based solution for the treatment of agricultural drainage water (ADW) and consequently for the mitigation of non-point source pollution. Aiming to provide suggestions for the construction and implementation of CWs, this paper proposes and discusses key parameters of CW design and operation. In order to verify the effect of these features, different case studies were reviewed, focusing on the performance of CWs that are treating agricultural drainage water. The findings showed that design and operational factors (e.g., the application of simple hydraulic structures and vegetation establishment) can improve pollutant removal efficiencies by increasing hydraulic retention time. Hydraulic efficiency of CWs can also be enhanced through certain shape characteristics (e.g., adoption of a high aspect ratio and creation of a long and narrow CW shape). The careful consideration of these parameters before and during CW implementation can therefore help these systems to achieve their full potential. However, further study is recommended to assess the effects of some parameters (e.g., flow direction and the application of deep zones).Soil health is a critical component of nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions (NbS), underpinning ecosystem multifunctionality and resilience by supporting biodiversity, improving carbon sequestration and storage, regulating water flow and enhancing plant productivity. For this reason, NbS often aim to protect soil health and restore degraded soil. Robust monitoring of soil health is needed to adaptively manage NbS projects, identify best practices and minimize trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between goals, but soil assessment is often underrepresented in NbS monitoring programmes. This paper examines challenges and opportunities in selecting suitable soil health metrics. We find that standardization can facilitate widespread monitoring of soil health, with benefits for stakeholders and user groups. However, standardization brings key challenges, including the complexity and local variability of soil systems and the diverse priorities, skills and resources of stakeholders. To address this, we propose a flexible, interdisciplinary approach combining soil science, ecology and socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90economic insights. We introduce an interactive tool to help users select suitable soil and biodiversity metrics, which are context and scale\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific, and suggest avenues for future research. We conclude that integrating soil health into NbS through new and improved monitoring approaches, newly available datasets, supportive policies and stakeholder collaboration can enhance the resilience and effectiveness of NbS, contributing significantly to global sustainability goals.Megaherbivores have pervasive ecological effects. In African rainforests, elephants can increase aboveground carbon, though the mechanisms are unclear. Here we combine a large unpublished dataset of forest elephant feeding with published browsing preferences totaling > 120,000 records covering 700 plant species, including nutritional data for 102 species. Elephants increase carbon stocks by: 1) promoting high wood density tree species via preferential browsing on leaves from low wood density species, which are more digestible; 2) dispersing seeds of trees that are relatively large and have the highest average wood density among tree guilds based on dispersal mode. Loss of forest elephants could cause a 5-12% decline in carbon stocks due to regeneration failure of elephant-dispersed trees and an increase in abundance of low wood density trees. These results show the major importance of megaherbivores in maintaining diverse, high-carbon tropical forests. Successful elephant conservation will contribute to climate mitigation at a scale of global relevance.

", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "570", "plant animal interactions", "Elephants", "MESH: Carbon", "carbon cycling", "Forests", "01 natural sciences", "Trees", "megafauna", "MESH: Biomass", "Animals", "MESH: Animals", "Biomass", "nature-based solutions", "Tropical Climate", "biogeochemical cycles", "MESH: Forests", "Biological Sciences", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "MESH: Trees", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "MESH: Elephants", "MESH: Tropical Climate", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2201832120"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2201832120"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.2201832120", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.2201832120", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.2201832120"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-12-23T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1098/rstb.2020.0175", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:19:11Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-08-08", "title": "The role of soils in regulation and provision of blue and green water", "description": "

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, through eight subgoals dealing with four themes: (i) water quantity and availability, (ii) water quality, (iii) finding sustainable solutions and (iv) policy and governance. In this opinion paper, we assess how soils and associated land and water management can help achieve this goal, considering soils at two scales: local soil health and healthy landscapes. The merging of these two viewpoints shows the interlinked importance of the two scales. Soil health reflects the capacity of a soil to provide ecosystem services at a specific location, taking into account local climate and soil conditions. Soil is also an important component of a healthy and sustainable landscape, and they are connected by the water that flows through the soil and the transported sediments. Soils are linked to water in two ways: through plant-available water in the soil (green water) and through water in surface bodies or available as groundwater (blue water). In addition, water connects the soil scale and the landscape scale by flowing through both. Nature-based solutions at both soil health and landscape-scale can help achieve sustainable future development but need to be embedded in good governance, social acceptance and economic viability.

This article is part of the theme issue \u2018The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People\u2019.

", "keywords": ["Climate", "Sustainable Development Goals", "01 natural sciences", "12. Responsible consumption", "Soil", "Water Quality", "11. Sustainability", "SDG 6", "nature-based solutions", "Ecosystem", "SDG 3", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "SDG 17", "Conservation of Water Resources", "soil health", "1. No poverty", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "SDG 12", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "Sustainable Development Goal 6", "connectivity", "blue and green water", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "ecosystem services"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0175"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Philosophical%20Transactions%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society%20B%3A%20Biological%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1098/rstb.2020.0175", "name": "item", "description": "10.1098/rstb.2020.0175", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1098/rstb.2020.0175"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-08-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1101/2021.12.23.473993", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:19:12Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-12-23", "title": "Megaherbivores modify forest structure and increase carbon stocks through multiple pathways", "description": "Abstract

Megaherbivores have pervasive ecological effects. In African rainforests, elephants can increase aboveground carbon, though the mechanisms are unclear. Here we combine a large unpublished dataset of forest elephant feeding with published browsing preferences totaling > 120,000 records covering 700 plant species, including nutritional data for 102 species. Elephants increase carbon stocks by: 1) promoting high wood density tree species via preferential browsing on leaves from low wood density species, which are more digestible; 2) dispersing seeds of trees that are relatively large and have the highest average wood density among tree guilds based on dispersal mode. Loss of forest elephants could cause a 5-12% decline in carbon stocks due to regeneration failure of elephant-dispersed trees and an increase in abundance of low wood density trees. These results show the major importance of megaherbivores in maintaining diverse, high-carbon tropical forests. Successful elephant conservation will contribute to climate mitigation at a scale of global relevance.Spiders, ubiquitous and abundant predators in terrestrial ecosystems, often are the subjects of an unjust negative perception. However, these remarkable creatures stand as unsung heroes within our ecosystems, contributing a multitude of ecosystem services critical to human well\uffe2\uff80\uff90being. Here, we describe the diverse spectrum of ecosystem services offered by spiders and their potential to inspire or directly provide nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions. Provisioning services include the versatile uses of silk\uffe2\uff80\uff90like and other materials, inspiration for biomimetic technology, medicines derived from venom, hemolymph and silk, bio\uffe2\uff80\uff90insecticides that offer eco\uffe2\uff80\uff90friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals, food sources for various human communities worldwide, and unconventional yet increasingly valued pets. Regulating services provided by spiders extend to vital roles in pest suppression across diverse agricultural settings, mitigating diseases by curbing insect\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated pathogen dispersal, and controlling invasive species. Supporting services offered by spiders are equally extensive, involving nutrient cycling through the breakdown of organic matter, acting as food sources for predators, or creating habitats for other organisms. Beyond their tangible contributions, spiders hold a significant cultural and spiritual heritage globally and are integral to many traditional medicine practices. They inspire contemporary culture, provide educational value, contribute to mental health improvement, evoke a sense of place, offer models for scientific discovery, and are commonly employed for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem health. To pave the way for future research, we present suggestions for exploring and quantifying the economic value of ecosystem services by spiders. While many of these services are well established and studied from various perspectives, others harbour untapped potential. Leveraging what nature inherently provides, these nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions offer avenues to address challenges such as biodiversity erosion and societal needs. By restoring, preserving, or mimicking natural processes of spiders, we can enhance or provide essential ecosystem services, harnessing the full potential of spiders and the web of benefits they bring us.

Denitrification is a permanent nitrogen removal pathway; thus, it is a desirable ecosystem function in water bodies receiving agricultural runoff. Knowledge of denitrification capacity in response to vegetation type and varying NO3\u2212 loads is essential for designing effectively constructed wetlands to control eutrophication. The aim of this study was to compare the nitrogen removal efficiency of two common wetland macrophytes, i.e., Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia in a NO3\u2212 enrichment experiment (50\u2212800 \u00b5M). Measurements of NO3\u2212 consumption, and N2 production were performed in vegetated and unvegetated mesocosms incubated in summer (26 \u00b0C) at biomass peak. Vegetated sediments demonstrated higher efficiency in converting NO3\u2212 to N2 via denitrification (<600\u201318,000 \u00b5mol N m\u22122 h\u22121) than bare sediments (300\u20133300 \u00b5mol N m\u22122 h\u22121). However, the denitrification stimulation effect from NO3\u2212 pulsing differed significantly between plant types. It can be hypothesized that P. australis played a more beneficial role than T. latifolia due to its greater submerged surface area, which facilitated enhanced opportunities for contact between NO3\u2212 and denitrifying bacteria. This ultimately resulted in an increased treatment performance. Understanding the interactions between plants and environmental drivers regulating denitrification is critical information for optimal wetland species selection. With an increasing global focus on sustainable water quality management, this research provides valuable insights into optimizing nature-based solutions.

", "keywords": ["biofilms; constructed wetlands; denitrification; nature-based solutions; nitrate pollution; P. australis; T. latifolia"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://sfera.unife.it/bitstream/11392/2582471/1/water-17-00560-v2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/4/560/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/11392/2582471"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Water", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "11392/2582471", "name": "item", "description": "11392/2582471", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/11392/2582471"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2025-02-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "1959.13/1492918", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-06-23T16:26:18Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-08-08", "title": "The role of soils in regulation and provision of blue and green water", "description": "

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, through eight subgoals dealing with four themes: (i) water quantity and availability, (ii) water quality, (iii) finding sustainable solutions and (iv) policy and governance. In this opinion paper, we assess how soils and associated land and water management can help achieve this goal, considering soils at two scales: local soil health and healthy landscapes. The merging of these two viewpoints shows the interlinked importance of the two scales. Soil health reflects the capacity of a soil to provide ecosystem services at a specific location, taking into account local climate and soil conditions. Soil is also an important component of a healthy and sustainable landscape, and they are connected by the water that flows through the soil and the transported sediments. Soils are linked to water in two ways: through plant-available water in the soil (green water) and through water in surface bodies or available as groundwater (blue water). In addition, water connects the soil scale and the landscape scale by flowing through both. Nature-based solutions at both soil health and landscape-scale can help achieve sustainable future development but need to be embedded in good governance, social acceptance and economic viability.

This article is part of the theme issue \u2018The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People\u2019.

", "keywords": ["Climate", "Sustainable Development Goals", "01 natural sciences", "12. Responsible consumption", "Soil", "Water Quality", "11. Sustainability", "SDG 6", "nature-based solutions", "Ecosystem", "SDG 3", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "SDG 17", "Conservation of Water Resources", "soil health", "1. No poverty", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "SDG 12", "6. Clean water", "13. Climate action", "Sustainable Development Goal 6", "connectivity", "blue and green water", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "ecosystem services"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/1959.13/1492918"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Philosophical%20Transactions%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society%20B%3A%20Biological%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "1959.13/1492918", "name": "item", "description": "1959.13/1492918", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/1959.13/1492918"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-08-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11585/1022695", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-06-23T16:26:03Z", "type": "Report", "created": "2025-03-12", "title": "Enhancing sustainability of constructed wetlands for agricultural water and nutrient management practices through social innovations", "description": "Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have a long history of pollution control in urban but also in rural and agricultural settings. As one of the solutions to water and nutrient management issues in European agriculture, CWs were assessed in the European H2020 project WATERAGRI not just for their effectiveness but also for their role towards sustainability. In this chapter, we show different methods used to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of CWs by applying a rapid assessment, driver\uffe2\uff80\uff93pressure\uffe2\uff80\uff93state\uffe2\uff80\uff93impact\uffe2\uff80\uff93response analyses, and life-cycle thinking. We also demonstrate the need for an advanced inter- and transdisciplinary understanding of how sustainability, both as a concept and in its implications, is perceived by applying a Delphi analysis and an online questionnaire. The results show that CWs can be considered a sustainable measure for water and nutrient management in agricultural sites for their environmental benefits, which are the most highlighted by the scientific community and practitioners. However, findings also show that social benefits may indeed be the tipping point for these systems to be sustainable and that more research and insights are needed to highlight the role of social innovation.Diminishing prospects for environmental preservation under climate change are intensifying efforts to boost capture, storage and sequestration (long-term burial) of carbon. However, as Earth\uffe2\uff80\uff99s biological carbon sinks also shrink, remediation has become a key part of the narrative for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, blue carbon on polar continental shelves have stronger pathways to sequestration and have increased with climate-forced marine ice losses\uffe2\uff80\uff94becoming the largest known natural negative feedback on climate change. Here we explore the size and complex dynamics of blue carbon gains with spatiotemporal changes in sea ice (60\uffe2\uff80\uff93100 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921), ice shelves (4\uffe2\uff80\uff9340 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921\uffe2\uff80\uff89=\uffe2\uff80\uff89giant iceberg generation) and glacier retreat (<\uffe2\uff80\uff891 MtCyear\uffe2\uff88\uff921). Estimates suggest that, amongst these, reduced duration of seasonal sea ice is most important. Decreasing sea ice extent drives longer (not necessarily larger biomass) smaller cell-sized phytoplankton blooms, increasing growth of many primary consumers and benthic carbon storage\uffe2\uff80\uff94where sequestration chances are maximal. However, sea ice losses also create positive feedbacks in shallow waters through increased iceberg movement and scouring of benthos. Unlike loss of sea ice, which enhances existing sinks, ice shelf losses generate brand new carbon sinks both where giant icebergs were, and in their wake. These also generate small positive feedbacks from scouring, minimised by repeat scouring at biodiversity hotspots. Blue carbon change from glacier retreat has been least well quantified, and although emerging fjords are small areas, they have high storage-sequestration conversion efficiencies, whilst blue carbon in polar waters faces many diverse and complex stressors. The identity of these are known (e.g. fishing, warming, ocean acidification, non-indigenous species and plastic pollution) but not their magnitude of impact. In order to mediate multiple stressors, research should focus on wider verification of blue carbon gains, projecting future change, and the broader environmental and economic benefits to safeguard blue carbon ecosystems through law.Soil health is a critical component of nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions (NbS), underpinning ecosystem multifunctionality and resilience by supporting biodiversity, improving carbon sequestration and storage, regulating water flow and enhancing plant productivity. For this reason, NbS often aim to protect soil health and restore degraded soil. Robust monitoring of soil health is needed to adaptively manage NbS projects, identify best practices and minimize trade\uffe2\uff80\uff90offs between goals, but soil assessment is often underrepresented in NbS monitoring programmes. This paper examines challenges and opportunities in selecting suitable soil health metrics. We find that standardization can facilitate widespread monitoring of soil health, with benefits for stakeholders and user groups. However, standardization brings key challenges, including the complexity and local variability of soil systems and the diverse priorities, skills and resources of stakeholders. To address this, we propose a flexible, interdisciplinary approach combining soil science, ecology and socio\uffe2\uff80\uff90economic insights. We introduce an interactive tool to help users select suitable soil and biodiversity metrics, which are context and scale\uffe2\uff80\uff90specific, and suggest avenues for future research. We conclude that integrating soil health into NbS through new and improved monitoring approaches, newly available datasets, supportive policies and stakeholder collaboration can enhance the resilience and effectiveness of NbS, contributing significantly to global sustainability goals.Megaherbivores have pervasive ecological effects. In African rainforests, elephants can increase aboveground carbon, though the mechanisms are unclear. Here we combine a large unpublished dataset of forest elephant feeding with published browsing preferences totaling > 120,000 records covering 700 plant species, including nutritional data for 102 species. Elephants increase carbon stocks by: 1) promoting high wood density tree species via preferential browsing on leaves from low wood density species, which are more digestible; 2) dispersing seeds of trees that are relatively large and have the highest average wood density among tree guilds based on dispersal mode. Loss of forest elephants could cause a 5-12% decline in carbon stocks due to regeneration failure of elephant-dispersed trees and an increase in abundance of low wood density trees. These results show the major importance of megaherbivores in maintaining diverse, high-carbon tropical forests. Successful elephant conservation will contribute to climate mitigation at a scale of global relevance.