Conceptualising ecosystems for water-energy-food Nexus research and practice

Despite growing recognition of the role of ecosystems in supporting water, energy, and food (WEF) sectors, there is limited research on how ecosystems are defined and operationalised into the WEF Nexus in practice. This article explores how the concept of ecosystems was understood and integrated in the European Union Horizon 2020 project NEXOGENESIS (NXG) that sought to incorporate ecosystems into an expanded WEFE Nexus. Based on semi-structured interviews with the project coordinator and respondents from five case studies in Europe and South Africa, the study identifies lessons learned and insights for future integration of ecosystems into similar projects. The findings reveal that most of the NXG case studies did not explicitly define ecosystems at the outset of the project and instead treated the concept as presumed background knowledge with a variety of interpretations. Ambiguity surrounding ecosystem definitions, overlaps with other sectors, and limited data availability made it challenging to operationalise and integrate ecosystems. This suggests that even a project with explicit aims to incorporate ecosystems into the WEF Nexus can remain limited in defining, measuring, and incorporating them into its work. The lessons learned from the NXG experience are developed into a practical guide for similar projects seeking to incorporate ecosystems into the Nexus. These reflective insights are intended to support future efforts to strengthen the role of ecosystems within Nexus research and practice.