Recognising the Roles of Economic Sectors in mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions – insights from EU communities of practice

Embedding Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into governance requires better science-policy-practice interfaces. The presentation will summarise learning from our four-year MERLIN project (Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a Landscape context: INnovation, upscaling and transformation) focused on longitudinal engagement of strategic economic sector representatives (Agriculture, Hydropower, Insurance, Inland Navigation, Peat Extraction and Water Supply and Sanitation). This focus was designed to mainstream freshwater NbS and complement bottom-up engagement across 18 case studies and we will reflect on the challenges of engaging with powerful stakeholders. The process aimed to co-develop actionable pathways, creating six individual sectoral strategies (Bérczi-Siket et al., 2025) and a cross-sectoral routemap for EU and MS policy units (Blackstock et al., 2025). We explored how sectors are enrolled in NbS implementation and identified several strategic planning processes (Water Dialogues for River Basin Management Plans, CAP strategic plans, forthcoming Nature Restoration Plans) to illustrate who, when and how to include economic sectors into planning and implementation of NbS. Analysing roles highlighted those co-creating ecosystem services and those benefitting from these services, alongside enablers and blockers, with 19 different economic sectors identified in total. Framing these analyses using a systemic framework (Carmen et al. 2025) consolidated the practical yet reflexive approach to encouraging transformative change.