Nature-Based Solutions and beyond: the DesirMED’s approach for transformative climate adaptation in the Mediterranean region

The escalating impacts of climate change demand a paradigm shift in the way we adapt and mitigate risks while transforming societal systems. Traditional approaches often focus on what to transform, neglecting how transformation occurs. DesirMED project addresses this gap by integrating scientific, social, and governance stakeholders to develop transformative climate adaptation strategies. Centered on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), the project aims to preserve ecosystems, enhance climate resilience, and sustainably manage resources while emphasizing that “people lie at the heart of transformation”. Indeed, to drive this transformative change not only data and digital tools can support this intricate shift, but deliberative processes, embracing scenario planning and visioning that acknowledge and respect diverse needs, livelihoods, worldviews and cultures, should be considered. Aligned with this mantra, DesirMED adopts a bottom-up, multidisciplinary approach involving eight Mediterranean regions committed to testing and demonstrating a multidimensional portfolio of adaptation solutions. The focus is on prioritizing NBS while aligning regional adaptation goals with transformative strategies. Central to this approach is the definition of landscape archetypes, which integrate climate hazards, NBS strategies, governance frameworks, and the interactions among ecosystems and key community systems to support a systemic approach to climate adaptation. This novel framework is further strengthened by deliberative processes, scenario planning, and inclusive stakeholder engagement, fostering the behavioral shifts and collaborative actions critical to driving a systemic shift,  while adopting  evidence-informed NBS and aligning regional adaptation pathways with societal and environmental objectives. By bridging silos and integrating diverse perspectives, DesirMED provides actionable insights for decision-makers, supporting transformative change that enhances resilience across Mediterranean regions. Best practices from DesirMED case studies are presented, highlighting their role in advancing transformative climate adaptation pathways. These examples illustrate how integrated, evidence-based approaches can enhance resilience, foster sustainable resource management, and align local adaptation efforts with broader societal and environmental goals, offering valuable insights for NBS scaling-up framework for the Mediterranean region and beyond.