Co-Designing Water Management Through the TALANOA Dialogue

Water resources are under immense pressure in the Anthropocene, requiring innovative and collaborative approaches to ensure sustainable management. The EU-funded TALANOA-Water project embodies a transdisciplinary framework, engaging a diverse array of stakeholders—scientists, policymakers, local communities, NGOs, businesses, and others—in iterative co-creation processes to tackle complex water challenges in six pilot water laboratories in the mediterranean area (Egypt, France, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia). This presentation highlights the project's outcomes in leveraging participatory approaches to co-construct actionable water management solutions under climate change and socio-economic uncertainties.

Guided by the Talanoa Dialogue principles of inclusivity, mutual learning, and transparency, the project co-developed socio-hydrological scenarios that integrate diverse perspectives and knowledge systems. These scenarios were tested using a multi-system modeling framework collaboratively designed with stakeholders to enable robust policy evaluation and enhanced water management. The framework incorporates climatic, hydrologic, agronomic, micro- and macro-economic modules, interconnected through protocols that allow feedback between systems while preserving model specificity and precision. Prioritizing models already familiar to stakeholders—even though not always state-of-the-art—ensured greater usability and trust in the process. Modeling efforts

Key outcomes include co-designed models and participatory tools, such as serious games developed and applied in four pilot labs, that improve decision-making, foster stakeholder trust, and address trade-offs among competing water uses. Additionally, a meta-analysis of co-creation approaches conducted within the project offers valuable insights into their effectiveness, barriers, and enablers, shedding light on their transformative potential for integrated water resource management.