Defining socio-hydrological indicators of WEFE Nexus: preliminary insights from the PRIMA Nexus-Ness project in four Mediterranean living labs

Accounting for socio-hydrological interactions and synergies is needed when investigating barriers and opportunities affecting the mainstreaming of WEFE (Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem) Nexus approaches. Identifying socio-hydrological indicators is crucial to set the diagnostic of actual situations and identify paths of transition. This work presents preliminary insights from four Mediterranean case studies: the lower River Cornia coastal plain in Italy, Adaja River in Spain, Wadi Jir basin in Tunisia and Wadi Naghamish in Egypt, chosen as Nexus Ecosystems Labs (NELs) in the context of the PRIMA funded Nexus Nature Ecosystem Society Solution (NEXUS-NESS) project. The methodology consists of (i) bibliographic review on socio-hydrological indicators with particular focus on the Mediterranean region, (ii) data analysis for the hydrological and socio-economical characteristics of the four NELs in order to (iii) identify, adapt or define new indicators that best fit them. The definition of these indicators will build on a co-identification process (e.g. with stakeholders based on participatory methods to extrapolate the local knowledge) in each of the NELs. This ongoing work is carried out within a transdisciplinary approach integrating experts and knowledge from various fields including hydrology, water resources management, economy, and social sciences. The resulting indicators will be used to help determine pre-analytical choices used in the biophysical modeling of the studied catchments. Moreover, these indicators will permit the quantification of impacts of various scenarios outcomes in a way that is easy to understand by stakeholders, hence facilitating participation and decision-making procedures. Finally, this work will add to ongoing research in socio-hydrology, in agricultural contexts, within the framework of the IAHS Panta Rhei decade.