19.10.2022 - SDGNN researchers suggest nature-based solutions for water quality improvement in developing-country communities in a newly published paper
Kalina Fonseca, Edgar Espitia, Lutz Breuer, and Alicia Correa co-designed a decision-making framework with local experts and community members in Ecuador to identify what affects water quality and potential strategies and policies to improve its condition. Authors identified issues that locals relate to poor water quality such as natural pollutants, human exposure to environmental pollutants, and violation of environmental legislation.
The paper “Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps to promote nature-based solutions for water quality improvement in developing-country communities” presents how the simple nature of the Fuzzy Cognitive Maps provides a novel, inclusive, and locally adapted framework to understand how water quality could be improved, guiding the future water management and contributing to achieving the SDGs, particularly target 6.3 in developing countries. The framework has the potential to be replicated in different geographical locations where access to data is limited, but the motivation and knowledge of stakeholders exist.
Read more about the study: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1fs2m3QCo9fFIf
Fig.1.Flowchart to build FCMs as a decision-making framework to improve water quality at community level. NbS = nature-based solutions.
Reference: Fonseca, K., Espitia, E., Breuer, L., & Correa, A. (2022). Using fuzzy cognitive maps to promote nature-based solutions for water quality improvement in developing-country communities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 134246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134246
Contact
Kalina.Fonseca@zeu.uni-giessen.de
Center for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen
Senckenbergstraße 3
D-35390 Gießen