Linking the improvement of water ecosystems to the use of economic concepts and instruments is one of the main innovations introduced by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). This should be achieved by Member States through an approach clearly linking measures and interventions to improve water ecosystems to the identified pressures on water bodies (i.e., the gap analysis) and a set of economic provisions. However, modest progress in the implementation of these provisions has been recorded over time. Therefore, this paper aims to shed new light on the current limits in the implementation of the economic analysis of the WFD, in particular in relation to the gap analysis, through a comprehensive review of grey and scientific literature on the topics of gap analysis, economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services, water pricing, and disproportionate costs of measures. General conclusions and recommendations of this analysis are that enhancing data quality, promoting consistency and interaction in economic analysis components, and embedding them pragmatically in decision-making procedures are crucial. The gap analysis plays a pivotal role in directing economic research towards relevant issues within the river basin and in guiding decision makers more effectively in the application of the economic analyses required by the WFD.

Droughts are generally associated with direct and indirect impacts, but their relationships and propagation dynamics are often unknown. This study aims to fill this research gap by exploring the spill-over effects of drought impacts across systems and, in doing so, identifying leverage points within the systems to promote effective mitigation strategies. To achieve these objectives, the effects of the 2022 drought in a portion of the Po River Basin District are analysed through a qualitative application of the System Dynamics methodology called Causal Loop Diagrams, systemic representations that can effectively capture the interdependencies across complex subsystems. The findings reveal that the drought increased production costs across all the water-using sectors due to higher energy demands driven by energy-intensive activities such as irrigation, pumping and potabilization. The empirical results offer a novel insight into the identification and propagation of impacts, providing further evidence on the water-energy nexus. Therefore, policy approaches that enhance blue and green water reserves, while addressing their interconnections, are encouraged for mitigating drought impacts. This underscores the importance of adopting a proactive approach in drought management rather than reactive responses during the occurrence of extreme events. Finally, in fields characterized by high policy fragmentation, such as water policy, the study demonstrates how representing the system behaviour through causal maps can support the integration of different sectoral policies, providing decision-makers with tools to evaluate and address the complexity of droughts.

Wetlands have a fundamental role in the maintenance and development of the global ecosystem and human health. Assessing the value of Ecosystem Services (ES) that wetlands provide is strictly related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This paper considers the Oristanese Reclamation District located in the Italian region of Sardinia, where the highest amount of water resources is used for irrigation. Moreover, the study area is characterized by the presence of numerous ponds and wetlands that are deeply interconnected with local agriculture, attracting a substantial number of tourists. This paper aims to evaluate the touristic value in the area by applying the travel cost method, a non-market evaluation method used to derive consumers’ preferences. Through secondary data, we obtained a total estimate of economic benefits from the recreational uses of the site of approximately €1.25 Mln/year. The results provide support to decision-makers for improving management options while ensuring a tradeoff between the economic benefits derived from tourist activities and the conservation of the wetland area.

Irrigation plays a pivotal role in Southern Europe, and its importance is expected to further increase due to rising climatic variability. Concurrently, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) mandates the safeguarding of water bodies and the implementation of incentive pricing strategies to promote efficient water management. Within this context, Irrigation Scheduling Decision Support Systems (IS-DSS) could contribute to the achievement of these objectives, although there are still obstacles to their adoption due to uncertainties regarding their potential benefits. This paper aims to derive a pricing model that reflects actual water use through the adoption of an IS-DSS. The innovation of this study lies in showing that adopting an IS-DSS to reduce irrigation volumes can potentially lower concession fees in collective irrigation systems. Thus, it contributes to the fulfilment of the WFD’s objectives regarding incentive water pricing. Notably, the tool is evaluated using the case study of a farm located in the Mediterranean region. The results demonstrate the dual benefits of IS-DSS adoption: on the one hand, it helps preserve water resources with a 24% reduction in irrigation volumes; on the other, it decreases irrigation costs by 20% at the farm level and by 9.4% at the irrigation district level. Therefore, the presented study provides insights into the potential of IS-DSS to enhance water pricing policies to promote efficient water management in Southern European agriculture in alignment with the WFD requirements.

Developing long-term visions through participatory approaches can be very useful to explore different possible scenarios and pathways to reach desirable futures. This brief report describes a participatory process carried out in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) to develop a long-term vision for rural areas by 2040. This approach consisted of: (i) interviews and a focus group carried out with a multi-actor platform (MAP) composed of experts from science-society-policy sectors, and (ii) an on-line questionnaire addressing a larger number of rural stakeholders of the region. Mixing expert-based consultation through the MAP with a more inclusive consultation approach resulted in an effective method to build long-term visions in the very heterogeneous rural context of the Emilia-Romagna. However, this study only constitutes a preliminary step into a more elaborated backcasting approach.

Developing long-term visions through participatory approaches can be very useful to explore different possible scenarios and pathways to reach desirable futures. This brief report describes a participatory process carried out in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) to develop a long-term vision for rural areas by 2040. This approach consisted of: (i) interviews and a focus group carried out with a multi-actor platform (MAP) composed of experts from science-society-policy sectors, and (ii) an on-line questionnaire addressing a larger number of rural stakeholders of the region. Mixing expert-based consultation through the MAP with a more inclusive consultation approach resulted in an effective method to build long-term visions in the very heterogeneous rural context of the Emilia-Romagna. However, this study only constitutes a preliminary step into a more elaborated backcasting approach.