Inland waterways and their connections to marine transport systems constitute a substantial resource for the establishment of green infrastructures, flood prevention, and environmental conservation. However, these developments have numerous inherent environmental hazards such as water and air pollution, a loss of habitats, increased coastal erosion, the transfer of invasive species between connected watercourses and lakes, and the transport of pollutants through watercourses to coastal areas. Climate change may aggravate these environmental problems through changing temperatures, reduced precipitation, enhancing the adverse impact of excess nutrient discharge, and the entry of invasive species. In this study, we analyse the main European inland waterway corridors and their branches to assess the ecological viability of a pan-European inland waterway network. The environmental viability of such network depends on the right assessment of ecosystem services and protection of biodiversity. A model structure for landscape conservation, green infrastructure development, water replenishment, and ecosystem reconstruction is proposed, considering a sustainable combination of multimodal inland waterway and rail transport.

The landscape has been described as a ‘blind spot’ when examined in light of regional strategies. The immense potential of peri-urban and rural hinterlands to counter the climate emergency is therefore also overlooked. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Climate-KIC’s (Knowledge and Innovation Community) System and sustainable Approach to virTuous interaction of Urban and Rural LaNdscapes (SATURN) aims to address this short-sightedness. The reason why we do not see or value the landscape is complex, but part of the problem relates to its multiple ownership, numerous types and scales of conflicting designations, governance structures, policy requirements, and regulatory frameworks. This leads to an approach that is fragmented and sectoral and, therefore, fails to see the bigger picture or recognise the value that the territory has in order to deal with current environmental challenges. With partners from across Europe, the pan-European Orchestrated Ecosystem research project co-funded by EIT Climate-KIC, SATURN aims to develop new integrated strategies which will increase awareness of the capacity of the landscape, which is seen is seen as a vital way to address the deepening climate emergency. SATURN anticipates that the outputs will build capacity across Europe to help nation-states meet the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and respond to the environmental challenges. This paper, reporting on interim findings, sets out the next phase of the project and concludes with lessons learned so far, including an initial identification of processes that can be applied in regions across Europe and an evaluation of the significance of exchanging knowledge between different countries.

Today's expansion and densification of cities, where more space is being impermeably surfaced by grey infrastructure, means an increased risk of flooding. An urban space with reduced green areas is less resilient to increased temperatures. In dealing with this, research has pointed to the complementarity of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in contributing to more resilient and cost-efficient flood management. NBS do not only serve to reduce risk for flooding and drought, they also provide additional sustainability values, such as strengthening ecosystem services through increased biodiversity and recreation opportunities. In many circumstances, combining this NBS with traditional grey infrastructure can provide next generation solutions that enhance system performance and better protect communities. The study has focussed on subjects argued as central to provide a business value for upstream landowners to perform NBS measures. Results of the Workshop on Nature Based Solutions for flood and drought prevention organized in May 2019 in Gothenburg substantially contributed this study. The main objective of the study is to propose developments that can lead to business models and financial instruments that support the adoption of upstream water retention through Nature-based Solutions based primarily on research from the Västra Götaland region of Sweden.

The twentieth century saw rapid environmental degradation due to changes that contributed to increased net GHG emissions, loss of natural ecosystems, and declining biodiversity. Deterioration of unprotected landscapes during swift industrialization, urbanization, increasing monocultures in agriculture, expansion of commercial production significantly contributed to these negative consequences. However, a cultural shift occurred during the last two decades in favour of landscape conservation. In response to widespread landscape degradation and loss of ecosystem services, the Council of Europe saw the need to protect, manage, and develop the landscapes, and thus signed the European Landscape Convention (ELC) in 2000. This was the world's first international agreement that described all aspects of landscape management in detail. The European Landscape Convention fully meets the challenges through its goal of correcting a lack of understanding of landscapes as a unique system embracing natural, economic, and social features throughout Europe. It goes beyond simply protecting landscapes and addresses landscape management and development, as well as raising public and government awareness of the importance of paying attention to all types of landscapes, whether exceptional or spoiled. Landscape observatories, multifunctional platforms and knowledge centres for researchers, technicians, administrators, and citizens, are one of the Council of Europe's instruments for implementing the European Landscape Convention (ELC). They can be established on a variety of scales and can serve as a vital link between administrations, civil society, researchers, and the economic sector. This article discusses the emergence of landscape observatories and the role they can play as decision support instruments in promoting sustainable landscape development through a regenerative approach. Additionally, the paper discusses the implementation of ELC in Västra Götaland in Sweden through the establishment of Landscape Observatory Västra Götaland, and its impacts and challenges associated with landscape development. Furthermore, we propose a comprehensive and holistic, to any landscape type adaptable landscape observatory concept, based on multifunctionality of these institutions, emphasizing their decision support roles, social and economic importance.

Landscape conservation requires the system-level understanding of the natural world and the human environment, making a paradigm shift in three levels: shift in geographic scale where site specific arbitrary boundaries are abandoned to maintain biodiversity and climate resilience, shift in perspectives to define the landscape as a whole with all types of land uses, habitats, urban and rural areas in an integrative manner, and shift in the conservation process based on collaborative governance structures and community participation. In urban areas with mainly grey infrastructures and very limited green areas the ecosystems are deficient, since natural producers and decomposers are missing, reduced, or altered. Thus, introducing the concepts of multifunctionality in land use and urban agriculture are vital for sustainable and re-silient circular economies. A new urban metabolism model has been developed to serve as a tool for urban planning, taking into consideration all relevant processes of land use and changes in land use, production, consumption, energy systems, material and energy flows, waste management, use of natural resources, and recycling to enable urban planners to identify the core areas of green infrastructure planning and nature-based solutions. This study investigates the integration of ecosystem-centred urban planning and multifunctional land use into landscape conservation strategies to foster sustainable and resilient urban environments. The research addresses the gap in existing literature by providing a novel urban metabolism model that synthesizes ecological and urban planning principles. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines a comprehensive literature review, case study analysis from various European cities, and the development of a conceptual framework and an urban metabolism model. The results demonstrate how urban agriculture and ecosystem-centred planning can be effectively utilized to enhance landscape conservation and urban sustainability. Key findings include the identification of practical strategies for implementing nature-based solutions, such as Urban Living Labs, and policy recommendations to facilitate the integration of ecosystem services into urban planning. The study highlights the critical role of urban agriculture in promoting biodiversity, enhancing local food security, and reducing the environmental footprint of cities. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of developing collaborative governance structures and community participation. The urban metabolism model proposed in this study offers a robust tool for urban planners and policymakers, enabling a system-level understanding of material and energy flows within urban ecosystems.

Climate change increases the risk of damage caused by storms, insects and fungi in agriculture and forestry. Multifunctional sustainable land use, including a more diversified agriculture and forestry sector in terms of biodiversity, is one way to create resilience and meet these climate risks. For example, a forest with trees of different ages and of several species is more resistant to these risks. Multifunctional refers to how the same land can provide food and wood products, but also job creation, recreation and be a provider of ecosystem services such as pollination, erosion protection and biodiversity. Research shows that there is a large acceptance for a more varied forest sector and diversified agriculture. In recent years, urban farming has received widespread understanding on its many advantages, including a sense of belonging and meaning, other than food production. In this article the authors try to assess a scenario when these initiatives become commercial and when the urban farming trend meets traditional forms of agriculture and forestry. Furthermore, the large potential of developing public-private partnerships for multifunctional sustainable land use in peri-urban areas in the Swedish City of Gothenburg and its surrounding area is analysed, based on experiences from ongoing initiatives. Developed within the framework of Climate KIC Accelerator Project, a business model is presented allowing for a long-term sustainability of initiatives.