Background: Wildfires are a growing threat to many ecosystems, bringing devastation to human safety and health, infrastructure, the environment and wildlife. Aims: A thorough understanding of the characteristics determining the susceptibility of an area to wildfires is crucial to prevention and management activities. The work focused on a case study of 13 countries in the eastern Mediterranean and southern Black Sea basins. Methods: A data-driven approach was implemented where a decade of past wildfires was linked to geoclimatic and anthropic descriptors via a machine learning classification technique (Random Forest). Empirical classification of fuel allowed linking of fire intensity and hazard to environmental drivers. Key results: Wildfire susceptibility, intensity and hazard were obtained for the study area. For the first time, the methodology is applied at a supranational scale characterised by a diverse climate and vegetation landscape, relying on open data. Conclusions: This approach successfully allowed identification of the main wildfire drivers and led to identification of areas that are more susceptible to impactful wildfire events. Implications: This work demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed framework and settled the basis for its scalability at a supranational level.

Floods and landslides are common phenomena that cause serious damage and pose a severe threat to the population of Italy. The social and economic impact of floods and landslides in Italy is severe, and strategies to target the mitigation of the effects of these phenomena are needed. In the last few years, the scientific community has started to use web technology to communicate information on geohydrological hazards and the associated risks. However, the communication is often targeted at technical experts. In the attempt to communicate relevant information on geohydrological hazards with potential human consequences to a broader audience, we designed the POpoLazione A RISchio (POLARIS) website. POLARIS publishes accurate information on geohydrological risk to the population of Italy, including periodic reports on landslide and flood risk, analyses of specific damaging events and blog posts on landslide and flood events. By monitoring the access to POLARIS in the 21-month period between January 2014 and October 2015, we found that access increased during particularly damaging geohydrological events and immediately after the website was advertised by press releases. POLARIS demonstrates that the scientific community can implement suitable communication strategies that address different societal audiences, exploiting the role of mass media and social media. The strategies can help multiple audiences understand how risks can be reduced through appropriate measures and behaviours, contributing to increasing the resilience of the population to geohydrological risk.

Upscaling coastal nature-based solutions (NbSs), from the river to sea scale, essential to the ultimate success of restoration, requires larger investments, greater socio-economic engagement and a transformative shift in governance. Consequently, the ability to catalyze blended finance from public and private investors through business model innovation and accessibly written long-range business plans is imperative. This research proposes a methodology to systematically co-design, through iterative stakeholder engagement, suitable and effective business models for upscaling NbSs coastal restoration, as well as a framework to develop business plans adaptable to different investors needs and financial criteria. This method was tested and validated in a saltmarsh restoration project coordinated by public agencies in the Venice Lagoon. It delivered an advanced business model canvas, carefully assessed through a stakeholder questionnaire and a related business case centered on ecotourism complemented by a willingness-to-pay analysis. The resulting business plan lays out the governance, management, business and financial strategies for successful restoration, addressing specific interconnected issues, improving five main ecosystem services and delivering NbS multifunctional environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits. The methodology has proven to be applicable beyond the Venice Lagoon saltmarsh case and types of restoration projects.

The paper tackles some of the major challenges associated with coastal risk reduction, based on restored river-delta-coast continuums. The presented approach builds on the Ebro River-Delta system, located in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where available data and results from hands-on restoration actions provide quantitative evidence on the synergies and trade-offs when implementing restoration. The work addresses the evolution of climatic- and human-induced risks driven by recent deltaic evolution, starting in the 1960s, when socioeconomic development increased and river regulation by large dams in the lower river course started. Such development has driven up freshwater demand, consequently diminishing both liquid and solid discharges in the river system, which has affected the natural deltaic evolution, compounded by sea-level-rise and changes in storminess due to global warming. Evolving erosion and flooding risks (problem symptoms) consider the decrease in sediment input to the delta and the increase in mean sea level (problem origin). To address the origin of the problem, we address sediment availability and transport in the lower river coast and reservoirs, followed by an assessment of sediment transport and deficit at the coastal fringe. The proposed solutions consider reservoir by-pass techniques, sediment mobilisation and downstream transport, as well as downstream transport capacity under present and future climates. Regarding the problem symptoms, we analyse the alternatives to enhance coastal resilience by means of restored coastal roughness resulting from embryonic dunes, lagoons and ridge and runnel topography. The analysis also considers coastal sediment recycling, based on a combination of wind and wave induced transports that provide a natural conveyor belt in dynamic equilibrium. Finally, the paper systematises the main synergies and trade-offs that must be considered in any coastal restoration plan, targeting a low carbon reduction of coastal risks while maintaining the important socio-economic assets in the river-delta-coast system. The conclusion section briefly explores the extrapolation of the proposed approach to other vulnerable coastal regions in Europe.

This study stems from the clear need to understand why and how organizations in Romania integrate emerging digital technologies into circular economy (CE) practices, given the critical role of this integration in improving resource efficiency and supporting sustainable business models. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire applied to 149 organizations of different sizes, ranging from SMEs (fewer than 50 employees) to large corporations (over 500 employees), operating across multiple sectors, including agriculture, construction, security, services and research. The questionnaire assessed organizations’ familiarity with CE principles, their stage of CE implementation, and their adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, cloud computing and robotics. The results indicate that most organizations are aware of the potential benefits of digital technologies, particularly in terms of resource efficiency, enhanced product traceability and support for sustainability goals. However, effective implementation remains quite limited in many cases due to inadequate or outdated infrastructure, lack of technical skills, and organizational resistance to changes. At the same time, the findings further reveal a growing strategic interest in digitalization: approximately 41% of SMEs and 59% of large organizations plan to increase investments in digitalization, primarily to improve sustainability performance and foster innovation. Overall, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of digitalization in support of CE in Romania and proposes practical recommendations for organizations and decision-makers, highlighting both emerging opportunities and persistent barriers.