oriented projects. This of course does not mean
that generally all IWRM projects can also be
considered as nexus case studies.
Overall, while every single chapter of this
book has its own set of lessons to learn, the
following aspects stand out as being generally
important, since emerging from several studies
and confirming earlier results from the growing
body of nexus literature:
• Participatory approaches are a central element
for successful implementation;
• Effective mechanisms of knowledge transfer
are a prerequisite of adoption and upscaling of
nexus approaches;
• Lack of economic incentives and lack of data
represent major challenges for the implementation of a nexus approach. Wrong incentives
may worsen the situation. Conversely, nexusoriented governance, including appropriate
economic incentives, is key for the successful
implementation of nexus approaches.
The cases presented here thus largely confirm
earlier conclusions with regard to using the
nexus approach as a tool to achieve SDGs
(Hülsmann and Ardakanian 2018b). This refers
to the importance of monitoring mechanisms
(e.g., Sang and Maina 2021), closing nutrient
cycles (e.g., Bouma 2021; Gebrezgabher et al.
2021), applying participatory approaches (e.g.
Eichhorn et al. 2021) as well as effective and
innovative means of knowledge transfer and
awareness raising (e.g., Haupt et al. 2021). The
presented cases are also addressing the nexus on
a “vertical” axis, considering its implementation
across various spatial scales (e.g., Tesfahunegn
and Ayuk 2021) and hierarchical levels (e.g.,
Jaghdani and Kvartiuk 2021; Eichhorn et al.
2021). The importance of economical aspects,
which was rather indirectly addressed in Hülsmann and Ardakanian (2018a), is clearly
emerging as a key factor in a number of contributions here (Gebrezgabher et al. 2021;
Yong Ngondjeb and Ayuk 2021; Jaghdani and
Kviartiuk 2021; Riera and Brümmer 2021).
Ultimately, nexus cases, e.g. concerning the use
of waste(water) or organic waste, have to be
based on a solid business model. Vice versa,
without economic incentives or with economic
incentives promoting unsustainable resource use,
nexus approaches are bound to fail.
We hope that the cases presented here will be
taken up as giving proof of the relevance of the
nexus approach for achieving sustainability.
Even more, we hope they may serve as inspiration for further research, but in particular for the
implementation of holistic resources management strategies, providing practical examples of
dos and don’ts with regard to integrated resources management.
Acknowledgements The chapters of this book are based
on contributions to the Dresden Nexus Conference 2017.
We are thus grateful to all colleagues who contributed to the
success of the conference, be it as an organizer or participant. Big thanks go to the former UNU-FLORES team and
internal and external reviewers. We also acknowledge the
support of the former director of UNU-FLORES, Reza
Ardakanian, and his successor, Edeltraud Guenther.
References
Agudelo-Vera CM, Leduc WRWA, Mels AR, Rijnaarts HHM (2012) Harvesting urban resources
towards more resilient cities. Resour Conserv Recycl
Clim Proofing Cities 64:3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.resconrec.2012.01.014
Ariyanti V, Scholten PHT, Edelenbos J (2021) The
potential contribution of cultural ecological knowledge to resources management in a volcanic river
basin. In: Hülsmann S, Jampani M (eds) A nexus
approach for sustainable development. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland
Bazilian M, Rogner H, Howells M, Hermann S, Arent D,
Gielen D, Steduto P, Mueller A, Komor P, Tol RSJ,
Yumkella KK (2011) Considering the energy, water
and food nexus: towards an integrated modelling
approach. Energy Policy 39:7896–7906. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.039
Benavides L, Avellán T, Caucci S, Hahn A, Kirschke S,
Müller A (2019) Assessing sustainability of wastewater management systems in a multi-scalar transdisciplinary manner in Latin America. Water 11:249.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w11020249
Bleischwitz R, Hoff H, Spataru C, Voet E van der,
VanDeveer SD (2017) The resource nexus: preface
and introduction to the Routledge handbook. In:
Routledge handbook of the resource nexus. https://
www.taylorfrancis.com/. Accessed 16 Aug 2018
Bleischwitz R, Spataru C, VanDeveer SD, Obersteiner M,
van der Voet E, Johnson C, Andrews-Speed P,
The Nexus Approach as a Tool for Resources Management …
11
that generally all IWRM projects can also be
considered as nexus case studies.
Overall, while every single chapter of this
book has its own set of lessons to learn, the
following aspects stand out as being generally
important, since emerging from several studies
and confirming earlier results from the growing
body of nexus literature:
• Participatory approaches are a central element
for successful implementation;
• Effective mechanisms of knowledge transfer
are a prerequisite of adoption and upscaling of
nexus approaches;
• Lack of economic incentives and lack of data
represent major challenges for the implementation of a nexus approach. Wrong incentives
may worsen the situation. Conversely, nexusoriented governance, including appropriate
economic incentives, is key for the successful
implementation of nexus approaches.
The cases presented here thus largely confirm
earlier conclusions with regard to using the
nexus approach as a tool to achieve SDGs
(Hülsmann and Ardakanian 2018b). This refers
to the importance of monitoring mechanisms
(e.g., Sang and Maina 2021), closing nutrient
cycles (e.g., Bouma 2021; Gebrezgabher et al.
2021), applying participatory approaches (e.g.
Eichhorn et al. 2021) as well as effective and
innovative means of knowledge transfer and
awareness raising (e.g., Haupt et al. 2021). The
presented cases are also addressing the nexus on
a “vertical” axis, considering its implementation
across various spatial scales (e.g., Tesfahunegn
and Ayuk 2021) and hierarchical levels (e.g.,
Jaghdani and Kvartiuk 2021; Eichhorn et al.
2021). The importance of economical aspects,
which was rather indirectly addressed in Hülsmann and Ardakanian (2018a), is clearly
emerging as a key factor in a number of contributions here (Gebrezgabher et al. 2021;
Yong Ngondjeb and Ayuk 2021; Jaghdani and
Kviartiuk 2021; Riera and Brümmer 2021).
Ultimately, nexus cases, e.g. concerning the use
of waste(water) or organic waste, have to be
based on a solid business model. Vice versa,
without economic incentives or with economic
incentives promoting unsustainable resource use,
nexus approaches are bound to fail.
We hope that the cases presented here will be
taken up as giving proof of the relevance of the
nexus approach for achieving sustainability.
Even more, we hope they may serve as inspiration for further research, but in particular for the
implementation of holistic resources management strategies, providing practical examples of
dos and don’ts with regard to integrated resources management.
Acknowledgements The chapters of this book are based
on contributions to the Dresden Nexus Conference 2017.
We are thus grateful to all colleagues who contributed to the
success of the conference, be it as an organizer or participant. Big thanks go to the former UNU-FLORES team and
internal and external reviewers. We also acknowledge the
support of the former director of UNU-FLORES, Reza
Ardakanian, and his successor, Edeltraud Guenther.
References
Agudelo-Vera CM, Leduc WRWA, Mels AR, Rijnaarts HHM (2012) Harvesting urban resources
towards more resilient cities. Resour Conserv Recycl
Clim Proofing Cities 64:3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.resconrec.2012.01.014
Ariyanti V, Scholten PHT, Edelenbos J (2021) The
potential contribution of cultural ecological knowledge to resources management in a volcanic river
basin. In: Hülsmann S, Jampani M (eds) A nexus
approach for sustainable development. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland
Bazilian M, Rogner H, Howells M, Hermann S, Arent D,
Gielen D, Steduto P, Mueller A, Komor P, Tol RSJ,
Yumkella KK (2011) Considering the energy, water
and food nexus: towards an integrated modelling
approach. Energy Policy 39:7896–7906. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.039
Benavides L, Avellán T, Caucci S, Hahn A, Kirschke S,
Müller A (2019) Assessing sustainability of wastewater management systems in a multi-scalar transdisciplinary manner in Latin America. Water 11:249.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w11020249
Bleischwitz R, Hoff H, Spataru C, Voet E van der,
VanDeveer SD (2017) The resource nexus: preface
and introduction to the Routledge handbook. In:
Routledge handbook of the resource nexus. https://
www.taylorfrancis.com/. Accessed 16 Aug 2018
Bleischwitz R, Spataru C, VanDeveer SD, Obersteiner M,
van der Voet E, Johnson C, Andrews-Speed P,
The Nexus Approach as a Tool for Resources Management …
11