ClimEx-PE at EGU 2025: Nature-based MAR spotlight from Hungary

At this year’s European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly (Vienna, 27 April–2 May 2025), Szilvia Simon (ELTE) presented research directly advancing ClimEx-PE’s mission to co-develop nature-based, groundwater-focused solutions for climate resilience.

Her talk, “Nature-Based Managed Aquifer Recharge solutions for mitigating water shortage at the Danube–Tisza Interfluve, Hungary” (session: Advances in Integrative Assessment for Sustainable Groundwater Management), showcased how managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can help buffer drought-prone regions by banking excess water for later use—an approach central to ClimEx-PE’s demonstration and scaling efforts.

Why this matters for ClimEx-PE

• Nature-based solutions (NBS): The work operationalizes NBS at basin and local scales, aligning with our goal to couple hydrological processes and ecosystem services for long-term water security.

• Groundwater systems thinking: By linking flow-system diagnostics with MAR design, the study supports smarter siting, sizing, and monitoring—key to avoiding unintended impacts and maximizing benefits.

• Decision support: Results contribute to integrative assessment frameworks (technical + environmental + socio-economic), strengthening the evidence base for stakeholder decision-making across municipalities and utilities.

Looking ahead, insights from this research will feed directly into ClimEx-PE’s co-creation and validation activities with regional partners, helping translate science into deployable MAR options that enhance drought resilience, drinking-water reliability, and ecosystem health.