Utrecht University at Naturescapes Spring School (April 8–10, 2025, Lisbon, Portugal)
Utrecht University’s Jessica Lillquist delivered “Examining Societal and Economic Aspects of Sustainable Water Management: Insights for the Future of Nature-Based Managed Aquifer Recharge.” The 3-day Spring School gathered PhD students and early-career scholars to discuss the politics and consequences of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) in urban, peri-urban and coastal settings—covering valuing, imagining and governing nature, and contested NBS processes.
ClimEx-PE impact:
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Injected state-of-the-art NBS–MAR socio-economic perspectives into stakeholder mapping, interview guides, justice/governance lenses.
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Expanded our early-career researcher network for cross-site comparisons and future co-authorships.
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Strengthened UU’s lead role on governance and equity within the consortium.
Why this matters (Naturescapes × ClimEx-PE):
The Spring School created a direct bridge between the Naturescapes community and ClimEx-PE. Insights on NBS governance and justice directly inform our MAR-focused research, while ClimEx’s operational pilots provide real-world testbeds for ideas discussed at Naturescapes—an ideal two-way connection.