During June and July, the Mykolas Romeris university (MRU) Environmental Management Research Laboratory's (EML) team organised a series of expert meetings to gather insights from specialists representing different sectors on the opportunities, limitations, and potential benefits of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), particularly their role in improving water quality and reducing eutrophication in the project's study areas.
The meetings introduced the international research project CREATE (Cross-REalm Modelling and Assessment of Aquatic Ecosystem Services: Towards a Science-Based Design of Nature-Based Solutions to Tackle Eutrophication) and provided an overview of the project's ongoing activities. Participants were also invited to join the growing network of stakeholders supporting the project's objectives.
The CREATE project aims to advance the understanding of aquatic ecosystems and contribute to the development of science-based Nature-Based Solutions for reducing eutrophication in the Baltic Sea region. In Lithuania, the project focuses on the Lielupe River Basin and the Gulf of Riga, a transboundary study area shared with Latvia and Estonia. The case-study area encompasses interconnected terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, with particular attention given to measures that can help mitigate marine eutrophication.
As part of the meetings, experts were introduced to the CREATE expert survey and invited to share:
- their professional perspective, drawing on their sector-specific expertise and knowledge of local ecosystems;
- their assessment of the need for and feasibility of implementing Nature-Based Solutions in the project's case-study area.
The meetings provided an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration between researchers and stakeholders, ensuring that scientific knowledge is complemented by practical expertise and local experience in the development of effective Nature-Based Solutions.
Learn more about the CREATE project: https://sisu.ut.ee/create-project/
The project is funded by the European Commission, Water4All 2023 Joint Transnational Call “Aquatic Ecosystem Services” and AKA (Fnland) / LZP (Latvia) / ETAG (Estonia) / LMT (Lithuania) / NCBR (Poland)
