Environmental Sustainability in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Solutions

The book provides a cross sectoral assessment of the most relevant environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region, including land and water degradation, water and food security, and solution opportunities for these. It also discusses main change drivers, such as changes in climate, land use, population, demographics and technology. Additionally, the book explores improved management, participatory planning, and nature-based strategies and measures for meeting the key environmental challenges, e.g. restoring degraded areas and improving land management in different land uses (e.g. forest, coastal and urban areas). Finally, the book addresses needs and opportunities to improve governance and partnerships for assuring sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.

Carla Ferreira is auxiliary researcher at the Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Portugal. She is Member of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society (CERNAS) and Research Area Leader for Environment and Society of CERNAS. She is a Committee Member of the Soil System Sciences sub-division “Soil Erosion and Conservation” of the European Geosciences Union. She has been involved in several national and international research projects, working on land degradation, soil and water management, and nature-based solutions. She has also been actively involved in the editorial board of scientific journals and the organization of international scientific events. She has been active in collaborating with scientists from all over the world.

Georgia Destouni is a Professor at Stockholm University, Guest Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study. Her research interests include hydro-climate, water resource availability and quality, and their shifts due to changes in human activity, climate, and other environmental aspects. Geographically, her research is both global and regional, with focus on various parts of the world, including for example the Baltic, Arctic, Central and East Asian, Balkan, and Mediterranean regions. She is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, the US National Academy of Engineering, and the Academy of Athens, Greece, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Henry Darcy Medallist of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), and has been awarded the Swedish H.M. The King's Medal for ”outstanding contributions in water and climate research” and the Sigge Thernwall Grand Prize for sustainability research.

Zahra Kalantari is director of WaterCenter at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. She is a distinguished scholar and earned global recognition for her contributions to innovative solutions to ensure water security in a changing world, understanding and mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events. Her research delves into various aspects of complex human-nature systems analysis and risk assessment, sustainable urban and rural development and adaptive land-use planning for decision support, and the interactions between climate variability and water resources at global and regional scales. Through her interdisciplinary approach, Zahra bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications, aiming to inform policy and decision-making processes worldwide. Her dedication to advancing the field of Smart Built Environment (application of modeling, machine learning, and AI), and her commitment to addressing pressing environmental challenges have earned her widespread acclaim and influence within the scientific community.