A Blueprint for Resilience: Nature-Based Solutions for Europe’s Water Future

As the European Commission unveils its long-awaited Water Resilience Strategy, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) welcomes this pivotal step toward addressing Europe’s growing water challenges. TNC calls on decision-makers to further ensure that nature-based solutions (NbS) stay at the core of the strategy’s implementation, as essential tools to close Europe’s widening water security gap and which benefit both people and nature.

Europe is already facing the consequences of water mismanagement and climate-driven extremes. According to the European Environment Agency's (EEA) Europe’s State of Water Report, flooding causes €7 billion in damage yearly. By 2030, the continent could face a 56% shortfall between water supply and demand. In 2022, 41% of Europeans were affected by water scarcity, and nutrient pollution alone costs the EU €75 billion annually.

Evidence from across Europe and beyond demonstrates that NbS, such as restoring wetlands, floodplains and regenerative soils, offer a cost-effective, scalable pathway to water resilience. These approaches not only help manage floods, recharge aquifers and filter pollutants, but they also support biodiversity, improve public health, enhance agricultural productivity and ensure the reliability of energy systems and transport.

Andras Krolopp, biodiversity policy lead for Europe at The Nature Conservancy, said: 
“The Water Resilience Strategy is a critical opportunity to put biodiversity, nature protection and restoration at the centre of Europe’s water future. We urge Member States to move quickly to implement the strategy and call on the Commission to provide all the needed guidance and resources for them to do so.

"Nature-based solutions are not a silver bullet but a proven, cost-effective approach that should be mainstreamed across all water policies.

"Their implementation must also align with National Restoration Plans, with the full implementation of the EU existing water-related directives.

"It should also support cross-border coordination. Europe is a very fragmented continent, with rivers and river basins often shared by multiple countries. Thus, collaboration is the key to protecting biodiversity and ensuring long-term resilience.”

Restoring wetlands, floodplains and soils is the fastest, most cost-effective path to securing water for people and nature. A proven example comes from eastern England, where the Norfolk Water Strategy Programme, a partnership between Anglian Water, Water Resources East (WRE) and TNC, shows that every €1.19 (£1) invested in NbS returns €7.98 (£6.70) in benefits and could generate more than €52 million (£44 million) in additional farm revenue. With the recent EU-UK partnership agreement paving the way for deeper cooperation, TNC believes the EU can draw on this model to scale NbS across all Member States.

Science, as the backbone of TNC’s work, tells us that nature-based solutions are helpful and long-lasting tools for adjusting to the changing climate.

Rob McDonald, lead scientist for nature-based solutions and lead scientist for TNC Europe, said:

“The evidence base for nature-based solutions has grown in the last several years, and now sites like the Oxford NbS Case Study Platform list hundreds of examples of good, cost-effective NbS projects.

"It is clear that in some circumstances, NbS can provide tangible benefits for water security, often as part of a hybrid green-grey solution.”

While the Water Resilience Strategy offers several positive elements, including multiple references to NbS, TNC—together with the Living Rivers Coalition Europe—feels that the strategy generally lacks binding commitments and dedicated funding and introduces only limited governance tools to support implementation.

Therefore, we call on the European Commission to follow these recommendations:

• Secure dedicated EU finance: Use the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework to fund NbS projects that support both the Water Framework Directive and climate-adaptation goals.

• Embed NbS in permitting: Update guidance under the Urban Waste Water Treatment and Drinking Water Directives to recognise NbS as eligible compliance investments.

• Adopt “Resilient Watersheds Toolbox”: Develop EU-wide standards based on TNC’s methodology for financing and governance of NbS.

• Curb PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pollution at the source: Pair clean-up efforts with strong measures to reduce PFAS production through public-private partnerships.

• Establish a governance platform: Create a mechanism for Member States to coordinate their water resilience efforts in shared river basins.

The Nature Conservancy stands ready to collaborate with the European Commission, Member States, the European Parliament and other actors to ensure the strategy is implemented in a way that secures Europe’s water for people, nature and economy.

In related news, on Tuesday 10 June, TNC and Forest Trends will co-publish the most comprehensive global assessment to date of finance explicitly directed toward nature-based solutions (NbS) with water-related goals—such as reducing flood risk, enhancing water quality and ensuring water security. To access the full report under embargo, contact media@tnc.org