The European NATMed project consortium held its sixth regular meeting in Florina (Greece) from October 21 to 23, with the aim of sharing the lastest advances and learning about the advances of the Greece Case Study. During this meeting, the partners could exchange experiences and visit news pilot areas where Nature based Solutiones (NBS) have been implemented, checking their degree of development and preliminary results on the ground.
With the aim of optimizing water management and the hydrological cycle through the application of different solutions, the Greece Case Study has development different actions aimed to improving the sustainability of these aquatic resources. Some of these solutions include controlled grazing of water buffalo for the natural regulation of reed beds and the reductions of eutrophication, the implementation of smart irrigation system, the analysis and delimitation of riparian protection zones, treatment and reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes.
The main objective of the NATMed project, coordinated by CARTIF, is to develop, implement and validate a set of Nature based Solutions (NBS) integrated into existing greywater and natural water infrastructure, with the propose to optimise water and associated ecosystem services. Launched in May 2023, the project aims to demonstrate how combining different NBS can improve water cycle management in different Mediterranean context, through case studies located in Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Algeria.
The partners could visit and evaluated the status of four of its five demonstrators since the start of the project, as part of the project’s regular meetings. The first of these was located in Arborea (Italy) in September 2023; in 2024 they visited the Spanish Case Study in Sevilla and the Turkish case in Tenedo; and, in 2025, the Greek case study mentioned above.
The project has a duration of three years. The NATMed project consortium is composed of CARTIF, Environment and Water Agency, Social Climate, Tero PC, Environmental Center of Region of Western Macedonia, University of Sassari, Demir Enerji, University of the Aegean, Izmir Institute Technology, SBNCLIMA, Research & Scientific Technical Center Sur Les Régions Aride, Municipality of Bozcaada.