Costs and benefits of landscape‐based water retention measures as nature‐based solutions to mitigating climate impacts in eastern Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia

• DOI: 10.1002/ldr.4373
• Publication Date: 2022-06-03T08:09:56Z
• Authors: Janez Sušnik; Sara Masia; Michal Kravčík; Jan Pokorný; Petra Hesslerová
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences; 12. Responsible consumption

Abstract In eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, historic policies led to large, monocropped agricultural landscapes resulting in degradation of traditional landscapes. last 20 years, expansion urban industrial areas has added this degradation. The growing interest nature‐based solutions, including water‐retention measures, is a response reversing landscape degradation, rejuvenating ecosystem services, mitigating impacts large‐scale commercial agriculture climate change. study, costs benefits measures Slovakia are assessed. Results indicate that offer increased water availability over all land use classes assessed, help increase crop productivity, aid cooling. Croplands suggested as being best value for money, offering greatest volume potentials (mean = 88 million m 3 ), cooling effects −1.6°C), productivity gains €66 yr −1 while also cheapest implement per unit area. Differing three states will likely result non‐uniform selection or implementation measures. Future work should focus on local‐level studies greater practical messages beyond regional‐level analysis conducted here. This contributes body literature assessing potential cooling, lowering temperature gradients, restoration. As world urbanises, more converted homogeneous cropland, such may prove critical change, drying, flood runoff, soil nutrient loss.