From 24 to 27 July 2025, researchers from CENSE – Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research actively participated in the ISEE-Degrowth 2025 Conference, held in Oslo, Norway. Representing the BONEX project, Professor Paula Antunes and researcher Jessica Loureiro presented ongoing work that highlights the project’s innovative contributions to sustainable resource management.

The BONEX team shared two key contributions:

• Oral Presentation – An in-depth session exploring how participatory systems mapping, stakeholder engagement, and co-creation processes have been applied to design and assess solutions addressing critical Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) trade-offs in the Alentejo region, Portugal.

• Scientific Poster – A presentation of results from the Nature-based Solution (NbS) implemented in the Alqueva region, focusing on local stakeholders’ perspectives and lessons learned from its application.

The ISEE-Degrowth 2025 Conference provided an invaluable platform for exchange, enabling BONEX researchers to share a hands-on participatory approach and engage in dialogue on how Nature-based Solutions can foster systemic sustainability transitions and collective decision-making in the WEFE Nexus—particularly relevant for the Mediterranean agricultural context.

Participation in this conference reinforces the BONEX project’s commitment to collaborative research, knowledge sharing, and the development of practical solutions for sustainable resource use in water-scarce regions.