Towards the "Constructed Wetlands Knowledge Platform" for sustainable development (CWetlandsData)
About 80% of all global wastewater is released untreated into the environment, which leads to a deterioration in water quality. Objectives 6.2 and 6.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to provide universal access to sanitation while improving water quality by halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and increasing its safe reuse.
Constructed Wetlands (CWs), a nature-based solution (NbS), can contribute to these goals. There is currently little knowledge about the contribution of CWs to the global amount of treated wastewater. The global Constructed Wetlands Knowledge Platform initiated by UNU-FLORES is to be further developed in the present project by Leibniz University Hannover at the Institute of Botany (LUH-BOT) with the collaboration of the research centre l3S. In a first step, a user requirements analysis was carried out through a two-stage expert survey, which was distributed worldwide via social media and target networks. This enabled the definition of key parameters, information and functions to be implemented in the platform. From this, a predefined data infrastructure with about 70 CWs parameters was derived and implemented on a GIS-based pilot platform in cooperation with CentroGeo.
photos by Rosa María Miglio Toledo De Rodríguez & Tamara Avellán
The aim of this project is to take CWetlands to the next level, to develop one-stop solutions for CW-related data and mechanisms to support research, policy development and funding, and to empower civil society organisations (CSOs) and practitioners to implement NbS for sustainable development.This is to be achieved through the following activities: First a stable, comprehensive and attractive platform to understand and apply NbS in the various stakeholder contexts will be designed. Further more high quality data will be collected through multiple channels including semi-automated extraction of information from peer-reviewed journal articles and by Citizen Science. The platform development will be supported with a dedicated transdisciplinary team capable of deriving critical products from CW design specifications to policy implications for the region. Within the network, the present side project is carried out by Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Botany together with the research centre l3S by a) advancing the further development of the platform and thus contributing to a better understanding and applicability of NbS in the various stakeholder contexts and b) participating in the collection of high-quality data.
→ CWetlands Platform
photos by Tamara Avellán
The Constructed Wetlands Knowledge Platform (CWKP), the main outcome of this project, will be a holistic web tool developed with the help of stakeholders. Stakeholders include communities, wastewater producing businesses, farmers, fishermen, sellers of agricultural products, cooperatives, consumers, etc. The platform can thus systematically summarize information on CWs that has been compiled with great expertise and is therefore relevant for decision-making. It is planned to link this globally unique complex source of information with the ongoing monitoring and reporting efforts of SDG6 custody organizations such as UN-Habitat and WHO for SGD 6.3.1 - Wastewater Treatment.
As a by-product of the participatory character of the project, the consortium partners also expect that the benefits of NbS and the high effectiveness of CWs for sustainable wastewater treatment can be communicated more widely and knowledge-based to more actors*, thus increasing the willingness to implement such projects. The guidelines, documentation and information materials made available on CWetlands can also make a significant contribution to raising awareness of NbS and its potential, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future, especially for the people living in CELAC cities.
Duration of the project:
July 1st 2020 - June 30th 2023
Partner
Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Botany, Germany, Prof. Dr. Jutta Papenbrock, Coordinator
AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland, Dr. Tomasz Bergier, Partner
University of San Carlos of Guatemala, Guatemala, Prof. Jorge Cifuentes Castillo. Partner
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Peru, Prof. Dr. Rosa María Miglio Toledo De Rodríguez, Partner
Cultura Ambiental, Uruguay, Dr. Gabriela Pignataro, Partner
