WATERLANDS constitutes a relevant breakthrough on understanding the role played by different land cover and forest types on key hydrological processes and thermal loading to river ecosystems, as well as to establish the link between global change and river functioning.

The scientific impact of WATERLANDS resides on providing the necessary elements that allow the optimum design of nature-based solutions by addressing water-land cover relationships through the efficiency of forest patches to secure freshwater resources in the actual scenario of global change. This approach will combine new techniques in the field of earth observation, hydrology and landscape dynamics.

WATERLANDS will promote integrated and collaborative governance by creating spaces for social learning between researchers and stakeholders. The project will create an ambitious program for transferring results via different actions to translate the project results into public policy, long-term effects and deliver benefits to citizens and nature to identify the benefits of BGINs to improve Integrated Water Resource Management schemes, ecosystem services (ES) delivery and biodiversity conservation.