Watersheds Governance Optimizing Water-Energy-Food Nexus Approach Across Water Users and Watershed Scales

Urbanization is expected to reach 70% of the world’s population by 2050; in Brazil, 80% of the population already lives in urban areas. This surge in urban living has led to increased energy and water consumption, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and increased resource conflicts. The resulting scarcity of water, energy, and food resources has also triggered multiple crises. One promising strategy for addressing these challenges is to integrate the dimensions associated with the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus. We used WEAP to simulate two Brazilian watersheds for the 2020 to 2050 period, analyzing reference, alternative energy, increase Brazilian water resource management tools and climate change scenarios. The proposed watershed plans and governance actions significantly improved the sustainability index, with the committees’ governance actions further contributing to the overall sustainability of complex water systems.