Systemic barriers and untapped potentials: a SWOT study on the implementation of natural/small water retention measures in Europe

There is strong evidence that ecosystem-based approaches, such as Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRMs) can be an important solution to problems associated with managing water quality and quantity, soil erosion, and nutrient loss. Moreover, they deliver multiple co-benefits such as increased biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, alongside aesthetic and recreational functions. However, despite their apparent advantages and significant political momentum for their expanded deployment, implementation of NSWRMs remains slow. This study asks why this is the case and employs a methodologically rigorous variant of the SWOT framework combining qualitative and quantitative (scoring and cluster analysis) elements to assess the exact barriers and potentials for increasing the NSWRMs’ implementation across Europe. The empirical analysis draws on case studies of fourteen small watersheds distributed across twelve European countries to explore the factors affecting the NSWRMs adoption, evaluate their relative importance, and identify necessary intervention areas for their better uptake. Our findings indicate that the main drivers for NSWRMs implementation are high knowledge availability through formal and informal networks, as well as support through advisory services. On the other hand, the main hindrances are inadequate financing schemes but also uncertain societal attitudes and perceptions. Financing schemes rarely account for indirect costs, and bureaucratic procedures further discourage practitioners from pursuing these measures. Negative attitudes are linked to mismatched time horizons as well as the gap between theoretical benefits and practical implementation challenges.