A global systematic review of resource nexus and nature-positive sustainable development: an invitation to a new research agenda
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Abstract
The Resource Nexus concept is acknowledged as a transformative approach to managing resource challenges. Yet, its contribution to nature-positive sustainable development (NPSD) practices remains less understood. This study (i) analyses how resource nexus and NPSD practices have been conceptualised in the literature, (ii) determines the state-of-the-art on the NPSD outcomes that are driven by the Resource Nexus approach, and (iii) identifies methodological development in Resource Nexus and NPSD studies. Search queries were conducted in the Scopus core collection, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, resulting in the inclusion of 117 empirical studies. The study reveals that while Resource Nexus offers a broad lens for engaging with these different environmental resources, its integration with NPSD practices remains underexplored. Firstly, the overall dominance of the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus (28.2%) was reported, followed by the water-energy-food-climate (WEFC) Nexus (24.8%), and the biota-energy-food-climate (BEFC) Nexus (15.4%). Secondly, most papers reported ecological parameters (61.3%) as the significant NPSD outcomes driven by the Resource Nexus, followed by political (48.7%), and economic (44.4%) outcomes. Only 17% of papers reported socio-cultural outcomes. Finally, quantitative approaches were most commonly used in the literature (56.4%), followed by qualitative approaches (33.3%), while the mixed methods approach (10.3%) remained the least frequently used. Our review highlights the urgent need for a new research agenda focused on (i) a diverse Resource Nexus constellation, (ii) transformative coupled citizen science research that develops actionable strategies to complete the Science-policy-practice cycle, and (iii)innovative research methodologies focusing on multi-level and mixed-method approaches while preserving the diverse values of qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Description
Keywords
Nature-positive economy, Resource efficiency, Resource nexus, Sustainability, Transformation
Citation
Makwinja, Y.H., Kimengsi, J.N., O’Farrell, P.J. and Guenther, E., 2025. A global systematic review of resource nexus and nature-positive sustainable development: An invitation to a new research agenda. Sustainable Environment, 11(1), p.2554480.