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The Mediterranean basin is one of the most vulnerable regions worldwide due to its population density, the concentration of economic activities along the coasts and borderline climatic balance. It is identified as one of the most critical erosion hotspots in Europe, mainly due to the degradation of coastal areas, overexploitation and unsustainable practices affecting beach tourism, agriculture and fishing. The region is also affected by other phenomena such as storms and floods, which are exacerbated by climate change. To mitigate and adapt to these environmental and climatic changes, Nature based Solutions (NbSs) are considered a promising step-forward. However, despite their global recognition in both research and policy, few scientific papers and documents on the state of NbSs implementation for coastal risk management in the Mediterranean exist. This paper aims to provide an understanding of the status of NbS adoption for coastal risk management in the Mediterranean through a literature review. Out of 162 scientific papers and documents, only 23 were found to be relevant to the study. Through the definition and support of an innovative matrix-based approach, the analysis of the state of adoption of NbSs have been performed. Despite the limited information on the state of the adoption of NbSs for coastal risk management in the Mediterranean due to the low numbers of scientific research and documents available, some key considerations have been revealed. • The Mediterranean basin is the most critical erosion hotspots in Europe. • NbSs are recognized a promising step-forward in coastal risk management. • Novel framework for the analysis of past and present NbS implementation. • Few studies report the adoption of NbSs for Mediterranean coastal risk management. • NbS for coastal risk management in the Mediterranean is still in an experimental phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the European context, this paper re-examines the relationship between the ESG and financial performance and whether CSR attitude moderates this relationship. A panel data set with all the listed companies in STOXX Europe 600, covering the period 2012–2022 was built, with company data being sourced from the Refinitiv Eikon platform for a total of 6600 firm-year observations. Six measures of financial performance and three regression frameworks were considered for analysis. Overall, inconsistent patterns of effect are identified across ESG predictors and financial performance measures. The presence of a CSR committee was found to negatively moderate the effect of ESG score on ROA only, whereas an external auditor to the CSR report to negatively moderate it with share price. Future research should consider replicating the proposed re-examination framework in other data settings and legislative and accounting contexts to strengthen the current evidence base and therefore deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the investigated relationships. • ESG scores affect financial performance measures inconsistently. • A CSR committee negatively moderates the effect of ESG score on ROA. • An external auditor negatively moderates the effect of ESG score on share price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban forests as nature-based solutions (UF–NbS) play a crucial role for promoting the health and well-being of urban populations. Despite increasing recognition of their importance, knowledge gaps remain regarding UF-NbS implementation, particularly with respect to their performance, their perception, and on decision-making and governance practices for their implementation and management. Grounded in a project-as-practice approach and based on sixteen UF-NbS case histories, this paper seeks to gain insights into UF-NbS project actualities by an identification of characteristic trends as a function of a projects' scope and purpose, or challenge-orientation, respectively. A particular emphasis is on project structure and coordination, on the scope and depth of participation and stakeholder involvement, and on funding mechanisms. Identified trends reveal centrally coordinated, single-responsible public authorities as the most common project structure, but with certain feature contents, i.e., regeneration and reclamation, as being associated with more decentralised forms of governance. It is concluded that irrespective of challenge-orientation, comparatively broad participation appears to be realised within the UF-NbS framework, however, the depth of participation differs considerably. With respect to funding, a strong reliance on public capital is asserted for the UF-NbS context, however, various forms of private contributions appear reasonably common across the assessed case histories. Recommendations for policy-making and avenues of future research are identified, including the validation of identified trends, the fostering of collaboration, the dispersal of decision-making authority, the encouragement for implementing non-tokenistic modes of participation in UF-NbS governance, and the promotion of potentially under-utilised funds. • The governance of urban forests as nature-based solutions has been investigated. • Analysis of sixteen case histories grounded in a project-as-practice approach. • Identification of associations of governance features with challenge-orientations. • Recommendations for policymaking to improve the governance of urban forests. • Avenues for future research highlighted to promote project-based knowledge exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]