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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:37:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-12-08 Brazil is a powerhouse in terms of water resources, which are instrumental to the country’s transition to sustainability. However, to realize this potential, substantial management and conservation hurdles must first be overcome. We propose a novel strategy for the use, management, and conservation of Brazilian water resources. Our approach recognizes the spatial heterogeneity of water abundance and is based on a multisectoral perspective, including energy, food, sanitation, and environmental conservation. The main recommendations are to adopt low-cost local and subnational solutions and to design policy mixes, both based on the logic of the nexus water-food-energy-ecosystem. We offer as examples programs that 1) increase cistern infrastructure in drylands, 2) use constructed wetlands to improve sewage treatment in small cities and vulnerable areas, 3) turn the focus of conservation to aquatic ecosystems, 4) stimulate the adoption of small hydrokinetic turbines for energy generation in sparsely populated river-abundant regions, such as the Amazon Region, 5) diversify the matrix of renewable energy sources by combining hydropower with biomass and wind energy generation, and 6) mixes policies by integrating multiple sectors to improve regulation, use and management of water resources, such as the Brazilian “Water for All” Program. By following these recommendations, Brazil would align itself with the goals established in international agreements and would turn its abundance of water resources into development opportunities. Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes Universidade Do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Programa de Pos-Graduação Em Ecologia de Águas Continentais Universidade Estadual de Maringá Departamento de Biologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora Departamento de Ecologia Universidade de Brasília International Institute for Sustainability PETROBRAS CENPES/PDIDMS/SE/MCA Av. Horácio Macedo Cidade Universitária Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro Associação Brasileira de Limnologia (ABLimno) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Biosustente Estudos Ambientais Observatório da Governança Das Águas Universidade Estadual de Maringá UEM Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) Department of Microbiology and Parasitology Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte Reserva Ecológica Do IBGE Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering University of Rio de Janeiro Universidade Anhanguera Uniderp Ministério Do Meio Ambiente Esplanada Dos Ministérios Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro Associação Brasileira de Limnologia (ABLimno) Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)