Aegean Islands’ Water Innovation
Non-conventional water loops on Aegean islands, Greece
A cluster of three complementary sub-DEMO sites implemented on Greek islands, showcasing scalable and sustainable solutions that integrate Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), innovative water and wastewater treatment and reuse, nutrient recycling and revived traditional water management practices to address water scarcity and climate challenges in island environments.
Context
CARDIMED DEMO1 is structured into three sub-DEMOs implemented on the islands of Lesvos, Mykonos, and Sifnos, spanning natural and rural areas across both public and private land.
- sub-DEMO1.1 (Lesvos) establishes an integrated resource management model that focuses on circular domestic wastewater use. Wastewater is treatedthrough constructed wetlands and reused in agroforestry field, integrating nutrient recycling, compost production and sustainable food production.
- sub-DEMO1.2 (Mykonos) demonstrates decentralised rainwater harvesting solutions. It combinines subsurface collection systems, bioswales, and smart irrigation to conserve freshwater resources and recharge aquifers in water-scarce areas.
- sub-DEMO1.3 (Sifnos) revitalises traditional dry-stone check dams in ephemeral streams to mitigate flood risk, enhance aquifer recharge, support biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience.
Together, the three sub-DEMOs manage water resources with the combination of NbS, innovative harvesting, treatment and reuse technologies, nutrient recycling, digital monitoring, and revived traditional practices. These integrated approaches address water scarcity, flood risk, aquifer depletion, biodiversity loss, and declining agricultural productivity, while promoting circular economy models and ecological stewardship tailored to Mediterranean island contexts.
Output
Demonstration of three fully operational and complementary sub-DEMO systems enabling decentralised water circularity across the Aegean islands, offering replicable and scalable models for sustainable water management and climate adaptation in arid and semi-arid regions.
Solutions
- Constructed wetlands
- Circular agroforestry
- Subsurface rainwater harvesting systems
- Residential rainwater harvesting
- Flood protection bioswale systems
- Traditional dry-stone check dams
