Professor Bettina Lange Delivers Plenary Presentation at OneWater2025 Conference in Lisbon

On 5 June 2025, Professor Bettina Lange delivered a plenary presentation at the OneWater2025: The Role of New Water Sources and Nature-Based Solutions international conference, held at the University of Lisbon. Invited as a keynote speaker, Professor Lange spoke on the topic of flexibilizing legal entitlements to accessing water during the session on Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Water Systems.

Organized by a committee that included the Lisbon Public Law Research Group, the conference focused on exploring developments in water resource management, the role of new and alternative water sources, and the implementation of nature-based solutions to address global societal challenges.

The event attracted a diverse and interdisciplinary audience, providing a valuable forum for academics, regulators, and practitioners from various fields including law, economics, and engineering. Participants represented a broad range of jurisdictions such as Portugal, Ireland, Brazil, Italy, France, Mozambique, Angola, and the United Kingdom.

Professor Lange’s presentation emphasized the need for more flexible legal frameworks governing water access, reflecting the complex realities of water management, including limits to water trading, amid environmental pressures.

The conference ran from 5 to 6 June 2025 and reaffirmed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in meeting the challenges of water resource management in the 21st century.