A conceptual nexus framework integrating mangrove management with water energy and food planning in Hamata Egypt

Abstract Remote coastal settlements in Egypt face interconnected water, energy, food, and ecosystem pressures that are often addressed through fragmented sectoral approaches. Existing Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus studies increasingly emphasize governance, while mangrove research generally focuses on ecosystem services rather than cross-sector resource planning. This study develops a conceptual community-scale WEF framework for Hamata Village by integrating greywater-assisted forward-osmosis–reverse-osmosis desalination, a separate blackwater-management pathway, solar photovoltaic energy, complementary biogas recovery, and mangrove-compatible food production. The methodology combines a structured literature review, planning-level resource calculations, preliminary system sizing, and four population-growth scenarios ranging from 3 to 10%. Under the 2029 stress scenario, the population may reach approximately 2,700 inhabitants, with an estimated non-agricultural end-use water demand of 516 m 3 /day. Accounting for alternative distribution-loss assumptions increases the required product-water supply to approximately 607.1–694.5 m 3 /day. Desalination-energy sensitivity for this supply range is estimated at 412.1–1,419.5 MWh/year, depending on the specific-energy-consumption benchmark. The framework identifies trade-offs among freshwater production, electricity demand, concentrate management, food-system water allocation, and coastal-habitat protection. As the framework has not been field-tested or fully assessed economically or environmentally, its outputs should be interpreted as preliminary planning estimates requiring site-specific validation.