Aquatic macrophytes as nature‐based solutions: Challenges and opportunities across inland and coastal waters

Abstract Macrophytes are foundation species whose use as nature‐based solution (NbS) in aquatic ecosystems can help reduce climate change impacts while mitigating biodiversity loss. The discrepancy in research and application of macrophytes as NbS across inland and marine coastal ecosystems is an opportunity to expand the concept and learn from different approaches. We report on an initiative uniting marine and freshwater scientists that compared knowledge on macrophytes as NbS across realms, identified advances and gaps in their use, and synthesized challenges and opportunities for application. We conducted a bibliometric analysis and an expert participatory exercise around recent review papers. We reveal that most NbS papers on macrophytes are marine‐focused, with distinct topics emphasized across realms, highlighting complementarity of expertise and potential extension to inland waters. We provide recommendations to encourage researchers and stakeholders to embrace the value of macrophytes across a broad range of contexts for a more sustainable future.