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What are Nature-based Solutions?
Nature-based Solutions are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and
restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges
effectively and adaptively while simultaneously providing human well-being and
biodiversity benefits (IUCN, 2019).
A
detailed introduction to the common NbS types for generating water security outcomes
is provided in the NbS Factsheets Deep Dive. Popular NbS
categories include:
Habitat protection
Conservation activities to protect priority habitat areas such as forests, grasslands, or wetlands.
Revegetation
The restoration of native habitat – e.g. natural forests or grasslands – via either active planting or seeding, or passive measures which result in a suitable enabling environment for regeneration.
Agriculture BMPs
Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) are strategic interventions in agricultural systems such as agroforestry and no-till practices that are designed to reduce environmental impacts.
What is a watershed investment program?
Watershed investment programs are initiatives aiming to deliver water
security outcomes by harnessing nature. These programs seek to crowd in
‘investors’ – often times downstream beneficiaries such as industrial users, irrigation
districts, or water purveyors – that are interested in funding measures to
conserve, restore, or develop upstream NbS. The ‘watershed investment program’ term
embraces both collective action programs (such as water funds)
as
well as bilateral types (e.g. a utility wishing to invest in upstream NbS on a
standalone basis, or a development bank wishing to integrate NbS into a water
sector infrastructure loan).
How do I develop and execute my program?
The development lifecycle for watershed investment programs spans four phases – pre-feasibility, feasibility, design, and execution (see chart below). Detail on how to navigate these phases is available in the forthcoming Financing Nature for Water Security: A How to Guide to develop Watershed Investment Programs .
