Over recent months, FutureWater has begun working with the Nature for Water facility to provide technical support to the development of watershed investment programmes globally. The facility aims to provide technical assistance to local “champions” who are developing Watershed Investment Programmes (or Water Funds) in their respective catchments. The facility aims to expedite the delivery of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) by supporting burgeoning Water Funds to maturity via the provision of expert knowledge relating to the implementation of NbS for water security challenges.
FutureWater’s role in the facility will be to provide experts that can work as Science Technical Leads for Water Funds, helping to (co)develop modelling tools and data-driven assessment methodologies which help better understand water security challenges and prioritise NbS to address these. This partnership is the result of multiple projects FutureWater have worked on over the years, including: Hydrologic modelling and economic valuation of investment options for the Nairobi Water Fund; and a Design Study for the Mombasa Water Fund. The technical expertise developed in these projects on modelling the impact and financial viability of portfolios of NbS will be used to create effective portfolios of NbS which can attract funding from a range of sources for implementation. This sees FutureWater join a pool of experts at the cutting edge of technical work on NbS.
The first engagement that FutureWater have taken part in is the Technical Coordination of the Norfolk Water Fund. In this work, Jack Beard has been supporting local partners to develop GIS and modelling approaches to prioritise the implementation of Nature-based Solutions across several catchments in the area, with an aim of addressing emergent water quality and quantity issues.
We are hugely proud to be supporting this critical work and to continue our collaborations with the Nature Conservancy. Here’s to helping restore ecosystems and putting nature at the heart of water resources management!
