Partnerships and cooperation for water and the environment

Co-benefits generated through ecosystem-based approaches provide a strong justification for nature-based solutions that can be effective across the full spectrum of sectors.

Last update:20 April 2023

Watershed protection or rehabilitation measures are among the oldest of water-related partnerships and typically involve partnerships among land and water managers and users. Experience demonstrates that partners need not all have the same objectives, only a consensus on the action that needs to be taken and a recognition of the importance of sharing benefits and costs.

For example, water utilities may mainly be interested in reducing infrastructure risks, ensuring compliance and reducing costs. Environment interests may be interested in biodiversity benefits. Nature-based solutions can deliver on both simultaneously and cost effectively.

Climate adaptation benefits, such as flood mitigation, are particularly attractive. Water funds are a common means of financing these schemes to support partnerships between cities, businesses, utilities, and land management upstream to improve water quality and/or quantity and generate long-term benefits. Partnerships involving local communities are increasingly used to improve monitoring of the environment through citizen science and are particularly important to address the huge gaps in water quality data.

Water funds mobilize multiple partnerships to address water security needs

Water funds support partnerships that bring together downstream users, like cities, businesses, and utilities, to collectively invest in upstream habitat protection and land management to improve water quality and/or quantity and generate long-term benefits for people by addressing climate, nature and pollution. They help to make sense of and manage the complexities associated with water risk and nature-based source water protection.