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WRRC/‘Ike Wai Special Seminar on Global Water and Watershed Conservation

From the Andes of Colombia to Perú: A Lifetime of Natural Infrastructure Investments

by Marta Echavarría

Water funds are financial, institutional, and conservation mechanisms where water users and other watershed actors collectively invest in the protection of watershed sources. This presentation traces the pioneering work on water funds in the Andes since the 1990s with the creation of water user associations to protect the watersheds that provided irrigation water in the Cauca Valley of Colombia. Inspired by the Colombian experience, EcoDecisión, the Nature Conservancy, and Quito’s water company designed the world’s first water fund (FONAG) in Quito, Ecuador. This in turn inspired additional water funds across Latin America and beyond, including in Perú where a groundbreaking water law now requires investment in watersheds by all water companies. Speaking from first hand experience designing and evaluating these programs, Marta will describe some of the challenges, lessons learned and opportunities of these programs in Latin America and worldwide.

Event Sponsor
WRRC, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Leah Bremer, (808) 956-7938, lbremer@hawaii.edu