Leah Bremer (WRRC and UHERO) and team members conducted a cost survey of 18 collective-action watershed investment programs in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, which pool resources from water users and other stakeholders to finance Nature Based Solutions. During the first 10-years, programs had average annual costs of 0.25–3.02 million (median: 0.75 million). The wide range in per-hectare costs, and the size and range of administrative and transaction cost shares reflect diverse local contexts, intervention portfolios, and program design and implementation characteristics. Findings underscore the need for watershed investment programs to budget for substantial administrative and transaction cost throughout their life cycle.
Leah Bremer is an Associate Specialist with the University of Hawai‘i WRRC and UHERO.
Photo: A Huamantanga community leader showcases a restored Pre-Incan infiltration channel (a mamanateo), a type of nature-based solution for water that cities like Lima are investing in as part of water funds and other watershed investment programs.
View article at: Ecosystem Services, February 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101507