In this Failing Forward? episode, Cristal Ange, General Director of Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe (Caribbean Environmental Heritage Foundation), reflects on how her understanding of community participation evolved from routine meetings to something far more personal for those participating. Drawing on a jaguar conservation project in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, she challenges how scientists, development practitioners and funders define participation, and how ‘what looks like success’ may, on closer inspection, be something else entirely.
In 2008, the National Parks System of Colombia approached Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe (Caribbean Environmental Heritage Foundation) to help them assess the jaguar population and plan conservation efforts in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a coastal mountain range in northern Colombia. Jaguars are a good indicator of a healthy ecosystem, as the wild cats favour dense forest, river, and wetland habitats, keeping a check on prey species and maintaining the ecosystem balance. When local communities are involved in jaguar conservation, it essentially helps protect the forests and waterways they rely on. Accordingly, the project engaged local communities and the indigenous group, the Arhuaco, to understand the jaguars’ path in the coastal mountains.
“It was an open and participatory project, where the Arhuaco people would gather scientific evidence about jaguar movement and their path. We travelled to different villages, organised meetings with the indigenous residents, and showed portraits of jaguars to enquire how they referred to jaguars and the sites where they were spotted,” recounted biopsychologist Cristal Ange, the General Director of the foundation, which focuses on sustainable water management and biodiversity protection by partnering with indigenous, Afro-descendant and peasant communities in Colombia.
Beyond gleaning information, the team trained the indigenous people to use camera traps and the methodologies to learn about jaguars and their trails. They also organised capacity workshops to help the indigenous people understand what they were doing, and how that information would be used.
After a year, the team closed the first phase of the project. “We found the jaguar sites, as well as collected pictures and magical stories to share with the world. We also understood how to cooperate with local communities. It was a success,” Cristal remarked.
“Or, was it really successful?”, she quickly paused to consider.
Cristal attributed her reservations about calling the project a success to the consultative and technocratic approach to community participation the team had adopted throughout. “We were too focused on what the science told us, and not enough on ancestral knowledge and ways of understanding the territory held by the communities,” she acknowledged.
We were too focused on what science told us, and not enough on what people already knew
Displacing knowledge pluralism
In the post-war era, community participation was adopted as an essential ‘tool’ for development projects in the Global South; as an antidote to the repeated failure to meet the project objectives and outcome; and to counter the traditional top-down strategies that failed to include the people’s voices.
Community participation became a precondition to funding. Projects designed participation approaches around scientific and technical knowledge frameworks, donor mandates, and a pre-determined set of criteria, while (paradoxically) expecting new knowledge to emerge from this renewed focus. And while the project runs, residents support it, attend meetings, and some may temporarily find a job. They are trained and armed with Western and Eurocentric rules and guidelines to approach the very territories they inhabit and interact with every day. The project led by Ange’s foundation to scientifically establish the jaguar path is one such case.
Sample this: An indigenous community member, familiar with jaguar territory and movement in Sierra Nevada, had predicted the animal’s presence before placing the camera traps provided by the team. He knew, without checking, that his camera had captured jaguars. The request for photographic evidence to trace the jaguar’s path sparked his curiosity, as it pointed toward forms of data and ecological information that extended beyond the traditional understanding of jaguar movements.
“Yet, our attention remained centred on the project’s technical requirements and the funders’ interest in ecological data about the species, rather than on the broader ancestral knowledge that had informed his observations,” she recounted
This serves as a powerful empirical illustration of unintentionally reducing the participant to a data collector instead of a knowledge holder. “Traditional Western means of participation incorporate people into how we, as scientists, think jaguars should be conserved. But what do we know about what is the right way for them?” Cristal reflected.
In its noblest vision, community participation is designed to promote dialogue, interaction, learning, and co-production of knowledge between development agents and the community members. In practice, though, community members are often consulted after the project is designed; they are excluded in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages; or are approached to resolve a particular information problem to achieve the predetermined project goal.
As a result, community participation has often unfolded within institutional and scientific frameworks, which open important spaces for collaboration between researchers and local knowledge holders, but at the same time, continue to be shaped largely by Western approaches to how knowledge should be validated, interpreted and incorporated into development projects. It systematically devalues and displaces indigenous people from their own everyday reality or their ways of knowing. Such approaches have reinforced themselves as a tool to legitimise Western, neocolonial projects rather than a veritable power-sharing and knowledge co-production procedure.
Paying attention to this contradiction entails self-reflection: did ‘new knowledge’ eventually emerge? Was ‘power’ distributed unidirectionally? Did it eventually devolve into the very ‘subject-object relation’ that community participation set out to eliminate?
Understanding the ‘other’ knowledge
Cristal and her team shifted their base closer to Santa Marta to spend a considerable time going into the jaguar territories with the tribal elders — not to organise workshops, but to sit down with the people, observe their daily activities, and understand their reality, rituals and knowledge, with humility. Now into the second phase of the jaguar conservation project, the team focuses on what matters most to the indigenous people: conserving the jaguar’s spiritual energy, which they believe is a living force, embodied in natural elements, such as a rock or sacred sites. “There is no scientific explanation, but it is the elders’ way of knowing,” Cristal challenged.
Their guiding principle: “If we want to conserve jaguars, how can people support science, and also how can we, as scientists, development practitioners and funders, support and learn about the local ways of conserving the animals.”
A rock identified during the project, for instance, illustrated this difference in perspectives. From an ecological standpoint, the site did not play a measurable role in jaguar conservation. Yet for the indigenous communities, conserving the rock was essential. It was understood as a sacred jaguar site where the animal’s spiritual energy resides and the broader balance of the territory is maintained. The project thus began to recognise that conservation is not only about protecting habitats and species populations, but also about sustaining the cultural and spiritual relationships that shape how communities coexist with the jaguar. “Our goal was not merely to acknowledge indigenous practices, but to validate their knowledge and embed it at the heart of the project,” she emphasised.
Our goal was not merely to acknowledge indigenous practices, but to validate their knowledge and embed it at the heart of the project
Success for whom?
Understanding failures entails a growing self-awareness of how practitioners and scientists can mistake failures for success. In the traditional methods of implementing development projects, participation includes organising workshops, capacity strengthening sessions, and handing down scientific ways of knowing and working with the local community. The latter’s ‘contract’ as participants often ends at this stage, with no active role in the evaluation and monitoring phases of the project cycle. When zooming in on this aspect, the project is a success – but for whom?
To the donors, scientists, and the NGO, the project was a success. When considering the project more holistically — including whether participation translated into changes that mattered in the daily realities of the community — the project may also reveal important limitations in what it was ultimately able to achieve for the people involved.
For such a feedback system to be practical and functional, one needs to go back to the drawing board to assess whether the project makes sense to the local community or the participants. As Cristal, too, reflects, if a project cannot explain how it ties into the people’s local persuasions, it will not work in the long run. It may continue to operate and generate scientific data considered relevant for institutional and conservation decision-making, but if that knowledge does not also resonate with the priorities, relationships, and ways of deciding within the local communities themselves, its impact may remain limited once the funding cycle ends.
Another sticking point of projects that work in indigenous territories and with their people is funding. Supporting both ways of knowing demands a budget for what funders think should be done, but also for local ways of doing things. However, funding with the correct attitude towards local knowledge and beliefs, too, is critical. “A rock, for instance, may not have added to the ecological value of the jaguar corridor, but it added to the personal value of the project,” she challenged the rampant compartmentalisation among development agencies of what counts and does not count as knowledge.
For Cristal, the project’s most important lesson was not that science had failed, but that scientific frameworks alone were insufficient to understand the full complexity of coexistence in the territory. Being honest about those limitations opened the possibility of recognising other forms of knowledge that had long sustained relationships between people, jaguars, and the forest. In many ways, these approaches were already working on the ground — not necessarily through scientific indicators, but through rituals, practices, and sacred sites that had enabled coexistence across generations. The question is no longer whether these other ways of knowing exist or matter, but whether conservation institutions and funders are willing to invest in them on their own terms.
As the conversation drew to a close, she considered how people’s participation in knowledge co-production ought to be: “Development projects are not only important for the Western academic sector or NGOs. It belongs equally to the people. They may not engage with the project through the same technical or scientific frameworks in which the plan is designed, but they understand its importance and how it complements their own ways of understanding and relating to the territory.”
Want to learn more about Failing Forward?
Failing Forward? is an initiative that provides an open space for constructive, critical reflections and learnings about challenges, setbacks, and failures in water and climate adaptation interventions. Each month, we publish a new article in this series.
Failing Forward?With the Humans of Partners for Water series, we showcase the people who are involved in and benefit from our projects. The Humans series highlights the stories of the people with whom and for whom Partners for Water works, and on how water affects their lives. Discover how Mario Ciono’s dedication to his community in Cartagena is helping restore the city’s rivers and protect its neighbourhoods from environmental damage.
Meet Mario Ciono Fuentes
Meet Mario Ciono Fuentes, President of the Community Action Board of the Villa Rosa neighbourhood in Cartagena, Colombia. As a community leader, he represents the voice of his neighbourhood in efforts to improve the local environment and protect residents from the impact of pollution and climate-related hazards.
Water as life
For Mario Ciono, water is not simply a resource, it is the foundation of life itself. Living in Cartagena, he sees first-hand how pollution and the effects of human activity are putting pressure on the city’s rivers and natural surroundings, and how urgent it is to protect them.
“Water is a natural resource…it is life, it is the most beautiful thing that nature could give to humankind. We take care of it, we conserve it, and we work for it.”
Dutch-Colombian water cooperation
Colombia is one of seven delta countries in the Partners for Water 2022–2027 programme. In Cartagena, the programme finances the Water as Leverage Cartagena initiative, which develops inclusive and innovative climate adaptation solutions together with Colombian, Dutch and international partners.
Partners for Water collaborates with Colombian national and local governments, the private sector, NGOs, academia and community organisations to enhance water security and climate change adaptation in the country’s delta cities and agricultural regions.
Community voices such as Mario’s are an important part of this process, helping to ensure that solutions for cleaner rivers and a healthier coastline reflect the needs and realities of the people who live there.
Beyond Cartagena, Partners for Water also supports projects across Colombia through its subsidy scheme, enabling Dutch and Colombian organisations to develop and test innovative water solutions, such as initiatives to address freshwater scarcity and soil salinisation in the Magdalena Delta.
Get involved in Colombia
Are you currently working on water projects in Colombia or exploring how to do so? Or just interested in participating in Partners for Water initiatives? Here are some ways for you to get involved:
- Apply for our tenders focused on innovative solutions in delta countries like Colombia. Find more information on our news page.
- Join our annual Colombia platform meeting or one of the other Partners for Water events. Check out our events page for upcoming events.
- Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our tenders, activities, events and projects.
- Get in touch with our Project Advisor for Colombia Robert Proos.
Every year, dredging vessels pull some 3.6 million cubic metres of sediment from the waters around Barranquilla, where Colombia’s Magdalena River meets the Caribbean Sea. Almost all of it is currently discarded. An ambitious collaboration between the Netherlands and Colombia is working to change that.
The project was brought together under the Partners for Water programme and led by Arcadis in consortium with Colombian engineering firm JESyCA, Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe and Netics. The goal was straightforward: partner with Colombia to identify the building blocks to construct the legal and procedural foundation needed to put dredged material to beneficial and sustainable use. After a year of intensive work, the project formally closed with an event in Bogotá on 26 March 2026.
A resource hiding in plain sight
In Colombia, dredging is not optional. The country’s rivers carry enormous sediment loads, constantly depositing material in ports and navigational channels. The Magdalena River alone drains a vast Andean watershed. Without regular dredging, trade along these waterways effectively stops.
While dredging is routine, nothing useful is done with what is removed. “Currently, it’s disposed of,” says Pilar Vasquez, a biologist at Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe and one of the project’s lead researchers. Disposal follows a defined set of quality assessments and upon completion, the sediment is sent to designated sites.
It’s a significant waste. About half of the material typically dredged is either clean or sufficiently clean to reuse. Once dried, the sediment’s physical and chemical characteristics are similar to extracted raw material and sometimes even better, offering nutrients that can support nature restoration.
In the Netherlands, instead of importing clay, clayey dredging material is being used to reinforce sea dykes and to construct new islands, combining improving water quality and boosting biodiversity (Marker Wadden). In addition, compressed dredging material has been shaped into artificial reef elements that restore underwater habitats (GEOWALL). The shift in thinking is not complicated rather than asking where to dump dredged material, instead you can ask where can it go to do the most good.
Learning from ten countries
The first phase of the project looked closely at the Dutch experience. The Netherlands has spent decades refining its approach to dredging material with one principle standing out as particularly interesting. In the Netherlands, permissible contamination limits are set according to what the material will actually be used for and not just the sediment’s quality in isolation. “This is very important,” Pilar says. “It differs from many other countries, where limits are established, regardless of how you’re going to use the sediment.”
The team reviewed regulatory frameworks from ten jurisdictions, searching for examples that resembled Colombia’s tropical context. Dutch standards, developed for a small, temperate, geologically uniform country cannot always be directly applied. Colombia is something else entirely with enormous diversity in terms of geology, climate, ecology and living organisms. For example, what would apply for the Caribbean coast would not necessarily apply to the Pacific coast or the Amazon basin.
Two regions ultimately emerged as the best references: Florida (USA) and Brazil. Both are tropical regions that have developed their own use-based approaches to sediment. The Colombian Ministry of Environment’s plan is to take these two as a starting point, setting initial thresholds while continuing to gather local data to refine them over time.
A case study in Barranquilla
The next phase looked at what beneficial use could look like in practice in the Colombian context. The team focused on Barranquilla, capital of the Department of Atlántico situated at the mouth of the Magdalena river and one of Colombia’s most important maritime gateways.
The team carried out an assessment of the physical and chemical properties of dredged sediments alongside volumes and frequencies. These findings were fed into workshops with a broad group of stakeholders including: national ministries, local environmental authorities, ports, universities, military marine researchers and scientists from a national park just along the coast.
From this process, six conceptual designs emerged. Four addressed coastal erosion protection a real and urgent problem along the Department of Atlántico, where a combination of natural dynamics and impact of engineering works have disrupted natural sediment processes and left stretches of coastline exposed. The remaining two looked at soil enrichment and the production of construction materials.
Throughout the process, the project team emphasised that feasibility depends on context. “Distance is a key factor,” Pilar observes. “If the application site is too far from the dredging location, it simply isn’t economically viable. You have to look at it integrally incorporating the technical aspects, economic feasibility and community interests.”
A genuinely two-way exchange
The most important outcome of the project was not captured in five of the technical reports produced. It was this: knowledge exchange only works when it goes both ways.
“I want to really emphasise the two-way nature of this,” says Didi Gieling, Policy Officer at the Dutch Embassy in Bogotá. “From the beginning, I was genuinely impressed by the critical questions from all the counterparts, the scrutiny, the thinking-along.”
The collaboration between the Netherlands’ Government, Colombia’s Ministries of Environment and Transport and the National Department of Planning (DNP was formalised in a memorandum of understanding and has been running since 2017. This project, however brought the relationship to a different level.
Five training sessions were held over the course of the year, including two of them in Barranquilla. These brought together national policymakers, local experts, port operators and environmental authorities who deal with the Magdalena River every single day.
“One thing is sending a document,” Didi says. “Quite another is actually sitting down together and discussing it. Seeing what the interests are and which role other institutions need to play. Because you quickly realise it doesn’t stop at the ministries. So many other institutions have to come along for this to actually work.”
What comes next
The legal framework itself is still under development. The Ministry of Environment is preparing a decree that will lay the regulatory groundwork for reuse of dredging material, a process that is gaining traction and informed directly by the work the consortium has done. Full implementation on the ground will take time.
This year the Netherlands and Colombia mark 200 years of bilateral diplomatic relations and the project’s legacy is already taking shape with a new network of connections between Dutch and Colombian water professionals, researchers, ports, environmental institutions and businesses. As Colombia heads into presidential elections this June the network is built to last beyond government changes and will create opportunities for both Dutch expertise and Colombian industry alike.
Meanwhile, the sediment in the Magdalena River continues to move. The question is no longer whether Colombia can find a better use for it, but how quickly the country can build the systems to make that possible.
Please find here the project reports:
Final reports in English:
E1 – Key insights from the Netherlands on dredging (re)use approval [pdf]
E2 – Analysis Netherlands and other countries requirements for beneficial use of dredged sediments [pdf]
E3 – Assessment of the quality of dredged marine sediments in the port area of Barranquilla [pdf]
E4 – Procedural guidelines dredged marine sediments in Colombia [pdf]
E5 – Case study dredged sediments in Barranquilla [pdf]
Informes finales en español:
E1 – Información clave de los Países Bajos sobre (re)uso de sedimentos [pdf]
E2 – Análisis de requisitos de calidad uso sedimentos dragados en Países Bajos y otros países [pdf]
E3 – Evaluación de la calidad física y química de los sedimentos dragados en la zona portuaria de Barranquilla [pdf]
E4 – Directrices de procedimiento sedimentos marinos dragados en Colombia [pdf]
E5 – Estudio de caso aprovechamiento de sedimentos dragados en Barranquilla [pdf]
In the neighbourhoods along the Juan Angola Canal, a downpour is rarely without consequences. Streets can flood within minutes, and the city has spent years trying to bring urban growth back in step with the landscape. With phase 3 of Water as Leverage, this should take shape for the first time, with detailed designs and implementation roadmaps for paving stones, culverts and mangrove restoration. Furthermore, these plans are genuinely bankable and ready to implement.
What is Water as Leverage?
Water as Leverage (WaL) is a Dutch approach that reverses the usual sequence: rather than having a technical plan first and then looking for support and funding, this approach brings together knowledge, governance, financing, and communities from day one. In multidisciplinary teams of Colombian, Dutch, and international experts, early sketches grow into concrete designs ready for further development.
“It’s the integrated perspective – physical system, ecology, economy, employment, and financing – that makes WaL truly unique,” explains Michel Zuijderwijk from Witteveen+Bos. “You’re not only designing for water, but also for the city and its residents.” Witteveen+Bos is the lead partner of the Roots of Cartagena team, which has been working within the Water as Leverage Cartagena programme.
What is the current status of the WaL Cartagena programme?
During phase 1 which started in February 2023, these two teams explored Cartagena’s bottlenecks and opportunities regarding water and climate adaptation. This produced an initial city outlook and a selection of hotspots where water, public space, and quality of life intersect. At the end of this phase, eleven concepts were on the longlist.
During phase 2, beginning at the end of September that year, this was narrowed down to five serious project candidates and technically underpinned to pre-feasibility. Five local design workshops with local stakeholders proved decisive: specific areas of the Juan Angola Canal were given the green light to continue towards a third phase, with nature-based measures and practical interventions that are easy to scale up.
Colombian delegation’s visit to the Netherlands: three lessons
As the kick-off for the third and final phase of this programme, a Colombian delegation visited the Netherlands to look at waterworks, nature-inclusive projects, and maintenance regimes, such as the Sand Engine near Kijkduin (beach nourishment as coastal protection), Benthemplein Water Square in Rotterdam (urban water storage), and the Marker Wadden islands (nature restoration built with dredged sediment). Wilmer Iriarte Restrepo, Cartagena’s Secretary of Infrastructure, named several key insights to take into the next phase:
- Link flood resilience to public space.
“Look at flood resilience and public space as one entity. Maintenance thus becomes logical and you create pleasant places that residents actually use.” - Let nature do the work.
“From ‘sand motor’ to sluices: harness natural processes and the topography to filter and direct water. Not dogmatically, but flexibly: what works here may work differently elsewhere.” - Keep solutions simple and scale them up.
“Sometimes the best intervention is to give streets a little more slope and install a narrow gutter in the drainage system. Simple in itself, but if applied a thousand times, the cumulative impact is substantial.”
This down-to-earth view aligns with the WaL method: nature-based solutions where possible, hard interventions where necessary. “NBS are never one-size-fits-all,” says Zuijderwijk. “They are context-specific; that’s precisely why you always design together with the place in question.”
The next phase: feasibility studies for the Juan Angola Canal
One project has been selected within WaL Cartagena to proceed to feasibility studies in phase 3: the Juan Angola Canal. The WaL Project Proposal concerns flood resilience and quality of life, upstream and downstream, and is well aligned with local needs and plans. It roughly entails the following:
- Along Juan Angola, the bank would be gradually transformed into a continuous city park. The canal would be given room to breathe: it would be deepened and restored so that water can flow better. A footpath would connect places to linger and steps down to the water; in quieter sections, reed beds, riparian plants, and shallow sheltered zones will attract fish, birds, and insects. This gives rise to a place where flood protection coincides with a pleasant, green route through the neighbourhood.
- Higher up, on the slopes and in the streets, rainwater would be retained. Infiltration cells, green verges, and small storage areas give water time to percolate into the soil, while at strategic points, culverts lead the surplus to the canal in a controlled way. Replanting bare embankments binds the soil and slows erosion, so that less sand and silt reach the lower city. The result would be a chain of simple interventions that together calm the system and make the neighbourhood more liveable.
“I see a lot of methodological overlap between the WaL design and what the municipality is already doing,” says Iriarte. “From the characterisation of the micro-catchment to the idea of public space with footpaths and viewpoints: we’re on the same page. I also recognize innovative elements from the WaL team – for example, ideas related to biodiversity in the canal; we’d like to replicate those.”
What the Netherlands has learned from the WaL Cartagena programme
Barbara Swart, coordinator of bilateral cooperation on water and climate adaptation at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and lead within Partners for Water, sees in WaL Cartagena exactly what the Netherlands is aiming for with international cooperation: impact on the ground and learning from each other. “It’s great to provide and to collect knowledge,” says Swart. “But above all, we want to see that this knowledge is used: that Cartagena’s residents benefit directly. WaL is integral and inclusive; it is developed together with the communities. That makes it stronger.”
On an earlier visit to the city, she and her team saw the enormous opportunities here. It’s a coastal city where water and climate challenges, public space, and social development converge. That makes the area eminently suitable for projects that not only reduce flood risks, but also regreen neighbourhoods, improve health and quality of life, and strengthen local ownership. Because the city also prioritises these aspects and financiers have been engaged from day one, this paves the way for tangible results in the short term and a scalable route to larger water infrastructure.
She emphasises that this cooperation is a two-way street. “We’re still ‘Nederland Waterland’, a country reclaimed from the water,” says Swart, “but in other regions, extreme rains, heat and drought have been going on longer and are more severe. We can learn from that. A striking example is the principle that water and soil are considered in spatial decisions. The Netherlands and Colombia embedded this in policy around the same time. Then you want to know how it works in practice. Who achieves results faster, and why?”
Financing: early at the table, but with local ownership
From the start, financiers and development banks have been at the table to test whether a design will be bankable later. Swart: “Here we have an intermediary role: bringing parties to the table and hearing their ideas. But ownership lies in Cartagena. The city must determine whom to partner with and how the link to national budgets will work. We’re not the leading party. (…) The most important thing is to produce concrete, bankable packages which financiers can commit to.” Financing resilient urban projects is usually challenging, due to fiscal restrictions in governments, both local and national, emphasises Zuijderwijk.
Final phase
Meanwhile, work continues apace. “In the short term, the municipality would like to push at least one section of the canal design quickly through the approval process,” says Zuijderwijk. “A challenge, but doable. Immediately after, we would elaborate the longer-term measures: hydrological model, impact calculations, environmental frameworks, and the financing mix.” Phase 3 is being shaped with our partners at the municipality, says Swart. “We want to deliver early results and set out the vision and elaboration for the larger water infrastructure project that can be implemented later.”
Participation as a design decision-maker
Social dialogue will be crucial in the period ahead. Iriarte sees an opportunity here. “In phase 3 we can establish methods and forms of social consultation that allow us to systematically gather residents’ ideas, knowledge, and concerns. Neighbours sometimes disagree – you must keep an eye on that. It could be about something small, like where a bridge should be. But that’s where a good solution begins, by accommodating the different parties.” This ties in with one of the aspects Swart finds so inspiring in Colombia: “Embedding indigenous and local knowledge. We have participation in the Netherlands too, but in Colombia you see how self-evident it is that communities co-decide. It works, and it translates into simpler maintenance and tangible ownership.”
What is ultimately at stake?
For Cartagena: fewer floods, more shade and greenery, better access to water and public space, and less sediment washing into the lower city. For the Netherlands: practical knowledge about scaling up nature-inclusive solutions in a tropical coastal city, about financing climate adaptation projects, and about embedding management in community structures. Regarding global cooperation, there is another ambition. “In 2023 we agreed the Water Action Agenda at the UN Water Conference,” says Swart. “This means we need to take action. We talk a lot, but ultimately, it’s about visible results. Because of the effects of climate change the urgency has grown, and I would love it if we could demonstrate what WaL has delivered in concrete terms at the next conference in 2026. This requires a joint acceleration now. To get there, all partners – Cartagena’s authorities, communities, Dutch and international funders, and the WaL consortium – need to accelerate delivery now.”
Find out more about Water as LeverageWhat do you do when a city floods during the monsoon, yet faces water shortages in the dry season? Or when you aim to build resilient infrastructure but are confronted with challenges such as informal settlements? For many cities, climate change is exposing these urban vulnerabilities, particularly in delta and coastal areas. Yet it also presents an opportunity to make cities not only more resilient, but also more liveable. We explored what makes a climate-resilient city, and the experiences of five delta cities on the front line of climate change: Semarang, Thủ Đức, Cartagena, Chennai and Beira.
Climate change poses a direct threat to the wellbeing of billions of urban residents. In all cities, climate-related risks are on the rise. At the same time, urbanisation continues to intensify. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. This growth is putting increased pressure on infrastructure, water, space and public health. Mitigation alone is no longer enough. We must adapt to a climate where extremes are the new normal: too much, too little, or polluted water, as well as heatwaves and droughts.
Without action, damage to urban infrastructure could reach $415 billion per year. The urban poor are hit hardest, often living in high-risk areas without adequate protection. Yet urgency also brings opportunity. By approaching cities as interconnected systems, and working with water and nature, we can build climate-resilient cities that are not only robust, but also greener, healthier and more inclusive.
What is a climate-resilient city?
A climate-resilient city can absorb shocks, adapt to changing conditions, and recover quickly from extreme weather events such as sea level rise, heatwaves, flooding or drought. Resilience goes beyond physical structures – it also applies to institutions, governance systems, and communities. Increasingly, cities are moving from a mindset of control to one of working with change. With smart design, risks can be turned into opportunities: rainwater is captured and reused, urban heat becomes a driver for green and shaded spaces, and nature is integrated as vital infrastructure. Cities that plan ahead and reduce future risks can remain liveable, even under pressure.
Nature-based Solutions and climate-resilient cities
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are approaches to societal challenges that harness natural processes, such as vegetation, soil and water. For cities, they offer an important alternative to traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure such as drainage systems and concrete flood barriers. Because they evolve with changing conditions and deliver multiple benefits simultaneously, NBS are particularly well suited to strengthening urban resilience. Examples include green roofs that reduce heat stress and retain rainwater, or city parks and mangroves that buffer water and slow down flooding. When they are well integrated into urban planning and policy, NBS can create synergy between climate mitigation and adaptation, while also enhancing liveability and biodiversity.
Despite their proven value, NBS are still applied on a relatively limited scale compared to grey infrastructure. Upscaling is essential to ensure cities can withstand increasing pressure from heat, drought and extreme rainfall. Partners for Water works from a systems perspective to maximise the benefits of these solutions, developing sustainable approaches with a strong focus on operation and maintenance.
Five climate-resilient cities around the globe
Semarang
Semarang is a fast-growing coastal city on Java’s north shore that faces some of Indonesia’s most pressing climate challenges. The city’s population has grown from around 1 million to about 1.7 million over the past twenty years. Severe land subsidence – in some areas up to 20 centimetres per year – combined with tidal flooding, flash floods and water scarcity affects residents’ daily lives. Rapid urbanisation and reliance on groundwater extraction further worsen the risks. But the tide is turning: the city aims to become climate-resilient by 2045 through long-term, integrated planning.
To tackle its water challenges, Semarang applies a mix of measures. These include rainwater harvesting in homes and shared spaces to mangrove rehabilitation along the coast, vetiver planting to prevent landslides, and early warning systems for floods and vector-borne diseases. Building on these efforts, the Water as Leverage programme, supported by Partners for Water, pilots integrated, multi-stakeholder solutions that combine NBS with conventional infrastructure and smart data technologies. By bringing together Dutch and Indonesian expertise with strong local involvement, these projects support Semarang towards becoming a climate-resilient city. Read more about Semarang.
Cartagena
Colombia’s historic port city Cartagena is under pressure. The city is growing rapidly but faces rising sea levels, flooding and extreme heat. Most of its one million residents live in low-lying areas, making them especially vulnerable to flooding. By 2050, projections suggest that sea levels around Cartagena – amplified by ongoing land subsidence – could rise by more than 30 centimetres. These predictions put even greater pressure on coastal neighbourhoods. Through the Water as Leverage programme, with support from Partners for Water, residents, local experts and city officials are working together on plans that address both climate risks and socio-economic inequality.
The projects are small in scale but strategically placed, and include water plazas, elevated walkways, mangrove restoration, and improved access to drinking water. This approach integrates all the relevant aspects: design, nature, the social and environmental aspects, as well as the economic and financial ones. By placing local ownership at the heart of the process, the city is building a strong foundation for lasting, inclusive change. Read more about Cartagena.
Thủ Đức City
Thủ Đức City in Vietnam is a city in the making. Today it has just over one million inhabitants, but by 2050 it is expected to grow to around three million residents. Situated between the Saigon and Đồng Nai rivers, the new city is highly exposed to flooding. Extreme rainfall, high river levels, land subsidence and the interaction of these factors make water management a central challenge for its development.
With support from Partners for Water, a blue-green vision has been developed. It combines natural buffers, flood retention zones and smart urban design to better manage excess water. This vision has been translated into spatial plans and policy recommendations focused on working with water, alongside digital systems that support real-time water management. Without adaptation, annual flood-related losses are estimated at nearly USD 67 million and could more than double by the end of the century. By embedding Nature-based Solutions and digital water management systems into its spatial planning, Thủ Đức aims to grow into a resilient metropolis that can withstand both climate pressures and urban pressures. Read more about Thủ Đức City.
Chennai
Chennai is a fast-growing megacity in southern India. It faces a paradox of water extremes: severe flooding during the monsoon followed by extreme drought. Simultaneously, the city is steadily losing its capacity to retain water due to paved-over infrastructure, unregulated urbanisation and polluted waterways. Chennai’s traditional water bodies, known as ‘tanks’, once held around 188 million m³ of water. Urbanisation since the early 1900s has reduced this capacity by about 7%. The remaining 93% is located mostly outside the city and is increasingly threatened by encroachment, pollution and poor maintenance. To reverse this trend, the Water Resources Department aims to triple the city’s storage capacity by 2050.
The City of 1,000 Tanks project, supported by Partners for Water, supports this goal by drawing on the city’s ancient water infrastructure. The project restores these systems and links them to new NBS such as infiltration fields, retention ponds and other green infrastructure. By capturing, filtering and slowly recharging water locally, the project tackles both water scarcity and excess. The approach is modular, scalable and rooted in local collaboration with schools, businesses and communities. Chennai shows that climate adaptation is not only about innovation, but also about reviving and revaluing traditional knowledge. Read more about City of 1000 Tanks.
Beira
Mozambique’s port city of Beira is on the front line of climate change. In 2019, it was devastated by Cyclone Idai, which damaged around 70% of the city’s housing stock. Two years later, Cyclone Eloise in 2021 left another 20,000 homes – roughly 17% – damaged or destroyed. Together, the two storms caused over USD 2.4 billion in losses. But rather than focusing solely on recovery, Beira is pursuing structural transformation. Through the Masterplan 2035, developed with support from Partners for Water, the city is investing in climate-resilient urban development: from improved drainage and wastewater treatment to coastal protection and stronger local governance.
Through public and private partnerships, Beira is building climate-resilient homes with minimal construction costs or rent-to-buy schemes. This makes safe housing accessible to residents for whom home ownership would otherwise be entirely out of reach. Simultaneously, the city is updating its municipal cadastre to improve property registration and enable the collection of property taxes. This is a long-term strategy, focused on system change in order to become a truly climate-resilient city. Read more about Beira’s system change approach.
Seven building blocks for a climate-resilient city
1. Systems thinking and integrated approaches
Climate adaptation only works when water, infrastructure, public health and governance are seen as part of an interconnected system. It must be addressed across all spatial scales, from the pavement to the metropolitan region.
2. Making space for water
When cities actively allocate space for water through buffers, temporary retention zones and natural systems, rainfall becomes a manageable design element. It can even become a resource for future droughts.
3. Flexibility and adaptive capacity
A resilient city is flexible and evolves as the climate and associated risks change. This requires future scenarios, room for experimental development, phased planning, and the ability to adjust course when needed.
4. Monitoring and data analysis
Digital tools and modelling software can help detect risks early and support an effective response. Data collection and management form the foundation for improved policy and governance.
5. Participation and local ownership
Solutions only have lasting impact when they are supported by the local community. Local engagement ensures context-specific solutions and fosters long-term ownership.
6. Collaboration and governance
Coordination between governments, public and private organisations, knowledge institutions and residents are crucial for implementation and lasting impact.
7. Working with nature
By cooperating with the natural processes of vegetation, rivers or mangroves rather than trying to control them, cities can develop sustainable and flexible solutions that support both climate adaptation and urban liveability.
Partners for Water for climate-resilient cities
When we view cities as interconnected systems and choose to work with nature rather than against it, we can build urban environments that are more resilient, greener, and more liveable than ever before.
Partners for Water supports cities around the world in building climate resilience through an integrated, systems-based approach. We promote the use of NBS and advise cities on innovative and sustainable water management. In doing so, we not only address water security, but also biodiversity, food security and healthy living environments.
Our support spans strategic guidance, from policy advice and planning to capacity-building within local governments. We also fund and facilitate pilot and feasibility studies that test scalable, sustainable and innovative water solutions.
Want to learn more about our approach or about how we can support you? Send an email to one of our team members.On 28 January 2025, water professionals from the Netherlands and Colombia gathered in The Hague for the Colombia Platform Meeting. The event was an opportunity for discussions on strengthening bilateral water cooperation and exploring future possibilities in sustainable water management.
Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken opened the meeting by reflecting on the key takeaways from the COP16 Biodiversity Conference, held in November 2024 in Cali, Colombia. She emphasised the importance of integrating biodiversity into Dutch-Colombian water management practices, highlighting the need for sustainable Nature-based Solutions.
This was followed with an engaging panel discussion featuring industry experts who shared their experiences and insights on managing Colombia’s water sector. Speakers included Jeroen Klooster (Arcadis), Eduardo Marín (Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners), Evelyn Aparicio Medrano, PhD (Future Water) and Betsy Romero (Deltares). They spoke about recent collaborations, lessons learned and emerging opportunities for Dutch expertise in Colombia.
Key insights from the panel discussion:
- Working with the government on policy and planning: Jeroen (Arcadis) stressed the importance of working with governments to establish effective governance structures. He highlighted how essential it is to involve local knowledge in project planning in order to look at water issues from a different perspective.
- Designing inclusive and integral projects: Eduardo (Felixx) focused on the need to reassess the costs of water management consequences and to design projects that align with long-term urban and delta development, with a particular focus on flood prevention.
- Supporting project implementation: Evelyn (Future Water) encouraged the group to cooperate with like-minded people and continue consulting with local stakeholders. She also emphasised that solutions should be based on the actual needs of the community to ensure effectiveness.
- Improving water management for agriculture and biodiversity: Betsy (Deltares) highlighted the importance of engaging local people, understanding their needs and working collaboratively to improve water management practices in agricultural systems that would enhance both biodiversity and water use efficiency.
A longstanding partnership for water security
Colombia is one of the seven delta countries within the Partners for Water programme 2022–2027. Through long-term partnerships, we aim to enhance water security and climate adaptation in Colombia’s delta cities and agricultural regions. Our collaboration with national and local governments, private sector stakeholders, NGOs and knowledge institutions focuses on:
- Implementing master plans: Supporting Colombia’s national government in areas such as coastal erosion, dredging and river transport through case studies and innovative solutions.
- Strengthening the water-biodiversity-food nexus: Facilitating sustainable water use in agriculture, with a focus on palm oil, coffee and banana production in the northern Magdalena region.
- Water as Leverage: Engaging in the Water as Leverage Cartagena Initiative, developing inclusive and innovative climate adaptation projects with Colombian, Dutch and international partners.
The Colombia Platform Meeting was another step towards strengthening Dutch-Colombian cooperation, highlighting opportunities to employ Dutch expertise in sustainable water management.
Are you involved in water projects in Colombia or looking to collaborate? Visit our Deltacountry page to explore partnership opportunities or reach out to Partners for Water’s Project Advisor for Colombia, Robert Proos.
From 21 October to 1 November, representatives from 196 countries gathered in Cali, Colombia for COP16 on Biological Diversity. Together, they discussed progress and the protection of global biodiversity.
The Netherlands made an active contribution with its own pavilion, hosted by Partners for Water, where new insights, lessons and collaborations emerged on biodiversity, water, food, landscape-based approaches and greening finance. Keep reading to discover the key insights from two weeks of dynamic discussions.
COP16 on Biodiversity
The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) on Biological Diversity marked the first Biodiversity Conference since the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework, known as The Biodiversity Plan. Participants from over 196 countries joined, including governments, indigenous communities, businesses, youth groups, civil society, academia and the general public. During the two weeks, governments reviewed progress on implementing the plan and aligning their National Biodiversity Strategies. Key discussions covered monitoring frameworks, funding implementation and fair Access and Benefit Sharing of genetic resources.
Next to sending a delegation for the official negotiations, the Netherlands also participated with its own pavilion, hosted by Partners for Water. The programming at the Netherlands Pavilion was coordinated by Partners for Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Global Biodiversity Framework’s focus on intrinsic value and earth-centric approaches to protecting and preserving biodiversity offers a unique chance for international environmental law to support a non-anthropocentric, non-market approach to nature.” – Dr Joanna Miller Smallwood, University of Sussex.
Insights from the Netherlands Pavilion at COP16
The Netherlands Pavilion emerged as a dynamic hub where greening finance, the water-biodiversity-food nexus, and landscape-based solutions for bio-cultural diversity seamlessly came together. Throughout the week, engaging discussions and workshops generated fresh insights and fostered valuable collaborations. A significant milestone was reached when the WWF and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, pledging to promote Nature-based Solutions (NBS) across Europe to tackle both climate change and biodiversity loss.
The Netherlands Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken visited the Netherlands Pavilion and highlighted the importance of bridging the gaps between different practitioners in the water, biodiversity and food sectors. A key insight? True capacity building happens when we openly discuss challenges, share practical lessons learned, and collaborate on solutions. When we move beyond presentation mode to problem-solving mode, we create lasting impact. “Landscape binds people, binds knowledge, binds nature.” – the Netherlands Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken
The Netherlands Pavilion welcomed UN Youth Representatives on Biodiversity, who shared their insights on their work at COP. Find out what they have to say in the video below.
COP16’s key insights on biodiversity, water, food and more
Finance and biodiversity
At COP16’s Netherlands Pavilion, the message was clear: If we want to see real change, we need to think beyond traditional funding models. While public funding alone can’t solve biodiversity challenges, blending public and private investments opens new possibilities for nature. For instance, government and philanthropic support can help reduce risks for private investors, though new financial structures are still evolving. “Public funding alone is insufficient to tackle the biodiversity challenge. Blended finance is key to unlocking private investment for nature.” – Caroline Van Leenders, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
Value chains and biodiversity
The dialogue on value chains at COP16 challenged conventional thinking. Rather than hard contracts, experts advocated for soft approaches. A communal vision emerged to push towards localised food systems. Rather than maintaining the status quo of global supply chains, the focus should shift to celebrating and protecting local diversity while sharing risks across the entire value chains.
Biodiversity assessment tools
ASN Bank’s portfolio analysis revealed unexpected insights about groundwater impact, highlighting a crucial lesson: assessment tools can uncover hidden environmental impacts, encouraging organisations to begin measuring their biodiversity footprint. A key message that emerged: starting with available information is better than waiting for complete datasets. “Don’t wait for perfect data to measure biodiversity impact. Even with limited data, you can start assessing with what you have.” – Lucian Peppelenbos, Robeco
Localised landscape restoration
“Return on Inspiration (ROI) is where landscape restoration begins,” noted Willem Ferwerda from Commonland, reflecting the belief that local communities must believe in a better future to make restoration succeed. He emphasised that true change requires a 20-year commitment. A key insight? An area-based approach is essential; let nature define the project’s scale while ensuring long-term stakeholder engagement. “If you truly want to regenerate landscapes, focus on the most degraded areas rather than those that are easy to showcase success with.” – Daan Groot, Nature Squared
Indigenous knowledge, water and biodiversity
Ancient wisdom offers modern solutions, as demonstrated by the Zenu case study where historical canal systems combat flooding while supporting agriculture and aquaculture. These discussions at COP16 highlighted how traditional practices can effectively restore biodiversity and water systems, and repeatedly highlighted the power of collective thinking over individual approaches. Indigenous voices are crucial guides in our journey towards better biodiversity management; their perspective isn’t just valuable – it’s essential for creating lasting change.
Liliane Geerling from Partners for Water discussed incorporating Indigenous knowledge into landscape-based approaches with various experts present at COP16. Watch the video below to learn more.
“Like salsa dancing in Cali – the world’s salsa capital –, COP16 was all about making meaningful connections!” – Martine van Weelden, Capitals Coalition
Moving forward with nature
COP16 demonstrated that protecting biodiversity requires long-term commitment, collective thinking, and innovative funding models. As shown at the Netherlands Pavilion, success lies in bridging sectors, incorporating indigenous knowledge and turning discussions into action. “The way forward is not through war but through working with the other party,” emphasized Colombia’s Minister of Environment Susana Muhamad. So let’s start working together with nature to create a water, food and biodiversity-secure future.
Watch the recap video for a glimpse of the vibrant atmosphere.
Watch our series of short interviewsIn the heart of the coffee-growing region of Magdalena, the Netherlands and Colombia are combining forces to improve water efficiency and biodiversity conservation. This week, representatives from 196 countries including scientists, indigenous communities, business representatives and environment ministers are gathering in Cali, Colombia at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP). Agreements on progress and protection of biodiversity will be discussed extensively until 1 November.
Amid the many discussions, the collaborative partnership between the Netherlands and Colombia reflects a committed effort to promote biodiversity conservation, particularly in the coffee sector. One notable project, “Improving Water Efficiency in the Coffee Sector in the Magdalena Region” is funded by the Dutch government’s Partners for Water (PFW) programme and coordinated by AidEnvironment, a non-profit consultancy specialising in sustainable development and environmental conservation. AidEnvironment works in close partnership with the local Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe and Deltares, a Dutch research institute focused on water management, environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
The project
The “Improving Water Efficiency in the Coffee Sector in the Magdalena Region” project is implemented in Colombia’s key coffee-growing regions in the watersheds of the Aracataca. This is the birthplace of the famous writer and Nobel prize winner Gabriel García Márquez and is located in the Magdalena department by the Fundación rivers in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) mountain range. The region covers 18,000 hectares of coffee farms comprising of over 5,000 small-scale farmers. The project aims to find a balance between the economic importance of coffee production and the need to preserve ecosystems downstream, including the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM), a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Since 1981, annual rainfall has steadily declined, resulting in water scarcity that poses a significant threat to both coffee farming and the biodiversity of the CGSM wetlands, which depend on reliable upstream water flows. The region’s traditional wet-processing methods pollute the water and place additional stress on both surface and groundwater resources.
Smallholder coffee farmers, who are vital to the local economy, are especially susceptible to these environmental shifts. Their limited financial resources further hinder their ability to adapt, making it more urgent to find affordable, locally tailored solutions. Keje Nagel, Coordinator of AidEnvironment, conducted extensive field research in various countries to understand the conditions and challenges that coffee farmers face, particularly around economic hardships and environmental degradation caused by coffee production. “It is essential,” he says in a video call from Colombia, “to create more circular agricultural systems that reduce environmental harm.”
The challenges
To tackle the challenges, Nagel explains that a two-phased approach will be implemented that actively engages coffee producers. In the first phase, “we will collaborate closely with local farmers to thoroughly understand their realities, challenges and the socio-cultural contexts. This will enable us to identify innovative water-saving and decontamination technologies specifically tailored to their needs and financial capabilities. Green filters for water purification will be explored, as well as other methods for reducing agrochemical use and innovative post-harvesting techniques for water-scarce conditions.
In the second phase, these technologies will be deployed on a pilot farm “to ensure they are both technically effective and culturally relevant”. Each farm will be treated as a micro-watershed, emphasising water retention, minimising runoff and enhancing soil health. By actively involving farmers in the implementation process and offering training in sustainable practices, the idea is to reduce dependencies on chemical inputs and optimise overall water management. A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework will track key indicators, including water availability, soil moisture and biodiversity health, allowing the long-term impact of these interventions to be assessed.
Reducing water consumption and nutrient runoff
Coffee is one of the key crops for soil conservation. However, coffee processing poses a risk of nutrient leakage, which can cause contamination when nutrient levels reach unnaturally high concentrations and end up in local rivers, contributing to water pollution. This occurs when nutrient-rich pulp and wastewater, used in washing the coffee cherries, are discharged into nearby rivers or streams. While this process may appear small, it leads to harmful nutrient peaks as piles of pulp partly end up in the water through rainfall. Nagel adds: “When these piles are left uncovered there is a significant risk of nutrient leakage which can cause serious damage to aquatic biodiversity. Fish and other species may struggle to survive in these altered environments.”
Maintaining nutrient flows and minimising external inputs such as fertilizers, is becoming increasingly expensive and unsustainable, especially in economically disadvantaged regions. “The ideal model for coffee farming,” says Nagel, “balances economic stability for farmers with environmentally sustainable practices, involving long-term contracts and regenerative agricultural techniques that support biodiversity and prevent resource depletion.”
Their findings show that the primary issue in coffee production, is exactly that: the economic disparity in the value chain, where producers receive a very small portion of the generated value (around 10%). This financial instability makes it difficult for farmers to get around and they often have other priorities than complying with environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, water pollution and soil degradation.
Pilot farms
Currently the National Coffee Federation (FNC) is implementing various technologies aimed at reducing water use and contamination. They are promoting two different filters that filter water wastewater with plants such as vetiver grass to remove excess nutrients from coffee processing. The other option is the use of Eco mills, innovative coffee processing machines that drastically reduce water usage. “The Eco mill processes coffee from cherry to parchment without impacting the overall production system”, Nagel adds.
However, these technologies are expensive, ranging from €2,500 and €5,000, making them inaccessible for many smallholder farmers. Moreover, green filter technology currently lacks a component that ensures the re-use of the collected nutrients. The project, therefore, is still in its development phase aiming to find scalable, affordable solutions tailored to different farm sizes and local contexts, with closed nutrient cycles. Farmers are encouraged to implement various agroforestry techniques before they become eligible for subsidies. By doing this, greater awareness among farmers can lead to their active contribution to sustainable practices.
Local institutions like CENICAFÉ, the research arm of the National Coffee Federation (Federación Nacional de Cafetéros de Colombia) is essential in ensuring not only the best technology, but also its adaptability and scalability within the region.
Rather than inventing new technologies these existing technologies built on previous research, are taken as departure points ensuring that any potential additions proposed can be easily adopted by the FNC, who are closely connected to the local context.
The road ahead
Over the next six months, the team will develop a technological design for a farm and work closely with local partners to ensure that the systems are effective and sustainable. This will be followed by a nine-month implementation phase. As with any project of this scale, however, patience and persistence are required. Cultural change in farming communities takes time and the team recognises that building trust and demonstrating success will be essential for long-term adaptation.
Looking for ways to get involved?
Are you currently working on water projects in Colombia or exploring how to do so? Or just curious about participating in the Partners for Water initiatives? Here are ways for you to get involved:
- Apply for our tenders focused on innovative solutions in delta countries like Colombia.
- Join our annual Colombia platform meeting or one of the other Partners for Water events.
- Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our tenders, activities, events and projects.
- Apply for the Partners for Water subsidy. Explore whether you are eligible.
- Get in touch with our Project Advisor for Colombia: Robert Proos
Ahead of Stockholm World Water Week taking place August 25-29, Partners for Water invited three experts from Dutch companies working on water and climate issues, to share their experiences with the Water as Leverage programme. Water may be the root of many problems, but it is also a key solution as well.
Given the climate challenges we face, the interconnectedness between water management, urban planning and climate adaptation has never been more important. Experts like Naomi Hoogervorst, a senior urban planner at UN-Habitat, biologist Eduardo Marin, an associate partner at Felixx Landscape Architects and Planners and renowned Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, have been at the forefront of ground-breaking solutions that are reshaping how cities interact with their water systems. 
All three of them represent pillars of the Water as Leverage (WaL) programme, an innovative initiative launched by the Dutch government in 2018.
WaL, comprising 3 pillars: the Academy; the Factory and the Initiative, brings together experts, international organisations and regional local partners in a holistic way, to go beyond traditional design, and look at the needs of multiple communities. The WaL Academy promotes knowledge sharing and capacity building. The Factory focuses on implementing water solutions at various levels and the Initiatives introduces specific projects in several locations
A range of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have since been implemented across various projects around the world. In Thailand, the WaL Academy is exploring alternatives to traditional designs for coastal erosion management and Bangkok has started revitalising its canal systems to improve drainage and water quality.
Synthesise perspectives
Biologist and landscape architect Eduardo Marin, is an enthusiastic supporter of the approach to water management advocated by WaL. He describes the role of landscape architects as facilitators who synthesise diverse perspectives, from clients to engineers, to create environmentally and financially viable projects. His work includes developing integrated water management projects that focus on the role of the basic fundamental natural systems as part of the solution needed.
In collaboration with the World Bank, he created the “Catalogue of Nature-based Solutions for Urban Resilience.” Previously, he contributed to Rotterdam’s Water Square, an innovative public space designed to collect and manage rainwater efficiently. He also participated in the design competition “Rebuild by Design” aimed at integrating water management into the future planning of the New York and New Jersey region. Out of the 10 competing teams, the majority were Dutch or Dutch-based companies.
The work of Naomi Hoogervorst, Eduardo Marin and Korch Voraakhom illustrate the growing recognition that water management, urban planning and climate adaptation are inextricably linked.
Mapping water in Cartagena
Felixx Landscape Architects and Planners along with Eduardo Marin started “Roots of Cartagena” in 2023 as part of the multidisciplinary project to find innovative solutions within the Water as Leverage programme. They began by mapping the intricate relationship between water, the environment and the community in the port city of Cartagena on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast. The city’s rapid disproportionate growth and unequal urban expansion led to clogged water systems affecting both the environment and local livelihoods. Rather than simply installing new infrastructure, Marin explains that they introduced a water-plan that emphasises public spaces and natural development as functional water management systems transforming water management from a technical problem into an opportunity for environmental improvement. “The main problem is that in most cases the link between the water cycle and the city is not in balance so water always ends up in the wrong place,” Marin says.
By cleaning and widening canals, planting vegetation and creating parks that can store and utilise water, the whole community can benefit. “In the end, it is about the people who are living there, not about the pipes, dams and pumps.”
This project is a prime example of how WaL can transform a city’s relationship with its water systems. Rather than relying solely on traditional infrastructure solutions, Marin’s team engaged with the community and local stakeholders in developing strategies that are culturally and socially relevant.
Bright future for WaL
Naomi Hoogervorst, a senior planner at UN Habitat’s headquarters in Nairobi became involved with WaL two years ago and has since advocated for the approach that is “so fundamentally different from traditional water management strategies”, explains Hoogervorst. She also notes that the collaboration across institutions and sectors, is often lacking in water management projects. Hoogervorst has been actively promoting sustainable urban development and participatory planning including through the Global Future Cities Program, which aligns urban projects with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It’s not just about engineering solutions,” Hoogervorst explains. “WaL connects water issues with broader social, economic and climate-related challenges”. This approach has led to innovative projects like the Chennai initiative, which combines water catchment and treatment with a school and green spaces, simultaneously addressing multiple community needs.
Hoogervorst is particularly involved with the WaL Factory, focusing on implementing water solutions at various planning levels. Despite financial challenges for scaling up WaL, she envisions a bright future: “We’re aiming to establish WaL as a global programme for the next decade. Water issues require sustained effort and long-term partnerships“, Hoogervorst says. UN-Habitat has been involved in many initiatives. Like the one in the city of Prayagraj, India, near the Ganges, where a workshop marked the launch of WaL with a national river-cleaning initiative as part of the “Namami Gange” project. This flagship programme was launched by the Indian government in June 2014 as part of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to reduce pollution and rejuvenate the Ganga (Ganges) River. Representatives from national, local and regional governments gathered to discuss how collaborative efforts across various jurisdictions could address water issues. Participants, including engineers, talked about not only technological solutions such as water treatment plants, but also the broader impacts of water management on wetlands, flooding and pollution.
The workshop drew parallels to successful projects in other regions, such as Chennai, where innovative collaborations have transformed water infrastructure into multifunctional public spaces.
No hierarchical boundaries
In Thailand, landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom brings a local perspective to the WaL approach. As a participant in the WaL Academy, she saw how the programme impacted her country by reshaping water management and urban planning .
Voraakhom shared that “The Academy provides opportunities for local experts to learn from Dutch water management expertise while adapting solutions to a Thai context.”
She mentions several projects emerging from WaL Academy discussions, including canal systems revitalisation in Bangkok and exploring Nature-based Solutions for coastal erosion in Thailand.
What is most important for her is the opportunity that now exists to communicate without hierarchical boundaries. She sees the Academy as more than just a temporary programme: “It’s about capacity building and changing mindsets, encouraging officials to consider water issues in relation to environment, engineering and livelihoods, not just about drainage.“
The work of Naomi Hoogervorst, Eduardo Marin and Korch Voraakhom illustrate the growing recognition that water management, urban planning and climate adaptation are inextricably linked.
Partners for Water and Water as Leverage
Partners for Water and as Water as Leverage are both programmes facilitated by the Dutch government and carried out by the Netherlands Enterprise and Development Agency (RVO). There is a significant link between these two programmes namely that Partners for Water is co-financing several Water as Leverage initiatives in Cartagena, Colombia and Chennai, India.
WaL will be at the World Water Week in Stockholm (24-29 August) at the NL pavilion
Water as Leverage will be hosting a pre-launch of the City Champion Challenge at the NL pavilion on:
Tuesday 15.00 -16.00
Speakers: Robert Proos, Coordinator Urban Adaptation and Water International Partners for water / Water as Leverage (Netherlands Enterprise and Development Agency), Sabrina Couvin Rodriguez, Advisor Water Governance (Deltares), Asa Jonsson, Head of Global Water Operator’s Partnership Alliance (GWOPA)
Check out our full programme at SWWW 2024.
Partners for Water is a Dutch government programme enhancing water security internationally in long-term cooperation with local partners and the Dutch water sector. By facilitating strategic planning and support in the early stages of innovation, the programme aims to contribute to systemic change for sustainable water management and infrastructure. This is how we initiate impactful changes for a better living environment.
