Landscape scale disaster risk reduction: Urban water dialogues, Panama City

The Juan Díaz sub-district of Panama City has become the most flood-prone area of Panama due to urban developments and landfills in the floodplains, riverbeds and mangroves. Experts of the Dutch water sector, supported by Wetlands International, analysed the problem and advised to start ‘Water Dialogues’. These dialogues facilitated a participatory learning process for identifying root causes to risk, stimulating innovative solutions such as ‘Building with Nature’ and optimising initiatives on water governance. Importantly, they restored trust among all stakeholders. Wetlands International considers the ‘Water Dialogues’ as an effective way to facilitate nature-based flood risk reduction, which can be replicated in other cities.