Adopting nature-based solutions for flood risk reduction in Latin America

This working document is a collaborative effort between WWF, IUCN and Practical Action as a result of the Latin America Regional Workshop entitled “Towards nature-based solutions: Green infrastructure for flood risk reduction”, that took place on 11-12 December 2017 in Lima, Peru.

Based on the experiences presented at the workshop and the discussions held around them, this document provides key messages on the opportunities that nature-based solutions provide to address flood risk. It calls for adaptive governance as well as collaborative work to address flood-related challenges through responsible ecosystem management. In addition, the document seeks to facilitate knowledge generation and uptake at a regional scale to strengthen regional, national and local flood resilience.

Key messages include:

• Nature-based solutions provide an opportunity to better integrate the agendas of climate action, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation into a coherent and holistic approach.
• Ecosystems can provide benefits for flood risk reduction. Nature-based solutions should be part of broader disaster and climate risk management strategies, complementing other measures such as land use planning and built infrastructure.
• Building back safer and greener promotes resilience in future scenarios that face high levels of risk.