Watch the session
Climate & Nature
Hybrid

WaterProof: Rapid ROI Assessment of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security

Wednesday, 24 May 2023
10:30 — 12:00
Berlin Room
Spanish
English
German
French
Arabic
Co-convener/s:
The Nature Conservancy, the International Water Association

Nature-based solutions have the potential to cost-effectively address growing water security issues in thousands of water basins around the world while providing a variety of co-benefits to nature and people. There is an urgent need to scale these solutions globally, but nature-based solutions are still not on the same playing field as grey solutions in terms of knowledge and funding. Progress is, in part, slowed by the complexity and time required to demonstrate a nature-based solution portfolio’s positive return on investment for water security outcomes. The WaterProof platform was designed to address this hurdle by drastically reducing the time and money needed to conduct a pre-feasibility level ROI assessment from tens of thousands of dollars, and months of time, to no cost and results within minutes.

This session will provide introductory training on the use of the WaterProof platform for utilities and other users. This freely available open-source platform allows the user to perform a rapid ROI assessment of nature-based solutions for addressing water security issues anywhere in the world. Users will gain inside knowledge of the tool’s features, including how to adapt parameters to improve the accuracy of local applications. Trainers will work with attendees on applying real-life case studies to the platform and provide guidance on maximizing the tool’s capabilities.

Objectives:

• Deeper understanding of how NbS can address water security issues and provide a positive ROI

• Knowledge of the WaterProof platform, including what features are available and how to customize parameters and cost functions

• Experience applying the platform to a case study

• Clarity on how to use the results to inform decisions, influence others, and initiate action

— Session Programme
  1. Intro to WaterProof, its origins, main functionalities, and case applications (Presentation): 15 minutes
  2. Applied case study (Demonstration and Hands-on work with guidance of instructors): 60 minutes. a) Demonstration to configure a case study (step-by-step demo): 20 minutes. b)Hands-on with Waterproof: 40 minutes.
  3. Discuss the experience, troubleshoot, and answer questions (Discussion): 10 minutes.
  4. Next steps and opportunities to continue to engage via the platform, user groups, and other avenues: 5 minutes. Trainers: Carlos Rogeliz and Pilar Galindo, The Nature Conservancy Colombia; Naomi Noel, The Nature Conservancy Europe