Financing and Enabling Community Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Water and Energy Security

Implemented in Colombia and Costa Rica by the World Resources Institute (WRI)

This project, together with the governments of Colombia and Costa Rica, will introduce a new financing approach for EbA that capitalises on how hydropower companies rely on healthy ecosystems for clean and ample water supply. Articulating the benefits of EbA for hydropower will justify payments to upstream communities, compel investors to cover the costs of implementing EbA, and incentivise hydropower companies to repay investments based on improved revenues or reduced costs. Simultaneously, the project will strengthen resilience for water and energy security, while providing pathways to sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities, creating a case for replication through establishment of national programs and global dissemination of lessons learned. The proposal works towards proof of concept of the hydropower EbA scheme, recruiting new financial sources to support communities to implement EbA and achieve better climate resilience – with high potential for replication in other countries that rely on hydropower.

Cohort: 1st (April 2021 cutoff)

Award: US$250,000

Header Image: © Dan Meyers on Unsplash; Footer Image: © UNEP