Project profile — Natural Infrastructure for Water Security in Peru

• Peru (100.00%)

• Water sector policy and administrative management:
Water sector policy and administrative management (14010) (20.00%)
Water resources conservation (including data collection) (14015) (20.00%)
River basins' development (14040) (20.00%)
• Agriculture: Agricultural water resources (31140) (20.00%)
• General Environmental Protection: Environmental research (41082) (20.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (principal objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (significant objective)
• Climate change mitigation (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (principal objective)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (significant objective)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (significant objective)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (principal objective)

This project aims to promote the conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of natural ecosystems, or “natural infrastructure”, to improve Peru’s water security and climate risk resilience. The project works to build alliances with public and private actors to facilitate investments in natural infrastructure projects that improve nature’s ability to capture, filter, store and deliver water. The project also aims to promote the participation and leadership of women in decision-making spaces and ensure the integration of gender considerations into national climate and water policies. Project activities include: (1) working with public authorities to eliminate regulatory bottlenecks and design gender-sensitive policies and plans for water management and natural infrastructure; (2) mobilizing funding for natural infrastructure projects from new investors; (3) gathering standardized hydrological and social data in priority watersheds; and (4) working with local communities to design and implement gender-inclusive natural infrastructure projects. These projects include reforestation, wetland conservation, improved grazing and farming practices, and the restoration of pre-Incan infiltration canals. The project’s direct beneficiaries are urban and rural populations and productive sectors, such as agriculture, which are vulnerable to water scarcity and floods. The project is jointly funded by the United States Agency for International Development and the Government of Canada and implemented by a consortium led by Forest Trends, including the Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion, the Peruvian Environmental Law Society, EcoDecisión and experts from Imperial College London.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved environment for gender-sensitive investments in natural infrastructure; (2) improved information management and evidence-based decision-making on natural infrastructure; and (3) increased volume of designed, financed and implemented gender-inclusive natural infrastructure investments.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (May 2023) include: (1) regulatory changes, institutional commitments from leading water and environmental authorities in Peru secured and initiatives implemented to prioritize gender equality and natural infrastructure in water governance; (2) helped to facilitate the proposal, adoption and implementation of 38 laws, policies, regulations, or standards addressing climate change adaptation and supported the drafting and adoption of seven legal instruments addressing climate change adaptation and promoting gender equality or nondiscrimination against women or girls; (3) greater clarity and credibility among decision-makers regarding the hydrological benefits of natural infrastructure interventions and development and implementation of tools that support the rapid identification and quantification of natural infrastructure for water security; (4) supported 717 people (of whom 288 are women) in using climate information or implementing risk-reducing actions for resilience to climate change; (5) trained 5696 professionals (of which 2428 women) in climate change adaptation; (6) improved economic benefits derived from sustainable natural resource management and/or biodiversity conservation; and (7) portfolio of natural infrastructure investments valued at US$440 million in collaboration with water users, government partners and the private sector developed.

• Proactive disclosure