Handbook for the Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions for Water
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Handbook for the Implementation of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security: Guidelines for designing an implementation and financing arrangement NAIAD GA Nº 730497 DELIVERABLE 7.3 HANDBOOK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NBS FOR WATER SECURITY NAture Insurance value: Assessment and Demonstration SC5-09-2016 Operationalising the insurance value of ecosystems Grant Agreement nº 730497 Deliverable 7.3 Handbook for the Implementation of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security: Guidelines for designing an implementation and financing arrangement 1ST EDITION | MARCH 2021 2 NAIAD GA Nº 730497 DELIVERABLE 7.3 HANDBOOK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NBS FOR WATER SECURITY Due date of deliverable: 28/02/2020 | Actual date of submission: 13/02/2020 Start date of project: 01-12-2016 | Duration: 42 months | Dissemination level: Public Name of partner responsible for deliverable: Deltares Author/s: Monica A. Altamirano, Hugo de Rijke, Laura Basco Carrera, Begoña Arellano Jaimerena Acknowledgements We express our sincere gratitude to the following individuals who provided incisive comments and guidance on this report: Keiron Brand (Bankable Water Solutions Lead, WWF) and NAIAD partners Nina Graveline (BRGM), Ali Douai (Université Nice Sophie Antipolis UNS), Florentina Nanu (BDG Group), Elena Lopez-Gunn (ICatalist), John Matthews (AGWA/ SIWI), Karina Peña (Field Factors), and Polona Pengal (REVIVO). The case studies featured in this report draw on inputs from the following individuals: Camilo Benítez (TU Twente/ Deltares), all EU demo cases; Marice Angulo (TU Delft/Deltares), Spain and Romania cases; Florentina Nanu (BDG Group), Romania case; Jander J. Mori (TU Delft/Deltares), Netherlands case; Kieran Dartée (Field Factors), Netherlands case, Karina Peña (Field Factors), Netherlands case; Polona Pengal (REVIVO), all EU demo cases; Beatriz Mayor (ICatalist), Spain case; Roxane Marchal (CCR), France case; Albert Scrieciu (GeoEcoMar) Romania case; Ali Douai (Université Nice Sophie Antipolis UNS), France case; Piton Guillaume (INRAE), France case. This report’s production and layout were provided by Begoña Arellano Jaimerena (Deltares) and Marice Angulo (TU Delft/Deltares). MLA+ and the Cascading Semarang team of Water as Leverage contributed with visualisations for the Indonesia case featured in Chapter 5 of this Handbook. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730497. The opinions expressed in this document reflect only the author’s view and in no way reflect the European Commission’s opinions. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Suggested citation Altamirano, M.A., de Rijke, H., Basco Carrera, L., Arellano Jaimerena, B. (2021). Handbook for the Implementation of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security: guidelines for designing an implementation and financing arrangement, DELIVERABLE 7.3: EU Horizon 2020 NAIAD Project, Grant Agreement N°730497 Dissemination. Keywords Water security, Nature-based Solutions, hybrid infrastructure, green finance, climate finance, adaptation finance, blended finance, implementation strategies, project delivery and finance, procurement. 1ST EDITION | MARCH 2021 3 NAIAD GA Nº 730497 DELIVERABLE 7.3 HANDBOOK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NBS FOR WATER SECURITY Foreword We are delighted to publish this first edition of the Handbook for Implementation of Nature-based Solutions for Water Security. Climate impacts challenge our status quo. The frequency of extreme events keeps increasing driven by climate change. The World Bank (2016) indicates that the impacts of Climate Change will be channelled primarily through the water cycle and that water scarcity could cost some regions up to 6% of their GDP. COVID-19 is a stark reminder that a shift in our economic development paradigm is urgent. As urged by the GCA (2019), we need three revolutions for a better future: a revolution in understanding, in planning and finance. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) emerge as important pillars of new models of economic growth that enable a win-win between economy and environment while helping us mitigate water and climate risks. Unfortunately, the implementation of NbS at scale remains limited. In most cases, NbS are still being implemented as pilot projects of limited size and following parallel processes from mainstream procurement practices. This is what we call the implementation gap. Aiming at closing this gap, we have developed a collaborative project preparation approach titled Financing Framework for Water Security (FFWS) which aims to set in motion a multisectoral and transdisciplinary process that bridges the strategic adaptive planning and investment planning phases. The main objective of this handbook is to guide the development of investable NbS propositions and bankable NbS projects for both public and private investors through different modes of governance, funding and implementation arrangements. It offers operational advice and project preparation guidelines, including hands-on formats that project proponents can use continuously and iteratively to develop the entire business case of NbS, enabling them to go from the idea stage towards an investment proposal or investment project stage that can be effectively assessed by potential investors. This makes the handbook a comprehensive and first of a kind document as it adapts the process of developing a business case to the specificities of NbS investments for water security. Between 2016 and 2020 the FFWS has been continuously developed and successfully implemented by Deltares in seven countries at different scales. Within NAIAD, we have worked together with 23 partners from across Europe. We acknowledge their contributions to the development of this handbook. We have also been generously supported by several sponsors and experts. Our thanks go to the European Commission and the Water as Leverage for Resilient Asian Cities programme. Our sincere gratitude to Prof. Eelco van Beek, Professor IWRM Modelling at University of Twente and Deltares expert, whose insights into how NbS are considered in the process of Integrated Water Resources Management and river basin planning have been of great value for the development of this handbook. I am especially grateful to Prof. Claude Menard, Professor Economics Université de Paris (Panthéon-Sorbonne), external examiner for my PhD thesis, from whom I have learned the crucial role of institutions and the importance of considering transaction costs in the design of effective implementation arrangements. Inadvertently through his paper “A New Institutional Perspective on Environmental Issues” (2011) he made me realize a crucial research gap in the management of environmental challenges. We welcome your feedback on the Handbook structure and content, and invite examples for inclusion in the next edition of the Manual. Monica A. Altamirano, Ph.D Lead Closing the Implementation Gap team, Deltares 1ST EDITION | MARCH 2021 4 NAIAD GA Nº 730497 DELIVERABLE 7.3 HANDBOOK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NBS FOR WATER SECURITY Executive summary The implementation gap of NbS water security strategies Climate impacts challenge our status quo. The frequency of extreme events keeps increasing. According to MunichRe, the share of insured losses in 2017 (US$ 135 bn) is the highest figure in the period from 1980 to 2017. Meanwhile, the World Bank (2016) indicates that the impacts of Climate Change will be channelled primarily through the water cycle and that water scarcity could cost some regions up to 6% of their GDP. COVID-19 is a stark reminder that a shift in our economic development paradigm is urgent. As urged by the GCA (2019), we need three revolutions for a better future: a revolution in understanding, in planning and finance. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) emerge as important pillars of new models of economic growth that enable a win-win between economy and environment while helping us mitigate water risks. Unfortunately, the implementation of NbS at scale remains limited. In most cases, NbS are still being implemented as pilot projects of limited size and following parallel processes from mainstream procurement practices. This is what we call the implementation gap. The development of investable NbS propositions is crucial for the implementation at scale of NbS and the achievement of climate and sustainable development goals by 2030. While it is more and more globally acknowledged that climate change cannot be tackled without ramping investments to protect and restore nature, according to recent studies NbS attract only 3% of global climate funding and private sector investments in NbS remain limited. As a recent H2020 study from the project Naturvation show for urban NbS in Europe, the vast majority of investments in NbS are carried out by the public sector. From water security strategies to investment plans: closing the gap More often than not, NbS proponents are organizations with advocacy or scientific background with limited involvement in public or private investment planning processes. Accordingly, NbS pilots and demonstration projects are often shaped as awareness-raising projects rather than as investable propositions. Data granularity regarding implementation costs and risks as well as expected revenues differ greatly between what NbS proponents offer and what investors require. Aiming at closing this gap, we have developed a collaborative project preparation