update Updated 11 December 2024
category Climate change adaptation News
Sophie Trémolet, from The Nature Conservancy, presents the organisation’s actions in favour of nature conservation and water management. She talks about the partnership with INBO and the importance of nature-based solutions to climate and water challenges.
Could you introduce The Nature Conservancy?
The Nature Conservancy is a nature conservation organisation founded in 1950 in the United States, and has been active for over 70 years. Today, we work in more than 80 countries, mainly on climate and biodiversity issues. Naturally, we also work on the issue of water, which is at the heart of these two problems. Our actions focus on protecting and restoring rivers, as well as mobilising investment in nature-based solutions to strengthen the resilience of watersheds.
Why did you choose the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO) as a partner in the ‘Water and Nature’ initiative?
INBO is a key player in the water sector, and we want to work more closely with organisations in this sector, because our approach is centred on nature conservation. The declaration we have drawn up is based on the idea that there can be no water security without the integrity of natural environments. These two dimensions are inseparable and must be addressed together. This declaration has been signed by many partners.
What are the issues addressed by this initiative?
The main objective is to integrate ecological integrity into the thinking and practices of those involved in the water sector. We also want to promote nature-based solutions as a form of investment in their own right. This means understanding how they work, how they are financed, their needs, their costs and their effectiveness. In short, it means working in greater depth on investing in these solutions.
Why is it important to apply integrated management at basin level?
Water is an element that connects us all, and the issues involved in managing it are interdependent. Trade-offs need to be made between the different uses of water, whether for agriculture, industry or human consumption. These trade-offs can only be made at basin level. Although we sometimes work on a slightly smaller scale, we always integrate our actions into this integrated river basin management approach.
Does The Nature Conservancy make it possible to take the messages of basin participants to the international stage?
Absolutely. We work in many countries, both in the North and the South, which enables us to share lessons from one basin or experience to another. We also work with cities, in particular to secure their access to water by investing in nature-based solutions in their upstream catchment areas. These exchanges of experience are at the heart of our activities. With this in mind, we are developing analysis tools, publishing case studies and have co-published a methodological guide in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement. This guide aims to help stakeholders understand, finance and govern these solutions in order to encourage their implementation on a larger scale.
*Interview conducted at the 21st International Euro-INBO Conference, October 2023.
