INSIDE STORY: 'Watershared' - Adaptation, mitigation, watershed protection and economic development in Latin America

The 'Watershared' model uses reciprocal agreements between upstream land managers and downstream water users to protect watersheds through economic and non-economic incentives. These agreements avoid national bureaucracy and formal land title requirements, allowing for the participation of poor populations and the provision of development tools like beehives and irrigation systems. Financed by households and private sector entities, the model supports multiple goals including climate adaptation, mitigation, and the reduction of local conflicts.

• Watershared agreements are low-cost, grassroots tools for forest conservation in Latin American upland watersheds that provide upstream landowners with alternative development tools such as irrigation systems, fruit tree seedlings, and beehives.
• The model is designed to be flexible and accessible, bypassing national bureaucracy and the requirement for formal land titles, which enables the participation of poor people and allows for local design based on specific needs.
• These agreements are financed by private sector enterprises—including cattle ranchers, irrigators, and water user associations—and households, and they contribute to reducing local conflicts while addressing climate adaptation and mitigation.

APA

Asquith, N. (2016). INSIDE STORY: 'Watershared' - Adaptation, mitigation, watershed protection and economic development in Latin America. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-watershared-adaptation-mitigation-watershed-protection-economic-development-latin-america

Chicago

Asquith, Nigel. INSIDE STORY: 'Watershared' - Adaptation, mitigation, watershed protection and economic development in Latin America. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-watershared-adaptation-mitigation-watershed-protection-economic-development-latin-america.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Asquith |first1=Nigel |title=INSIDE STORY: 'Watershared' - Adaptation, mitigation, watershed protection and economic development in Latin America |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=17 June 2016 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-watershared-adaptation-mitigation-watershed-protection-economic-development-latin-america |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{asquith2016inside, author = {Asquith, Nigel}, title = {{INSIDE STORY: 'Watershared' - Adaptation, mitigation, watershed protection and economic development in Latin America}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/inside-story-watershared-adaptation-mitigation-watershed-protection-economic-development-latin-america}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }