What is water stewardship?
Water Stewardship, also known as Water Stewardship, is a strategy developed by WWF to generate concrete proposals to continuously improve water use and reduce water impacts throughout the value chain for stakeholders at the basin level. It also entails a commitment to sustainably manage watersheds through collective action, involving companies, governments, NGOs, and communities.
Since its conceptualization in 2013, the Water Stewardship strategy has been widely applied and has proven highly effective, generating positive impacts on local water management in several countries.
The Water Stewardship Platform was established following the principles, concepts, and objectives of WWF’s Water Stewardship strategy. The evolution of this strategy is coherently aligned with the local Platform process, which represents the implementation of the fourth step (Collective Action) in the “Water Stewardship” ladder.
Who are we?
The Water Stewardship Platform (PCA) is a public-private-community initiative that seeks to materialize collective action in the territory through debate, consultation, and coordination, generated in a plural and inclusive participatory space that seeks to improve water governance in the region. This initiative is part of the Water Stewardship strategy that WWF has implemented in various locations around the world.
Where do we work?
We carry out our work in the Frío, Sevilla, Aracataca, Tucurinca, and Fundación river basins, located in the department of Magdalena, in the Colombian Caribbean region. These rivers originate in the Sierra Nevada and flow into the Ciénaga Grande, a RAMSAR wetland of international importance, contributing part of the freshwater it needs to maintain its balance.
These watersheds are also vitally important for a range of economic activities, such as palm, banana, coffee, cocoa, and rice production, subsistence crops, and livestock. They also serve as a source of water for more than 331,000 inhabitants.
Our objective
The Platform’s main objective is to contribute to water security in the watersheds that connect the Sierra Nevada and the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. We achieve this through the implementation of collective action projects in the watershed, prioritizing nature-based solutions, such as the conservation and restoration of strategic ecosystems that play a crucial role as an ecosystem service for water. We also implement socio-environmental solutions that address issues such as integrated solid waste management, water risk mitigation, and demand management, among other initiatives.
Who is its member?
The Platform was born as a voluntary agreement, initially signed by public, private, and community institutions on March 26, 2015, and subsequently reaffirmed in May 2021 and December 2023.
Currently, it includes the participation of 50 public and private entities and representatives of the communities residing in the Frío, Sevilla, Aracataca, Tucurinca, and Fundación river basins.
Who finances our operations?
The actions we carry out in the region are the result of a joint effort among the Platform members. The operation of the Technical Secretariat—responsible for guiding the various activities in line with the strategic plan—is sponsored by WWF Colombia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Starbucks, and Edeka, within the framework of their sustainability partnership with WWF US and WWF Germany, respectively.
