ADERASA, The Nature Conservancy, And Forest Trends Announce New Partnership To Advance Nature-Based Solutions For Water Security

The Association of Water and Sanitation Regulators of the Americas (ADERASA), The Nature Conservancy, and Forest Trends have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the role of water utility regulators in advancing nature-based solutions for water security across Latin America.

This partnership is grounded in a shared understanding that nature plays a critical role in ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our drinking water and sanitation systems. Water utilities and their regulators across Latin America are increasingly addressing risks that originate above their treatment plants and distribution networks, including upstream deforestation, wetland loss, and nutrient loading from agriculture. Well-designed investments in nature-based solutions (NbS) are practical ways to manage these risks when they are structured to deliver clear operational benefits for downstream water users, like utilities.

“Drinking water and sanitation systems are facing growing risks driven by ecosystem degradation and climate change. At ADERASA, we value our partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Forest Trends because it helps ensure that regulators have access to shared evidence, common tools, and peer-learning spaces to integrate source water protection into sector planning and strengthen the long-term sustainability of water services,” said Walter Méndez, representative of ADERASA and President of the Federal Association of Water and Sanitation Regulators of Argentina (AFERAS).

The MOU, originally signed between ADERASA and TNC in November 2024, now incorporates Forest Trends, recognizing its technical and strategic experience supporting regulators and utilities to integrate NbS into regulatory frameworks, planning processes, and investments in the drinking water sector.

Regulators play a critical role in creating the enabling environment for these investments. Through developing regulations and approving tariffs and investment plans, they often set the rules of the game that can make it possible for utilities to invest upstream in their source watersheds. They can also provide guidance, build capacity, and raise attention for the needs of the drinking water sector in ways that help investments in nature-based solutions to be better designed to make operational and financial sense for utilities and to attract new partners to support source watershed conservation.

“ADERASA brings together regulators who are not only seeing the impacts of climate change and land-use pressures on their sector, but who are motivated to act,” said Gena Gammie, Director of Forest Trends’ Global Water Initiative. “They want clarity on what matters most, what works, and how to do better—and they want to learn from each other and from global best practice. Forest Trends is excited to partner with ADERASA and The Nature Conservancy to help put the right tools, evidence, and experience in their hands to protect and restore the watersheds that drinking water systems depend on.”

Under the agreement, the partners will work together to strengthen the role of drinking water and sanitation regulators in promoting NbS as a core approach to water security in the region. Planned activities include technical and methodological support on natural infrastructure and ecosystem restoration; the exchange and systematization of evidence and good practices; joint development of studies, tools, and analytical instruments to inform regulatory and planning decisions; and capacity building for regulators through training, technical assistance, and peer learning.

“Unlocking the full potential of nature to ensure water security requires more than technical expertise; it demands a fundamental shift in how we govern and regulate watersheds and water and sanitation services. For TNC, the right standards, policies, and regulatory frameworks are essential to securing long-term financing for nature-based solutions. This agreement with ADERASA and Forest Trends will enable us to identify, assess, compare, and propose innovative regulatory solutions to scale up financing for source water protection. It is a concrete next step building on the global studies led by TNC with application in Latin America, such as The Power of Policy report, launched in October 2025,” said Alejandro Calvache, TNC’s Lead for the Resilient Watersheds Strategy in Latin America.

A central area of collaboration will be the co-creation and piloting of a regional benchmark to assess the condition and management of source waters that supply drinking water services. This work will help identify priority risks, gaps in action and investment, and the enabling conditions needed for NbS to effectively contribute to service reliability and climate resilience.

This MoU marks an important beginning. Additional activities and areas of collaboration will be announced in the coming months.

About ADERASA
ADERASA was founded in 2001 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, as the driving force behind integration and cooperation in regulation, forging a future of clean water and sustainable sanitation across the continent. It was born from the shared vision of eight countries and has grown, embracing new members. Their mission is to promote bold policies and effective regulations to ensure equitable access to quality water and sanitation services. From annual meetings to their collaboration on the RegWas LAC program, they strive to strengthen regulations and capacities, generating a positive impact on the lives of people in Latin America and the Caribbean.

About Forest Trends
Forest Trends is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1999. Forest Trends works to conserve forests and other ecosystems through the creation and wide adoption of a broad range of environmental finance, markets, and other payment and incentive mechanisms. Forest Trends does so by 1) providing transparent information on ecosystem values, finance, and markets through knowledge acquisition, analysis, and dissemination; 2) convening diverse coalitions, partners, and communities of practice to promote environmental values and advance development of new markets and payment mechanisms; and 3) demonstrating successful tools, standards, and models of innovative finance for conservation.

About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably, and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.