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First ever training in source-to-sea approach to management held in Cartagena

First ever training in source-to-sea approach to management held in Cartagena

Source-to-Sea

Ruth Mathews

Senior Manager,

Water Cooperation and Diplomacy

As part of a three-day workshop aimed at building capacities of GEF IW projects and partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, SIWI's Ruth Mathews led the first ever training on the source-to-sea approach to management as guided by the S2S Platform's flagship publication Implementing the source-to-sea approach: A guide for practitioners.

On September 16th, the first ever training in the source-to-sea approach to management was conducted for the 5th Targeted Regional Workshop for GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resources Network (IW:LEARN) in Latin America Caribbean. Participants included representatives from eight GEF International Waters projects and their partners. They were introduced to the source-to-sea approach and the benefits of source-to-sea management in addressing critical freshwater and marine challenges.

Through a series of interactive exercises based on Implementing the source-to-sea approach: A guide for practitioners, published by the Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management, participants gained confidence in implementing the six-step source-to-sea approach and learned how they could apply it in their projects. By working together in small groups and sharing results from each of the steps, insights were gained on how taking a source-to-sea approach to their projects would expand the stakeholders who could be involved in providing solutions and strengthen cooperation and coordination between parties. For example, new opportunities for engagement were discovered by exploring the linkages between coastal water quality issues, ocean fisheries and upstream fish processing plants.

Coastal areas and oceans are impacted by upstream activities. Using the source-to-sea approach in projects in international waters highlights these interactions and can strengthen the long-term impact of GEF projects.

For more information about the training please contact Ruth Mathews: ruth.mathews@siwi.org

To access Implementing the source-to-sea approach: A guide for practitioners or other source-to-sea related materials please visit https://siwi.org/what-we-do/source-to-sea/#resources.