This project aims at strengthening the financing of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) in Latin America. Adequate financing of RBOs is crucial for improving water management and increasing local capacities to prepare for and adapt to climate change. In order to achieve this aim, political and stakeholder dialogues on the role of financing in integrated water resources management will be facilitated, a guide on financing mechanisms will be developed and tested, and the relevance of financing mechanisms demonstrated in four pilot river basins. Best practice examples from Latin America and abroad will be collected and disseminated in the region.

RBOs in Latin America oftentimes lack the resources to finance integrated river basin management and adaptation to climate change, as well as to reduce vulnerabilities (e.g. regarding floods and droughts) and tackle the multiple water-related issues they face (e.g. implement adequate planning, address issues such as pollution, loss of fisheries and aquatic habitats) and. EcoCuencas is an international project with partners in Europe and Latin America, designed to provide practical support to local river basin organizations and national authorities by offering input on the different financing mechanisms which can be employed to achieve financial sustainability. A comprehensive overview of financing mechanisms will be provided in a guide and tested in four river basins in Latin America. Participating river basins include: The Piracicaba, Capivari-Jundiai (PCJ) providing water supply to the city of Sao Paolo, Brazil, the transboundary river basin Chira-Catamayo, shared between Peru and Ecuador, and the reservoir of Rio Grande II, supplying the city of Medellin, Colombia.

EcoCuencas is lead by the international office for water (OIEAU) in France and is funded by the European Commission (EuropeAid) under the 'Watershed and Coastal Management in the context of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean'-Programme (WATERCLIMA-LAC).