Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Risk Management

The Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility (IPIF), in collaboration with the transaction technical assistance for preparing the Integrated Flood Risk Management Sector Project, is helping the Government of the Philippines prepare flood risk management (FRM) projects in six river basins in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This technical assistance (TA) loan is supporting the government to develop comprehensive basin-level flood risk management master plans with short, medium, and long-term strategies; and feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs of priority FRM infrastructure.

The regional TA on Protecting and Investing in Natural Capital in Asia and the Pacific provided expertise in integrating nature-based solutions (NbS) investment options into the proposed FRM master plans for the Abra, Buayan–Malungon, and Tagum–Libuganon river basins. The support included developing methodologies to blend NbS into the FRM master plans through the natural river management (NRM) approach.

The NRM approach leverages the intrinsic abilities of natural river systems to deliver climate resilience at a lower cost while minimizing negative environmental and social impacts. It is iterative, science-based, and follows the principles of participatory water resources management. It strives to respect the natural dynamics and flow of freshwater, sediment and nutrients, and peoples’ dependencies on these at the basin.
In addition, the regional TA applied an NbS selection process using multicriteria analysis and cost-benefit analysis.

This brief shares how the regional TA identified NbS options for the FRM master plans using the NRM approach. The river basins used as NbS pilot areas could serve as models for potential replication and upscaling in other river basins in the Philippines and as good practice for NbS practitioners.