Valuation of Natural Resources and Performance Indicators, Fundamental Support for Creation of a Systemic Financial Model for Watersheds

An overview of watershed management in the region of Central and South America indicate that they are very rich in natural resources, principally water as a primary resource. However, this wealth and others provided by nature are constantly threatened by overuse, misuse or use, degradation, land desertification among others that make sustainable management impossible.

The watersheds intervened in their home or recently established, currently still rely heavily on external funding, which means that they are not sustainable and even worse they do not have the incorporation of its inhabitants as a way of governing their habitat, consequently, the systemic financing in watersheds is the subject less developed in Latin America at the level of public policy and academically.

Conceptually, it is closely related to governance as a mean of management and watershed management through capacity building of individuals who live there, which are organized in communities and municipal institutions, responding to national policies on comprehensive Management of watersheds and the Integrated Management of Water Resources. The aim pursued by the valuation of natural resources in watersheds, is the creation of a financial systemic model of governance associated primarily responsible to their organized citizens with created capacities and long-term financing

However it is important to create watershed performance indicators that allow us to be confident that the model, capabilities and interventions are optimal or reasonable.

It is therefore important to define indicators on governance and sustainability in watershed which are showing progress and trends on the expected horizon.