Science-Driven Sustainable Agriculture

The project uses genomic sequencing and metagenomic analyses to identify effective bioactive pest control agents. These lab-based solutions are translated into practical, farmer-friendly products through farmer field schools and demonstration plots. The project’s microbial formulations were developed with a plan to optimize and re-test the most effective formula for broader adoption. 

Athlete ambassadors as key players to the success of the Healthy Waters Alliance’s objectives

Top-level athletes have an important communications platform at their disposal and can lead by example, making them key contributors to the Healthy Waters Alliance’s goals. By using this awareness-raising potential, they can help bring attention to the degradation of freshwater and coastal ecosystems, increase visibility of practical solutions, and drive greater public engagement and action. 

Appointing athlete ambassadors dedicated to the cause strengthens the movement. With the launch of the Healthy Waters Alliance, World Rowing have engaged Christine Cavallo (USA) and Martin Helseth (NOR) as the first World Rowing Healthy Waters Ambassadors, and are now looking to expand this into a global Athlete Ambassador Programme with representatives from each continent.

Athletes inspire action more effectively than generic messages, making initiatives more relatable and engaging. For example, Norwegian Olympian Martin Helseth led a powerful environmental initiative through the World Rowing – WWF Healthy Waters Alliance to inspire action across Norway’s rowing community. The project demonstrated how athletes can effectively engage the public and protect nature by addressing water pollution in the Oslo Fjord. The initiative includes two key phases: 

  • Phase 1: Clean-Up Week (3–8 June 2025) – Timed with World Ocean Day, rowing clubs in Oslo conducted seabed dives, shoreline clean-ups, and environmental education to tackle local pollution. 
  • Phase 2: Oslo Fjord Restoration Day (23 August 2025) – This phase will focus on habitat restoration and youth involvement, supported by the local NGO Marea.

Helseth’s leadership exemplifies how athlete ambassadors can lead grassroots environmental efforts with global impact, aiming to foster a new generation of nature protectors in rowing and beyond. 

  • Identifying and selecting high-level athletes who are committed to and passionate about the cause as ambassadors 
  • Providing an Alliance guidance framework, exchange opportunities and project management support to the athlete ambassadors  
  • Creating visible and action-oriented opportunities for athlete's ambassadors, for the delivery of athlete led projects and to project their voices 

Lessons learned: 

  • Authenticity is key to influence
    One of the most important lessons is that athlete ambassadors must be genuinely passionate about and involved with environmental issues. Authenticity drives credibility. When athletes speak and act from personal conviction, as have Christine Cavallo and Martin Helseth their impact is significantly greater.  
  • Support and structure to succeed 
    Active athletes have busy schedules, often centered around training and competition, without proper logistical support and good communication even highly motivated ambassadors may struggle to sustain momentum. Providing clear guidance, toolkits, media support will help them translate their ideas into action. 
  • Visibility and storytelling amplify impact
    Sharing the journeys and projects led by athlete ambassadors through videos, interviews, and social media is critical. These stories humanise environmental action and make initiatives relatable. For example, showcasing Martin Helseth’s leadership in cleaning up the Oslo Fjord not only inspired local rowing communities but also generated national media interest and highlighted practical, replicable environmental actions that the global rowing community can take. 
  • Structured programming ensures strategic growth & equal opportunities

    Transitioning from ad hoc ambassador appointments to a structured global Athlete Ambassador Programme with representation from each continent is a necessary step. It ensures balanced representation and allows for better integration into the broader Healthy Waters Alliance strategy. 

  • Athlete-led initiatives benefit from local partnerships. 
    Successful campaigns, like the Oslo Fjord Clean-up & Restoration initiative, have demonstrated that athlete leadership is most effective when paired with local NGOs, clubs, and institutions. These partnerships provide operational capacity, local knowledge, and continuity. 

Challenges:

  • Time constraints and competing priorities for active athletes, especially around major competitions. 
  • Geographic imbalance, with early initiatives being concentrated in a few countries, highlighting the need for broader athlete ambassador recruitment and representation. 

Recommendations:

  • Provide a clear ambassador onboarding process, including expectations, support available, and example ideas and activities. 
  • Offer flexible engagement formats (e.g., single-event involvement, or year-long ambassador roles) to accommodate diverse schedules. 
Stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium)
Analysis of Habitat Potential
Preparation and Funding
Reintroduction of Stone Crayfish
Education and Awareness-raising
Monitoring of Success
Connecting WWF local offices and National Rowing Federations and clubs worldwide to collaborate on impactful actions & projects

The Healthy Waters Alliance connects the Rowing community with WWF communities worldwide to foster collaboration. Together, they co-create and jointly deliver local projects and initatives that protect and restore healthy waters through awareness and hands-on action, benefiting rowing, communities, and ecosystems. Working with WWF ensures that actions implemented by rowing communities are relevant from a nature conservation perspective. 

 Projects can be initiated by National Rowing Federations, clubs, athletes, event organisers, or WWF local offices. After contacting the Healthy Waters Alliance, through submitting their interest via an online form partners agree on a locally impactful project recognized by the Alliance. These projects focus on community engagement, nature restoration, waste reduction and other areas.  

  The rowing community benefits from the platform through access to educational workshops, working groups, global visibility of local projects, and healthier waters for rowing. In turn, WWF offices gain partners who help raise awareness on the freshwater & coastal ecosystems' crisis and promote solutions, while engaging with event organisers to drive visibility at major rowing events with wide media coverage. 

  • A platform connecting the rowing and nature conservation communities locally to facilitate collaboration 
  • The possibility for various rowing stakeholders to initiate projects 
  • WWF's expertise ensuring projects deliver a positive impact on nature 
  • Communications and visibility platform provided by rowing events and organisations to nature conservation causes through concrete initiatives on the ground 
  • A fundraising model established by the partnership and run by external consultants. To look for targeted funding opportunities and partners that would like to support the Alliance as a whole or individual projects of interest. 
  • Clear communication channels accelerate coordination
    Establishing an accessible online form and Alliance framework streamlined the project initiation process and helped all partners to quickly align on impactful actions.
  • Local context drives engagement
    Projects that resonate with local communities and ecosystems gain stronger support and lead to more sustainable outcomes.
  • Cross-sector collaboration requires mutual understanding
    Time invested in learning each other’s priorities: WWF’s conservation goals and rowing’s operational realities.
  • Visible impact builds momentum
    Highlighting early success stories and media coverage from major events helped raise interest from other  National Rowing Federations and WWF offices, expanding the initiative’s reach.
  • Education is a powerful enabler
    Workshops and knowledge exchange sessions empowered rowing stakeholders (event organisers) to take more informed and effective action on water health and conservation.
  • Flexibility supports innovation
    Allowing diverse stakeholders (clubs, athletes, event organisers, etc.) to propose projects encouraged creative, locally tailored solutions.
Integrating EbA into the strategic planning process of the biological corridor

A strategic and participatory planning process is conducted with the Local Committee to integrate Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into management tools. This process includes working sessions, workshops, and technical advice aimed at enhancing self-reflection among committee members about their actions within the territory. 

In this context, incorporating a climate perspective into the strategic planning of a biological corridor means analyzing and redefining the mission and vision to focus on climate change responses. This involves recognizing the vulnerabilities and threats in the territory, as well as their implications for the most vulnerable groups and sectors. The goal is to establish targeted, sustained actions that positively affect the lives of individuals and communities while ensuring ecological connectivity and the provision of ecosystem services in line with productive and sustainable development in the region.

DECREE 33106-MINAE establishes the role of Local Committees within the framework of the National Biological Corridors Program. These committees must have a management plan to enhance the channeling of resources and technical assistance to support their establishment. The diverse participation of stakeholders present in the territory allows for a broad perspective on the needs of groups and sectors, the expansion of the stakeholders involved, and the identification of opportunities for establishing partnerships for the effectiveness of EbA planning and upscaling.

Planning must be contextualized within the current organizational capacities of the Local Corridor Committee. A starting point for strategic planning answers the question: What does a Biological Corridor do? It allows us to define its substantive functions as a platform for citizen participation that guides its present and future actions: it trains, raises awareness, communicates, articulates stakeholders, has political influence, fosters citizen participation, and manages projects. The integration of a climate perspective contextualizes a Management Plan consistent with its current organizational capacities to enhance actions that impact the quality of life for people and communities. It includes the integration of Climate Change, EbA, and Gender as strategic axes in the management of EbA projects with a gender perspective for financial sustainability.

Enhancing skills and knowledge to effectively implement and expand Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures

With the results from the organizational development analysis , a contextualized capacity development program is created and implemented for each biological corridor according to its strengthening needs. This program is carried out through workshops, seminars, coaching sessions, peer-to-peer exchanges, etc. 

The commitment and interest of local committees and their members to actively participate in strengthening competencies and skills is an important enabling factor. This requires the capacity for self-reflection and self-criticism of organizational processes and their own participation. Linking the strengthening process to existing climate change adaptation strategies and initiatives at the local and national levels allows for a sustained process aligned with a broader strategy, which was an important step supported by the other building blocks. Aditionally, matching up with funding sources that accept project proposals with an EbA approach contribute to the success.

- Link training and capacity building needs within the framework of the biological corridor's strategic planning. 

- Develop on-site capacity building spaces and schedule them according to the participants' agendas. This is especially important to enhance the participation of women and youth.

-EbA project proposals should link cross-cutting themes such as gender, youth, and interculturality to enhance funding opportunities and the scope of actions

Using organizational development methods on Local Committees

The analysis of the organizational capacities of biological corridors as multisectoral governance mechanisms allows for the identification of opportunities for improvement and strengthening needs to enhance the scaling-up of EbA. Existing competencies and capacities in technical and soft skills are assessed to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue, raise awareness, train and negotiate with decision-makers, conduct political advocacy, and establish alliances. Internally, organizational processes are analyzed to identify and prioritize gaps and bottlenecks in project management and financial sustainability.

An already existing governance structure needs to be in place, and its members should have an agreement on dedicating time to the upcoming process. Also, the process sould be facilitated by an expert in organisational development who selects adequate methods, prepares working sessions and guides the group.

The main capacity-building measures identified were in strategic communication, negotiation with key stakeholders, project management, and access to financial resources. These are highly efficient soft skills that are usually overlooked or underrated.

Shifting the role of local committees in biological corridors to a comprehensive approach

Biological corridors play a crucial role in promoting dialogue and participation among multiple stakeholders. Until now, their main focus has been on conservation activities. However, they have significant potential for scaling up Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). They are integrated into the national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This strategy is supported by a Local Committee, which serves as a forum for consultation and collaborative sustainability initiatives. This committee comprises civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government institutions, and municipalities.
To maximize the effectiveness of biological corridors in scaling up EbA measures, it is essential to establish a shared understanding and agreement among stakeholders regarding their role. This involves making explicit the role of biological corridors - and each stakeholder who participates - in sustainability and climate change adaptation strategies, but also also their specific contribution to social and economic local development. The road to this common understanding requires analyzing sectorial vulnerabilities, needs, and interests, but also oportunities, competencies and capacities with potencial to tackle common issues. In addition, clarifying basic concepts of climate change, adaptation, biodiversity conservation (EbA) with a people-centered approach, using sectorial specific language and active stakeholder participation, is key for reaching a common understanding.

Integration into National Policy Frameworks
Biological corridors are part of Costa Rica’s national conservation strategy, created through executive decree, mandating cross-sectoral cooperation in the public interest.

There is also alignment with the National Adaptation Plan of Costa Rics (Strategy #3), which promotes ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) through sustainable ecosystem management.
 

Multistakeholder Governance and Participation

An important enabling factor is the existence of a Local Committee as a formal consultative and collaborative platform comprising civil society, NGOs, government institutions, and municipalities. There is also active stakeholder participation across sectors which is central to dialogue and implementation.

Biological corridors should be understood as living organizations focused on citizen participation, with their own internal dynamics and operational and administrative processes. To channel efforts toward the efficient scaling of EbA measures, they need to create an identity, cohesion, and internal culture that allow them to address common challenges and opportunities. Applying the "climate lens" means going beyond management approaches focused strictly on conservation, instead focusing the analysis of potential impacts of sustainability actions on the quality of life of communities and individuals, especially vulnerable populations. 

Braulio Carrillo National Park
Shifting the role of local committees in biological corridors to a comprehensive approach
Using organizational development methods on Local Committees
Enhancing skills and knowledge to effectively implement and expand Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures
Integrating EbA into the strategic planning process of the biological corridor
Braulio Carrillo National Park
Shifting the role of local committees in biological corridors to a comprehensive approach
Using organizational development methods on Local Committees
Enhancing skills and knowledge to effectively implement and expand Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures
Integrating EbA into the strategic planning process of the biological corridor