Water Guardians
Basic information
Project Title
Water Guardians
Full project title
The Water Guardians: Healing Communities, Healing Landscapes
Project Description
Women have historically managed household tasks—caring for children, the elderly, and relatives—rooted in the ancient Greek concept of “oikos+logos,” the basis of ecology. “The Water Guardians” honors female stewardship by repurposing community water tanks (“Lavadouros”) in Cepos, Arganil, into a nature-based initiative protecting water habitats, serving as a wet refugium against wildfires in Portugal's mountainous regions, and rekindling the tanks’ collective role for both humans and nonhumans.
Current stage development
Early initiative
Project Region
Portugal
Municipality
060102: Arganil (PT)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
This initiative recognizes the historical role of women in rural stewardship, reimagining the community water tanks (Lavadouros)—once central to domestic life but now abandoned—as living laboratories for water conservation, biodiversity, and wildfire resilience. The project repurposes the “Lavadouros” into a new nature-based collective space that cultivates freshwater ecosystems, recognizes female stewardship, and provides wildfire protection in the face of growing threats - a new wet Refugia for collective life and renewal, reviving their role as social and environmental anchors in Portugal’s mountainous regions. It is specifically rooted in the symbolic importance of the water tanks, as a collective infrastructure, with potential for replication in the watershed of the rural territories. Additional outcomes include the impact of community-led initiatives and educational programs developed with local schools, focusing on womanhood, ecology, and natural resource protection. By acknowledging the community's connection to these water spaces, the project addresses social and environmental challenges unique to rural areas, including depopulation and the growing threat of wildfires.This initiative is a cornerstone of the Municipality of Arganil’s Development Strategy and Territorial Planning and Enhancement Plan, born from the urgent need to rebuild after the devastating 2017 Megafires. In response, the Municipality deepened its collaboration with academia- Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) and the Polytechnic University of Coimbra- launching training residencies that foster co-creation between academia, local institutions, and residents to develop innovative, resilient solutions. As part of a continuous effort to strengthen rural territories, this initiative is crucial for preserving the landscape’s resilience and cultural legacy while fostering a future that is more integrated, biodiverse, sustainable, and respectful of both the land and its people.
Key objectives for sustainability
The "Water Guardians" initiative addresses sustainability challenges in Portugal’s central mountainous regions, where rural communities face ecological degradation, economic decline, and increasing wildfire risks. By integrating environmental restoration, community empowerment, and cultural revitalization, the initiative fosters long-term resilience.
A key sustainability goal is water conservation and biodiversity enhancement. The project repurposes deteriorating communal water tanks ("Lavadouros")— once vital social hubs and symbols of female labour—into multifunctional wet refugia, supporting wildlife, mitigating fire risks, and restoring vital water systems. These revitalized spaces enhance local biodiversity by creating habitats for pollinators, amphibians, birds, and bats, reinforcing ecological reciprocity.
Another objective is community-driven stewardship and social sustainability. The initiative actively involves local and foreign residents through participatory planning, ensuring the project aligns with community values. This engagement fosters a renewed sense of belonging and cultural continuity, bridging generations and reinforcing local identity. Schools participate in hands-on environmental education, inspiring youth to protect and sustain their natural resources.
Cultural sustainability is embedded in the initiative by reviving the social and historical significance of Lavadouros. Through storytelling and collective memory, these spaces become symbols of resilience, linking past traditions with contemporary needs.
The partnership between the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard (GSD) and the Municipality of Arganil amplifies impact by combining global expertise with local knowledge. This collaboration demonstrates how sustainability can be achieved through integrated environmental restoration, cultural innovation, and community engagement, serving as an exemplary model for rural resilience in fire-prone landscapes.
A key sustainability goal is water conservation and biodiversity enhancement. The project repurposes deteriorating communal water tanks ("Lavadouros")— once vital social hubs and symbols of female labour—into multifunctional wet refugia, supporting wildlife, mitigating fire risks, and restoring vital water systems. These revitalized spaces enhance local biodiversity by creating habitats for pollinators, amphibians, birds, and bats, reinforcing ecological reciprocity.
Another objective is community-driven stewardship and social sustainability. The initiative actively involves local and foreign residents through participatory planning, ensuring the project aligns with community values. This engagement fosters a renewed sense of belonging and cultural continuity, bridging generations and reinforcing local identity. Schools participate in hands-on environmental education, inspiring youth to protect and sustain their natural resources.
Cultural sustainability is embedded in the initiative by reviving the social and historical significance of Lavadouros. Through storytelling and collective memory, these spaces become symbols of resilience, linking past traditions with contemporary needs.
The partnership between the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard (GSD) and the Municipality of Arganil amplifies impact by combining global expertise with local knowledge. This collaboration demonstrates how sustainability can be achieved through integrated environmental restoration, cultural innovation, and community engagement, serving as an exemplary model for rural resilience in fire-prone landscapes.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The Water Guardians’ initiative has several key objectives aimed at enhancing aesthetics and quality of experience for the community, both locally and abroad. It revitalizes the communal water tanks (Lavadouros), transforming these abandoned structures into multifunctional civic spaces that serve both humans and non-humans, enhancing their role as social and environmental anchors in the community of Cepos. The project honors female stewardship by highlighting the historical importance of women’s roles in the community and its infrastructure of care, fostering a sense of belonging among residents.
The initiative enhances aesthetics and comfort by creating a welcoming civic space with a cooling microclimate during hot summer days, surrounded by water habitats—with plants, pollinators, insects, and birds. By transforming the water tanks into a contemporary Agora, the initiative hosts social exchanges within a revitalized natural environment. It also supports local craftsmanship by integrating nature-based materials and local techniques, particularly Schist stone (dry wall), revitalizing tectonic traditions. This approach not only preserves cultural legacies but also provides opportunities for artisans and builders to reapply earth-based construction methods, reinforcing cultural continuity. In terms of quality of experience, the project fosters a sensory-rich environment that enhances well-being and encourages a serene, contemplative atmosphere. The shaded, breezy spaces create a deep sense of place, inviting a deep engagement with the surrounding landscape.
Overall, this initiative exemplifies best practices in sustainable design by seamlessly integrating aesthetics, cultural heritage, and social engagement. It serves as a reference model for regions seeking to enhance natural resources and community resilience, showcasing how forgotten infrastructures can be transformed into vibrant spaces that celebrate a sense of belonging through experience and cultural identit
The initiative enhances aesthetics and comfort by creating a welcoming civic space with a cooling microclimate during hot summer days, surrounded by water habitats—with plants, pollinators, insects, and birds. By transforming the water tanks into a contemporary Agora, the initiative hosts social exchanges within a revitalized natural environment. It also supports local craftsmanship by integrating nature-based materials and local techniques, particularly Schist stone (dry wall), revitalizing tectonic traditions. This approach not only preserves cultural legacies but also provides opportunities for artisans and builders to reapply earth-based construction methods, reinforcing cultural continuity. In terms of quality of experience, the project fosters a sensory-rich environment that enhances well-being and encourages a serene, contemplative atmosphere. The shaded, breezy spaces create a deep sense of place, inviting a deep engagement with the surrounding landscape.
Overall, this initiative exemplifies best practices in sustainable design by seamlessly integrating aesthetics, cultural heritage, and social engagement. It serves as a reference model for regions seeking to enhance natural resources and community resilience, showcasing how forgotten infrastructures can be transformed into vibrant spaces that celebrate a sense of belonging through experience and cultural identit
Key objectives for inclusion
At the start of her first mandate, Ursula von der Leyen championed the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus, with the motto of “leaving no one behind.” This approach emphasized vulnerable communities and landscapes toward equitable and safer futures for all. Rural communities in Portugal face challenges exacerbated by the urban exodus, agricultural abandonment, and a shift from traditional to industrial production. These factors have heightened their vulnerability to wildfires, biodiversity loss, and cultural erosion, alongside a pervasive sense of social abandonment.
The "Water Guardians: Healing Communities, Healing Landscapes" is a community hub that embodies the connection between water, ecology, and female stewardship. Designed as an inclusive space, it fosters harmonious coexistence among people, local and foreigners, fauna, and flora by repurposing existing water infrastructure into a multifunctional gathering place in Cepos. This hub promotes social interaction, ecological restoration, and cultural continuity, with contributions from female practitioners, researchers, and local leaders, including knowledge exchange with elders.
Educational programs engage local schools dedicated to water ecology, nutrient cycles, and wildlife resiliency in Portugal’s mountainous regions. The project also serves as a cooling refuge during hot summer months, accessible to all, including children and those with mobility impairments.
This initiative enhances environmental resilience and community life through intergenerational experiences and inclusive design based on local knowledge. It stems from a long-term collaboration between the Harvard GSD and the Municipality of Arganil, initiated in 2018. Through co-creation workshops, the community recognized this initiative as an opportunity for empowerment, aesthetic enhancement, and increased wildfire resilience, embodying a locally driven vision dedicated to sustainability and cultural heritage.
The "Water Guardians: Healing Communities, Healing Landscapes" is a community hub that embodies the connection between water, ecology, and female stewardship. Designed as an inclusive space, it fosters harmonious coexistence among people, local and foreigners, fauna, and flora by repurposing existing water infrastructure into a multifunctional gathering place in Cepos. This hub promotes social interaction, ecological restoration, and cultural continuity, with contributions from female practitioners, researchers, and local leaders, including knowledge exchange with elders.
Educational programs engage local schools dedicated to water ecology, nutrient cycles, and wildlife resiliency in Portugal’s mountainous regions. The project also serves as a cooling refuge during hot summer months, accessible to all, including children and those with mobility impairments.
This initiative enhances environmental resilience and community life through intergenerational experiences and inclusive design based on local knowledge. It stems from a long-term collaboration between the Harvard GSD and the Municipality of Arganil, initiated in 2018. Through co-creation workshops, the community recognized this initiative as an opportunity for empowerment, aesthetic enhancement, and increased wildfire resilience, embodying a locally driven vision dedicated to sustainability and cultural heritage.
How Citizens benefit
The Water Guardians’ initiative exemplifies the principles of the NEB through active citizen involvement and community engagement. Since 2018, the Municipality of Arganil has partnered with the Harvard GSD to develop workshops and design scenarios with local communities affected by the 2017 wildfires. This collaboration has resulted in various initiatives, including exhibitions and design scenarios emphasizing ecological boost, economic multifunctionality, and landscape resilience. The Water Guardians initiative focuses on repurposing derelict infrastructures with symbolic significance and ecological potential, particularly related to water ecosystems, which are vital for both biodiversity and wildfire protection.
In participatory sessions in Cepos, community members expressed a strong desire to repurpose the local water tanks, which were once vibrant centers of communal life and female stewardship but now lie in disrepair. This initiative embodies the community’s wish to transform these structures into contemporary spaces that reflect collective memory while blending ecological services, aesthetic value, civic purpose, and increased safety against the growing wildfire threats.
By actively involving citizens and incorporating their insights, the project fosters a sense of ownership and pride in their environment. The impact of this involvement is significant; it revitalizes existing built spaces and water infrastructure—such as channels, wells, and tanks—transforming them into aquatic habitats and a wet refugium. By demonstrating how historical resources can be revitalized, the initiative serves as a model for integrated and sustainable futures, showcasing the power of collaboration between community, academia and local government in shaping resilient communities.
Overall, the Water Guardians initiative exemplifies the NEB principles by fostering an inclusive, beautiful, and sustainable environment that enhances the well-being of the local community
In participatory sessions in Cepos, community members expressed a strong desire to repurpose the local water tanks, which were once vibrant centers of communal life and female stewardship but now lie in disrepair. This initiative embodies the community’s wish to transform these structures into contemporary spaces that reflect collective memory while blending ecological services, aesthetic value, civic purpose, and increased safety against the growing wildfire threats.
By actively involving citizens and incorporating their insights, the project fosters a sense of ownership and pride in their environment. The impact of this involvement is significant; it revitalizes existing built spaces and water infrastructure—such as channels, wells, and tanks—transforming them into aquatic habitats and a wet refugium. By demonstrating how historical resources can be revitalized, the initiative serves as a model for integrated and sustainable futures, showcasing the power of collaboration between community, academia and local government in shaping resilient communities.
Overall, the Water Guardians initiative exemplifies the NEB principles by fostering an inclusive, beautiful, and sustainable environment that enhances the well-being of the local community
Innovative character
This initiative represents an innovative approach through its long-term partnership encompassing academia, landscape architecture and architecture, ecology, local governance, and community involvement. Evolving since 2018 in response to the devastating megafires in central Portugal, the initiative has spurred various innovative interventions, including exhibitions, workshops engaging both local and non-local residents, and fellowship programs for graduate students. It also involves applications for national programs focused on landscape resilience and community protection.
It is a bottom-up initiative with an interdisciplinary approach that prioritizes community engagement in a long-term commitment and consistency. Unlike mainstream practices that often rely on top-down methodologies, this initiative integrates the community’s objectives in seeking ecological and cultural values by repurposing existing water infrastructure into nature-based water gardens at the heart of Cepos. This transformation not only creates new spaces for civic activities but also enhances biodiversity, fostering meaningful connections between humans and non-humans.
Introduces a novel ecological narrative that recognizes the historical significance of domestic labor performed by women over centuries. By linking the act of caring for the home with the stewardship of the shared environment, it highlights female empowerment and rural womanhood. The repurposing of the village’s water tanks into ecological hotspots reinforces ecological resilience while honoring cultural heritage and advancing gender recognition.
Importantly, it can be replicated in any village with similar communal infrastructures throughout the broader hydrological network of Arganil’s mountains. By showcasing an innovative framework that bridges community needs, environmental stewardship, and cultural identity, it sets a benchmark for future initiatives aiming to create resilient and inclusive rural environments.
It is a bottom-up initiative with an interdisciplinary approach that prioritizes community engagement in a long-term commitment and consistency. Unlike mainstream practices that often rely on top-down methodologies, this initiative integrates the community’s objectives in seeking ecological and cultural values by repurposing existing water infrastructure into nature-based water gardens at the heart of Cepos. This transformation not only creates new spaces for civic activities but also enhances biodiversity, fostering meaningful connections between humans and non-humans.
Introduces a novel ecological narrative that recognizes the historical significance of domestic labor performed by women over centuries. By linking the act of caring for the home with the stewardship of the shared environment, it highlights female empowerment and rural womanhood. The repurposing of the village’s water tanks into ecological hotspots reinforces ecological resilience while honoring cultural heritage and advancing gender recognition.
Importantly, it can be replicated in any village with similar communal infrastructures throughout the broader hydrological network of Arganil’s mountains. By showcasing an innovative framework that bridges community needs, environmental stewardship, and cultural identity, it sets a benchmark for future initiatives aiming to create resilient and inclusive rural environments.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The Water Guardians’ initiative involves various disciplines, including Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Community Participatory Design, and Biology, with a strong emphasis on restoring water habitats to enhance climate resilience against wildfires. This interdisciplinary collaboration integrates local knowledge with cultural, civic, and ecological objectives, ensuring a holistic and inclusive approach from the outset while fostering long-term community engagement.
Landscape architects and architects collaborated to transform the water tanks into an accessible and aesthetically pleasing civic space for both humans and non-humans in the village of Cepos. Biologists provided expertise on native plants, soils, and fauna compatible with the existing water tank environments, aiming to establish a new biodiversity hotspot.
Participatory initiatives actively engaged local and non-local residents through site tours and interim presentations, raising awareness and encouraging post-project community stewardship. This involvement has cultivated a sense of local ownership, promoting a harmonious relationship between cultural restitution and ecological health. As a result, the initiative establishes a resilient, inclusive, and ecologically responsible model for future developments.
The interdisciplinary collaboration was facilitated through workshops, site studies, and iterative design processes that blended technical expertise with ecological and cultural insights. In addition, students from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard GSD were integrated into this initiative, enhancing the "learning-by-doing" approach and facilitating the application of academic knowledge to real-world challenges. This synergy among diverse fields added significant value, enriching the initiative's design and implementation while ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the community's needs and environmental challenges and potentials.
Landscape architects and architects collaborated to transform the water tanks into an accessible and aesthetically pleasing civic space for both humans and non-humans in the village of Cepos. Biologists provided expertise on native plants, soils, and fauna compatible with the existing water tank environments, aiming to establish a new biodiversity hotspot.
Participatory initiatives actively engaged local and non-local residents through site tours and interim presentations, raising awareness and encouraging post-project community stewardship. This involvement has cultivated a sense of local ownership, promoting a harmonious relationship between cultural restitution and ecological health. As a result, the initiative establishes a resilient, inclusive, and ecologically responsible model for future developments.
The interdisciplinary collaboration was facilitated through workshops, site studies, and iterative design processes that blended technical expertise with ecological and cultural insights. In addition, students from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard GSD were integrated into this initiative, enhancing the "learning-by-doing" approach and facilitating the application of academic knowledge to real-world challenges. This synergy among diverse fields added significant value, enriching the initiative's design and implementation while ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the community's needs and environmental challenges and potentials.
Methodology used
The methodology of the initiative embraces an interdisciplinary, participatory, and community-centered approach, integrating academia, the fields of design (landscape architecture, architecture), ecology, the local government, and community participatory. It has evolved through a long-term and consistent engagement in response to the megafires of 2017. Key components of the methodology include:
1 - Participatory Engagement: It includes local and non-local residents through workshops, site tours, and co-creation sessions, fostering awareness and a sense of ownership. Community members express their needs and insights regarding the transformation of their communal infrastructure.
2 - Interdisciplinary Collaboration: It brings together landscape architects, architects, biologists, social scientists, and local knowledge ensuring a holistic understanding of the ecological, cultural, and social dimensions of the project.
3 - Research and Immersion: Students from the Harvard GSD participated in various residency fellowships in Benfeita and Cepos, engaging with the community to gather insights. This experience allowed the integration of academic knowledge with real-world challenges.
4 - Integration of Ecological and Cultural Values: It repurposes the existing communal water tanks in Cepos into a multi-functional and replicable nature-based climate solution using the local craft and earth-based materials. It enhances ecological resilience, honors the cultural heritage and historical significance of female stewardship.
5 - Long-term Commitment and Consistency: It is anchored in ongoing engagement with the community, ensuring evolving benefits aligned with local needs. This consistency fosters stewardship and a sense of belonging.
Through this comprehensive methodology, the Water Guardians initiative serves as a replicable model for similar interventions, setting a standard for fostering inclusive and resilient rural environments across Arganil’s watershed.
1 - Participatory Engagement: It includes local and non-local residents through workshops, site tours, and co-creation sessions, fostering awareness and a sense of ownership. Community members express their needs and insights regarding the transformation of their communal infrastructure.
2 - Interdisciplinary Collaboration: It brings together landscape architects, architects, biologists, social scientists, and local knowledge ensuring a holistic understanding of the ecological, cultural, and social dimensions of the project.
3 - Research and Immersion: Students from the Harvard GSD participated in various residency fellowships in Benfeita and Cepos, engaging with the community to gather insights. This experience allowed the integration of academic knowledge with real-world challenges.
4 - Integration of Ecological and Cultural Values: It repurposes the existing communal water tanks in Cepos into a multi-functional and replicable nature-based climate solution using the local craft and earth-based materials. It enhances ecological resilience, honors the cultural heritage and historical significance of female stewardship.
5 - Long-term Commitment and Consistency: It is anchored in ongoing engagement with the community, ensuring evolving benefits aligned with local needs. This consistency fosters stewardship and a sense of belonging.
Through this comprehensive methodology, the Water Guardians initiative serves as a replicable model for similar interventions, setting a standard for fostering inclusive and resilient rural environments across Arganil’s watershed.
How stakeholders are engaged
Key stakeholders in the Water Guardians initiative include the Municipality of Arganil, Harvard University, the Polytechnic University of Coimbra, the local community, female practitioners, and various local institutions. This encompasses local leaders from União de Freguesias de Cepos e Teixeira, the Comissão de Melhoramentos de Cepos, social organizations like the Day Center of Cepos, and educational bodies such as the Arganil School Group.
In the aftermath of the 2017 Megafires, the Municipality strengthened its collaboration with academic institutions (Harvard GSD and PUC), to develop innovative projects aimed at enhancing landscape and community resilience in a future that is expected to be hotter and drier, and more prone to wildfires. Students from Harvard participated in a two-month residency in Cepos, actively engaging in participatory processes with the community and local institutions. This hands-on experience yielded valuable insights into the community’s needs and expectations, facilitating essential contributions to the initiative's design. Co-creative workshops empowered the community to articulate their vision, focusing on aesthetic enrichment, social empowerment, and resilience against wildfires. Consequently, the initiative Water Guardians embodies a locally driven perspective grounded in collective participation and a shared commitment to sustainability and cultural heritage.
This collaboration facilitated the creation of multifunctional strategies tailored to local realities while honoring traditional knowledge through the repurposing of derelict water infrastructures. Local stakeholders, including the Cepos community and the Arganil School Group, will play a crucial role in the implementation, dissemination, and sustainability of the initiative, as the primary users of the rehabilitated public space. This initiative enhances community civic life while fostering a resilient and thriving ecosystem with the new water habitat.
In the aftermath of the 2017 Megafires, the Municipality strengthened its collaboration with academic institutions (Harvard GSD and PUC), to develop innovative projects aimed at enhancing landscape and community resilience in a future that is expected to be hotter and drier, and more prone to wildfires. Students from Harvard participated in a two-month residency in Cepos, actively engaging in participatory processes with the community and local institutions. This hands-on experience yielded valuable insights into the community’s needs and expectations, facilitating essential contributions to the initiative's design. Co-creative workshops empowered the community to articulate their vision, focusing on aesthetic enrichment, social empowerment, and resilience against wildfires. Consequently, the initiative Water Guardians embodies a locally driven perspective grounded in collective participation and a shared commitment to sustainability and cultural heritage.
This collaboration facilitated the creation of multifunctional strategies tailored to local realities while honoring traditional knowledge through the repurposing of derelict water infrastructures. Local stakeholders, including the Cepos community and the Arganil School Group, will play a crucial role in the implementation, dissemination, and sustainability of the initiative, as the primary users of the rehabilitated public space. This initiative enhances community civic life while fostering a resilient and thriving ecosystem with the new water habitat.
Global challenges
Water Guardians addresses several global challenges by providing localized solutions tackling social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities in rural communities. One major challenge is social and ecological desertification, exacerbated by the rise in wildfire events. The rural exodus of the 1950s and 60s led to a decline in population, agricultural production, and traditional agro-silvo-pastoral practices. This abandonment resulted in reduced biodiversity and increased biomass fuel, contributing to the current wildfire crisis, particularly in Portugal, where the devastating megafires of 2017 highlighted the urgent need for intervention.
The initiative connects the ecological role of water, a vital resource for sustaining human habitation in mountainous regions, with the social dynamics and cultural heritage of local communities with the repurposing of spaces in disrepair. By emphasizing sustainable water management through nature-based solutions, the initiative raises awareness of the importance of water in everyday life and its ecological significance, reconciling heritage with new uses that enhance civic life, ecological functions and biodiversity. The initiative secures water reserves for essential uses, such as irrigation and communal washhouses, thus rejuvenating their role within the community. This holistic approach aims to maintain the ecological balance reliant on water sources, fostering the growth of rare or endangered species that improve water quality in the new habitats. By highlighting the need for optimized water use and showcasing effective strategies, the initiative combats environmental degradation caused by neglect or unawareness.
Ultimately, the "Water Guardians" initiative demonstrates how local solutions can address global challenges, enhancing resilience in rural communities while promoting ecological stewardship and social cohesion. This initiative can be exemplary for other regions facing similar challenges worldwide.
The initiative connects the ecological role of water, a vital resource for sustaining human habitation in mountainous regions, with the social dynamics and cultural heritage of local communities with the repurposing of spaces in disrepair. By emphasizing sustainable water management through nature-based solutions, the initiative raises awareness of the importance of water in everyday life and its ecological significance, reconciling heritage with new uses that enhance civic life, ecological functions and biodiversity. The initiative secures water reserves for essential uses, such as irrigation and communal washhouses, thus rejuvenating their role within the community. This holistic approach aims to maintain the ecological balance reliant on water sources, fostering the growth of rare or endangered species that improve water quality in the new habitats. By highlighting the need for optimized water use and showcasing effective strategies, the initiative combats environmental degradation caused by neglect or unawareness.
Ultimately, the "Water Guardians" initiative demonstrates how local solutions can address global challenges, enhancing resilience in rural communities while promoting ecological stewardship and social cohesion. This initiative can be exemplary for other regions facing similar challenges worldwide.
Learning transferred to other parties
The initiative offers replicable elements for communities facing challenges like population loss, environmental degradation, and cultural loss. Key components involve repurposing collective infrastructures such as communal ovens, water basins, windmills, olive mills (lagares), and washing tanks—many of which are underutilized or in disrepair, presenting opportunities for revitalization and enhancing resilience against wildfires. The initiative spans 332 km² with valleys and mountains interconnected by a complex hydrological network feeding streams and rivers. With over 182 small villages, including Cepos, many with communal water tanks, their municipal ownership and local significance make the project feasible and replicable, especially amid increasing climate change threats.
The methodology emphasizes participatory processes and community engagement. Involving residents in workshops and discussions allows other communities to adapt this approach to their unique challenges. By focusing on the repurposing of infrastructures, the initiative serves as a model for similar efforts, applying principles of cultural and symbolic restitution.
Hands-on learning and intergenerational knowledge sharing can be adapted to various contexts, enhancing protection. By documenting participant experiences, the project enhances inclusivity and promotes a sense of ownership, positioning it as a blueprint for successful community-led initiatives in areas facing and social disconnection.
Key products include repurposed collective infrastructures that foster ecological health and social interaction, a participatory design framework for community input, nature-based climate solutions for improved water management, and cultural heritage documentation highlighting women's roles in stewardship. The initiative also emphasizes local building techniques using regional materials, provides educational materials for local schools, and offers a best practice guide for future projects.
The methodology emphasizes participatory processes and community engagement. Involving residents in workshops and discussions allows other communities to adapt this approach to their unique challenges. By focusing on the repurposing of infrastructures, the initiative serves as a model for similar efforts, applying principles of cultural and symbolic restitution.
Hands-on learning and intergenerational knowledge sharing can be adapted to various contexts, enhancing protection. By documenting participant experiences, the project enhances inclusivity and promotes a sense of ownership, positioning it as a blueprint for successful community-led initiatives in areas facing and social disconnection.
Key products include repurposed collective infrastructures that foster ecological health and social interaction, a participatory design framework for community input, nature-based climate solutions for improved water management, and cultural heritage documentation highlighting women's roles in stewardship. The initiative also emphasizes local building techniques using regional materials, provides educational materials for local schools, and offers a best practice guide for future projects.
Next steps
“The Water Guardians” initiative aims to repurpose existing communal water tanks in Cepos into a multi-functional, nature-based climate solution, addressing reduced biodiversity, social abandonment, biomass fuel accumulation, and wildfire threats. The planned activities include the repurposing of the washing tanks’ compound (approximately 60 square meters) into three main zones:<br />
Biofilters and Hot Spot for Fauna, Flora, and People: Re-naturalizing the existing washing tanks into water gardens with native and climate-adaptive plants that provide unique filtration services, as well as food and habitat for pollinating insects, lizards, birds, and bats.<br />
Drying-Clothes Terrace (the Agora): This terrace will be repurposed as an outdoor classroom and wildlife observation area, ensuring barrier-free access for all community members, including those with mobility challenges.<br />
Water Reservoir for Wildfire Protection: Developing a basin to collect and store water, which will be integrated with local fire protection authorities to serve as a supplemental water source during wildfires.<br />
To implement the initiative in line with NEB values, we will engage the community through ongoing consultations to ensure their voices are heard in the various steps. This includes capacity-building workshops to empower locals with skills in maintenance practices, as well as collaboration with local stakeholders and contractors to leverage resources. A monitoring and evaluation framework will track project outcomes. Public awareness actions will inform the community about the initiative's objectives and the importance of water management. Sustainability will be prioritized with a maintenance plan for the water gardens and exploring future funding opportunities. Additionally, ecological principles will guide design and implementation, promoting habitat creation and water conservation, while feedback mechanisms will allow for ongoing community input to adapt the project as needed.
Infrastructure or public space
Yes
Political support
Yes
Monetary value awarded
No
