IFLA Working Programme 18 - Water Security and Management
Goal: Promote sustainable water management practices in landscape architecture, addressing water scarcity, drought, flooding, and water pollution.
Impact: Create landscapes that are resilient to water-related challenges, conserve water resources, and protect water quality.
Working Programme Members
Director - Maria Matos Silva
Maria Matos Silva is a Landscape Architect and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon (ISA-UL). Coordinator of the Master Programme in Landscape Architecture ISA-UL (2022-). Member of URBinLAB research group at CIAUD - Research Centre for Architecture, Urban Planning and Design. Coordinator for CIAUD, FA-UL and Theme Lead for "Ecology, Landscape and Biodiversity" of the Horizon Europe project RENEW-Futures – Regenerative Design for Beautiful, Inclusive and Ecological Neighbourhoods (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01). Co-PI of FCT funded MetroPublicNet research project (2021-2024). Researcher at several other national and international funded research. Has been awarded the 2025 Scientific Prize of the University of Lisbon / Caixa Geral de Depósitos (area of Landscape Architecture), and Honourable Mentions in 2024 and 2019; the recognition of “Finalist” in the Manuel de Solà-Morales Prize (2019 edition) for the best PhD in Urbanism.
Co-director - MARTHA FAJARDO
Martha C. Fajardo is a Colombian landscape architect, urban environmental planner, and founder of Grupo Verde SAS, a pioneering practice in landscape architecture and regenerative urban design. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the IFLA Working Programme 18 – Water Security & Management (Sponge Planet Initiative). She is also a Past President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), a Board Member of The Nature of Cities (TNOC), and Chair of the Latin American Landscape Initiative (LALI). Her work focuses on landscape-led water resilience, Nature-based Solutions, ecological restoration, regenerative territories, and the integration of traditional knowledge into contemporary landscape planning and design. She collaborates with international organizations, including the World Bank, AFD, CAF,developing innovative methodologies that connect water security, resilient mobility, and landscape architecture.
Other members of the Working Programme
Damian Holmes
Gaia Terlicher
Kelly Shannon
Zhifang Wang
Supanut Udomsilaparsup