These areas capture the points at which NbS interventions most directly intersect with social, economic, cultural, and political systems - where design choices are most sensitive to context, and where weak or untested assumptions most often undermine delivery. This section provides practical guidance for making these assumptions explicit within NbS projects, outlining key questions and data requirements for each project stage to help developers and investors move beyond implicit assumptions and embed rigorous, people-centred analysis into NbS design and implementation. A) Local Ownership and Governance Key assumption: Inclusive governance and participatory processes ensure local ownership, trust, and sustained engagement, enabling fair benefit-sharing. Underlying assumptions: ● Local governance structures have, or can develop, the capacity and legitimacy to make fair decisions, with strengthening or new structures introduced early enough to enable transparent benefit-sharing. ● Community participation mechanisms – existing or newly established – are inclusive and resilient to elite capture. ● Benefit-sharing is perceived as fair and aligned with community priorities. ● External conditions (e.g., political will, land tenure, socio-cultural dynamics) will not undermine participation, fair benefit sharing and local ownership. The table below outlines the key questions to ask and the information to collect at each stage of the project to test these assumptions: Phase Key Questions Pre-feasibility and feasibility ● Do existing governance bodies have the mandate, capacity and legitimacy to support transparent decision-making and dispute resolution? ● Are enabling conditions (land tenure, political will) stable enough to support participation? How do socio-cultural dynamics influence participation and governance? ● Does the project team have the capacity to engage communities effectively? Design and planning ● Have the risks of elite capture been assessed? How will governance arrangements adapt to uncertainty and evolving contexts? ● Has a clear process been established for co-designing benefit-sharing rules, FPIC and a grievance mechanism? ● Can the project mobilise necessary resources and partnerships to strengthen governance structures? 78
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