Lorena Ramirez

I’m a Senior Water Specialist in the environment, water, climate change and disaster risk reduction (EWD) division at Landell Mills. During my seven years at Landell Mills, I have managed projects in the water and environment sector funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

I currently coordinate a project that will provide risk financing and insurance solutions for coral reef ecosystems in Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

I’m based in Bali, Indonesia. Day-to-day, I’m busy coordinating a project team of more than 50 consultants, as well as ongoing project activities in the four project countries – including workshops, surveys, review and submission of technical reports, and meetings with the team or stakeholders. When possible, I also make visits to the project sites in Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji and Solomon Islands.

The first project that I managed was an ADB-funded project on Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) in Asia, covering eight countries, from 2019 to 2022. This project looked at strengthening the design and implementation of IFRM solutions, enhancing knowledge and application of IFRM strategies in the project countries. In addition to managing the project, I was also a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Flood Risk Management Specialist, contributing to the development of a GIS database for the Ministry of Public Works in Indonesia.

Other ADB projects that I’ve managed include a project on Water Harvesting and Agroforestry for the Government of Timor Leste from 2021-25, and a climate risk project on water availability in the Pyanj River Basin for the Government of Tajikistan from 2022-23.

Every project that I’ve managed has been exciting and had its own challenges, but the coral reef risk financing and insurance solutions project that I’m currently managing is my favourite as it is a innovative topic. With intensifying climate threats accelerating reef degradation – such as stronger cyclones, rising sea temperatures and coral bleaching – innovative finance solutions are urgently required to mitigate and manage climate risks, increase the resilience of coral reefs, and ensure that suitable and effective response mechanisms are in place following a major disaster event.

With so many activities ongoing in parallel in multiple countries, prioritisation of tasks is a key one, and of course knowing when to ask for additional support from the EWD division at Landell Mills. Clear communication with the team and clients and managing expectations of stakeholders regarding timescales and scope is critical. Additionally, with a global team and activities ongoing in four countries, being flexible and able to travel to project sites is essential.

My MSc in Environmental Water Management and technical background in flood risk management, hydrology and hydraulic modelling, and GIS, have all been very useful when managing environment and water projects at Landell Mills.

In my role at Landell Mills, I enjoy managing projects that create an impact on the ground, working with multi-disciplinary teams across the globe, and getting to spend some time in the field and consult with local communities to ensure the project creates an impact.

My most memorable moment at Landell Mills was joining the coral reef survey team during a survey in one of the sites at Arnavon Community Marine Park in Solomon Islands. The Arnavon Community Marine Park is Solomon Island’s first nationally protected area, known for its rich marine biodiversity and important conservation efforts – the reefs were pristine!