In 2011, researchers and decision-makers from across the Americas gathered in Los Cabos, Mexico to develop concepts for water security and adaptive management.
To further develop these concepts and address the uncertainty of water security amidst global change, the University of Arizona (led by Dr Christopher Scott, former Director of The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy - now Professor and Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Penn State University) partnered with Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (led by Dr. Francisco Meza, Centro de Cambio Global) to create a Center of Excellence for Water Security.
With support from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), AQUASEC launched in March 2012 in Santiago, Chile.