How to improve water governance in multifunctional irrigation systems? Balancing stakeholder engagement in hydrosocial territories

Abstract

The aim of this article is to conduct an evidence-based analysis of stakeholder engagement in decision-making processes affecting multifunctional irrigation systems. The selection of case studies has allowed us to examine different tools that promote stakeholder engagement and good governance. The case studies show how stakeholder engagement in irrigation systems shapes hydrosocial territories: (1) by reducing tension between stakeholders, (2) by redirecting regional planning and strategy, (3) by highlighting water crises, (4) by decentralizing water responsibilities, and (5) by integrating values and beliefs from different stakeholders.     

Unravelling Stakeholder Perceptions to Enable Adaptive Water Governance in Dryland Systems

Adaptive water governance seeks to increase a social-ecological system’s adaptive capacity in the face of uncertainty and change. This is especially important in non-linear dryland systems that are already exposed to water scarcity and increasing degradation. Conservation of water ecosystem services is key for increasing adaptive capacity in drylands, however, how stakeholders perceive water ecosystem services greatly affects how they are managed, as well as the potential for adaptive water governance. This paper focuses on identifying the system’s potential for enabling adaptive water governance by analysing different stakeholder perceptions on water ecosystem services. It takes the Rio del Carmen watershed as a case study, offering important insights for an increasing number of water-scarce regions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the watershed in order to unravel their perceptions and understand the governance context. We found disparities in how stakeholders perceive water ecosystem services have led to water overexploitation and several conflicts over water access. Our results indicate that stakeholder perceptions have a major influence on the system’s adaptability, as they shape the acquisition of water ecosystem services. Divergent stakeholder perceptions act as an important barrier to collaboration. Generating and sharing knowledge could facilitate the development of a common vision, allowing all actors to co-create information about water ecosystem services and the system state, engaging them in a participatory process, suitable for their context, and that will better support adaptive water governance.     

Smooth flows? Hydrosocial communities,water governance and infrastructural discord in Peru’s southern highlands

ABSTRACT

The article examines how the design and governance of Peru’s water infrastructure shape the social practices and cultural values stakeholders engage in and draw on when negotiating water rights in a year of drought. Reviewing ethnographic data on a large irrigation project in south-western Peru, we discuss how the project both perpetuates power relations between water experts, authorities and users and creates room to challenge its hierarchical organization. The project’s infrastructural assemblage of state and community canals offers an interesting case to explore how the stakeholder cooperation encouraged by Peru’s water law produces hydrosocial communities.     

Enhancing institutional dynamics for multiple uses of water amidst climate‐related risks: The case of Lake Buhi,Philippines

This study examined the current governance system for Lake Buhi, Philippines. It describes stakeholder patterns of decision‐making, their roles in the decision‐making process based on their legal mandates, the manner of interactions, the sources of conflict and how these various issues are currently resolved. Stakeholders represent diverse interests, including irrigation, hydropower generation, fishery management and navigation. This study uses data generated from ten key informant interviews of the different stakeholders, information from five round table discussions, and secondary data and reports of various agencies. The results indicate that Lake Buhi and its watershed present classic man‐in‐nature governance challenges. The interplay of internal and external uncertainties regarding multiple uses results in a complex system that is difficult to effectively manage. Climate‐related hazards aggravate the pressures from activities within the lake watershed, complicating water allocation issues. The institutional arrangements that have emerged to address these challenges, however, appear to be fraught with overlaps, fragmentation and a lack of communication. It is thought these deficiencies could be addressed by establishing a lake basin council with representation from all the involved organizations, as well as any stakeholder groups not represented by organizations. The system of governance over the lake must address issues concerning water uses and access to the resource. The capacity of the organizations to participate in such an arrangement is weak, however, and capacity building is needed. The availability and sharing of data and information among stakeholders are also weak and must be strengthened if the work of the lake basin council is to be based on the best available information.     

利益相关者视角下的大学组织创新

从利益相关者理论及对大学的适应性出发,分析了大学的利益相关者及其价值诉求,并在此基础上从组织战略、组织结构、组织文化三个维度,提出了通过树立利益相关者共同治理的办学理念、创新组织结构、形成利益相关者共同治理的组织文化等三个方面来推进大学组织创新的基本策略。     

Stakeholder engagement in water governance as social learning: lessons from practice

ABSTRACT

The OECD Principles on Water Governance set out various requirements for stakeholder engagement. Coupled with conceptualizations of social learning, this article asks how we define and enact stakeholder engagement and explores the actual practice of engagement of stakeholders in three fields of water governance. The results suggest that a key consideration is the purpose of the stakeholder engagement, requiring consideration of its ethics, process, roles and expected outcomes. While facilitators cannot be held accountable if stakeholder engagement ‘fails’ in terms of social learning, they are responsible for ensuring that the enabling conditions for social learning are met.     

水电开发企业利益相关者治理模式探讨

针对水电开发企业的特点,结合利益相关者理论,提出水电开发企业采用利益相关者治理模式的现实依据。分析水电开发企业利益相关者的内涵,构建了水电开发利益相关者治理模式,包括内部治理机制和外部相关配套机制,其中内部治理机制为:责权利分配机制、表决权机制、委托代理关系、激励约束机制等;外部相关配套机制为:法律环境的保障、水利投融资体制、外部监管、债权人治理和移民机制等。     

Nutrient management in Lake Erie: Evaluating stakeholder values,attitudes, and policy preferences

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have impaired Lake Erie’s western basin water quality since the 1960s. Though scientists agree that eutrophication is a key driver of HABs in Lake Erie, the role of nitrogen is still the subject of debate. The problem is twofold: (1) uncertainty in the specific causes of HABs can lead to inappropriate management solutions, and (2) managing a cross-boundary watershed requires collaboration and agreement on apt solutions from multiple stakeholders as well as many U.S. states and Canadian provinces. In our study, we interviewed 29 stakeholders actively involved in western Lake Erie’s watershed. We analyzed the stakeholders’ values, attitudes, and policy preferences to understand their differences, similarities, and their effects on management decisions. We found that stakeholders agree on the urgency of the problem and the necessity for increased nutrient management in Lake Erie’s western basin. Furthermore, we found that stakeholders can be represented as distinct clusters based on their values, and these value-based clusters are associated with different policy preferences. The different opinions and preferences of these value clusters span across stakeholder sectors and may affect efforts toward policy change. Stakeholders often question the feasibility and effectiveness of existing policies and policy plans. The findings shed new light on the relationship between stakeholder type and environmental values, attitudes, and policy preferences. Collaboration on HABs in Lake Erie will require open lines of communication both to improve policy and to cultivate trust among the multiple parties in this diverse watershed.     

浅析太湖治理行动网络的构建

太湖污染治理涉及很多不确定的科学问题,同时涉及流域社会的所有利益相关者.如何使不同的利益相关者形成恰当的水污染合作治理的集体行动模式,是解决太湖水污染问题的管理基础.本研究从太湖治理的组织模式出发,将太湖水污染治理历程分为单项目治理、蓝藻大规模暴发前项目群治理以及蓝藻大规模暴发后项目群治理三个阶段,并对各个阶段行动者网络关系进行分析.在总结实践经验和理论分析的基础上,重构了近期和未来太湖治理的行动者网络结构,并提出构建新型太湖治理模式的政策建议.     

Socio‐economic and institutional assessment of Malaysia's first biosphere reserve: Chini Lake

Despite being designated the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia, the Chini Lake Basin experiences continuing management challenges attributable to existing sectoral management practices and differences in demands of multiple stakeholders. Accordingly, a socio‐economic survey and stakeholder consultative process were undertaken, involving relevant stakeholders in the lake basin. The consultative process involved: (a) identification and prioritization of relevant stakeholders; (b) assessment of their socio‐economic activities and perceptions; (c) organization of focus group discussions between basin stakeholders; and (d) development of management recommendations in collaboration with stakeholders. The results of this study indicated the local community's way of living has changed from traditional occupations to a wage economy. Overlapping functions and lack of communication were among the major identified challenges facing by Chini Lake. Multiple strategies were proposed to promote environmental protection and good governance of Chini Lake, including formation of special area plans and strengthening institutional arrangements to sustainably manage the Chini Lake catchment. An effective authority also is necessary to improve communication and coordination of programmes by the various basin agencies and communities.     

Payments for watershed services: Directing incentives for improving lake basin governance

This study introduces the emerging integrated ecosystem management approach known as Payments for Watershed Services (PWS) as utilized for lake and reservoir basin governance. PWS is built on the central concept of providing economic incentives to watershed stakeholders to assist in management efforts. It channels conservation payments from downstream payers to finance conservation activities conducted by upstream payees. The upstream conservation activities are expected to enhance ecosystem functions, thereby improving water‐related ecosystem services desired by downstream stakeholders. Information on 163 PWS projects in 34 developing countries through the year 2008 was collected and analysed, including their common goals, processes, outcomes, scientific assumptions and socioeconomic rationales. This study recognized one unique PWS characteristic, namely the role of intermediary organizations (i.e. brokers) in integrating the economic incentives of upstream payees and downstream payers in order to facilitate their transactions by means of contracts. Although 75% of the reviewed PWS projects have focused on rivers, and only 10% have considered lakes and reservoirs, the similarity of the intermediary functions performed by lake management organizations and PWS intermediary organizations suggests a greater potential for the future application of PWS designs in lake basins. Drawing on components in the field of New Institutional Economics to interpret the intermediary function within the PWS framework, a three‐part PWS design with 15 steps is proposed in this study for lake basin governance, with a Costa Rican PWS scheme serving as an illustration. This study seeks to communicate the scientific and socioeconomic frontiers for developing locally suitable and integrated watershed governance structures to lake management organizations and other watershed stakeholder groups.     

OECD Principles on Water Governance in practice: an assessment of existing frameworks in Europe,Asia-Pacific,Africa and South America

ABSTRACT

Through the lens of the 12 OECD Principles on Water Governance, this article examines six water resources and water services frameworks in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and South America to understand enhancing and constraining contextual factors. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to analyze each framework against four criteria: alignment; implementation; on-ground results; and policy impact. Four main target areas are identified for improving water governance: policy coherence; financing; managing trade-offs; and ensuring integrity and transparency by all decision makers and stakeholders. Suggestions are presented to support practical implementation of the principles through better government action and stakeholder involvement.     

Stakeholder‐enhanced environmental flow assessment: The Rufiji Basin case study in Tanzania

Environmental flows are now a standard part of sustainable water management globally but are only rarely implemented. One reason may be insufficient engagement of stakeholders and their priority outcomes in the environmental flow‐setting process. A recent environmental flow assessment (EFA) in the Kilombero basin of the Rufiji River in Tanzania concentrated on a broad‐based investigation of stakeholders' use and perceptions of the ecosystem services provided by the river as a framework for the assessment of flow regimes that would maintain them. The EFA process generally followed the Building Block Methodology but within an enhanced stakeholder engagement framework. Engagement began with the involvement of institutional stakeholders to explain the purpose of the EFA and to elicit their priority outcomes. Extensive interactions with direct‐use stakeholders followed to investigate their uses of and priorities for the rivers. Results were used by the EFA specialist team in choosing flow indicators and defining measurable environmental objectives. The specialists then met to reach a consensus of the flow requirements. The EFA results were lastly reported back to stakeholders. During the Kilombero EFA, we learned that stakeholders at all levels have a good awareness of the natural services provided by a healthy river and can contribute to the setting of environmental objectives for the rivers and floodplain. These can be factored into the biophysical assessments of river flows required to maintain habitats, processes, water quality, and biodiversity. It is therefore important to allocate significant resources to stakeholder engagement. It now remains to be seen if enhanced stakeholder engagement, including the increased understanding and capacity built among all stakeholders, will increase support for the implementation of the recommended flows.     

Stakeholders' perceptions of the socio‐economic and environmental challenges at Lake Victoria

Developing policy that is both relevant and supported requires an understanding of stakeholders' account of the key challenges in society. Such insights allow policymakers to better align their policy and collaborate with stakeholders to successfully manage the challenges. To this end, the present study reports on a problem analysis conducted with Lake Victoria stakeholders. A thorough stakeholder mapping procedure was followed by semistructured interviews with businesses, NGOs, governmental organizations and communities. In these interviews, stakeholders discussed what they perceived to be the most pressing challenges in the region, as well as their causes and possible mitigation strategies. The analysis resulted in 12 key challenges raised by the stakeholders that cover socio‐economic, environmental, health and institutional issues. Stakeholder analysis revealed that the type of challenges discussed varied across countries and stakeholder institutions. Based on these analyses, the present study concludes that these diverse perceptions must be taken into consideration in future policy formulation and that a strong partnership between policymakers and stakeholders is crucial to mitigate these challenges.     

Involving stakeholders in integrated river basin planning in England and Wales

The European Water Framework Directive provides a new impetus to manage river catchments in more integrated, joined-up ways. This article looks at the role of stakeholders in integrated catchment management. Taking the work of the Environment Agency as a case study, the article begins by looking at recent successes at managing water related issues and the role of stakeholders in this. It then looks at ways in which water environments continue to be vulnerable, particularly to diffuse pollution, some development practices and climatic changes. It argues for the need for more integrated management responses, characterised by collaborative and inter-disciplinary learning to manage the interdependencies, complexities and uncertainties of catchments as integrated systems. This will require both the strengthening and streamlining of current approaches to stakeholder engagement, as well as the development of new approaches. The article concludes by outlining recent work by the Environment Agency to shape these new arrangements for stakeholder engagement, and by reflecting on the lessons learned from this.     

Stakeholder collaboration in the Columbia River Treaty Review process

The public participation element of the Columbia River Treaty Review process conducted in the United States was assessed: to what extent did it incorporate participation by basin stakeholders, how importantly did this figure in the minds of stakeholders, and what is the prospect for stakeholder concerns to be given meaningful attention by the US Department of State in deliberations and actions concerning the future of the treaty? The analysis revealed that collaboration is important to stakeholders, and the process facilitated a significant degree of collaboration. The continuation of collaboration in treaty negotiation and in post-2024 treaty implementation was recommended.     

Governance in a River Restoration Project in South Korea: The Case of Incheon

This research aims to explore an emergence of river governance in Incheon, South Korea, in relation to the Incheon Stream Restoration Project from 2003 to 2010. The purpose of the project is to restore local streams in Incheon for improvement of ecological restoration, water quality, flood prevention, and waterfront amenities for local residents. The project epitomizes the ethos of river governance through accommodation of views from various stakeholders, such as the government, nongovernmental organizations, local residents, and experts through establishment of the Stream Restoration Propulsion Group (SRPG). The enactment of the Special Ordinance for the SRPG has served to help the governance system work in the project. The interim assessment of the project in terms of river governance and ecological restoration indicates that the project has achieved a good degree of river governance coupled with a limited range of ecological restoration. The key to the success of the project hinges upon a continuous collaboration between the stakeholders to achieve river restoration, particularly political bargaining between the government and the other stakeholders.     

Managing resources through stakeholder networks: collaborative water governance for Lake Naivasha basin,Kenya

Stakeholder analysis and social network analysis were used to analyze stakeholders’ social and structural characteristics based on their interests, influence and interactions in Lake Naivasha basin, Kenya. Even though the Kenyan government and its agencies seem to command higher influence and interest in water resource management, the presence of influential and central stakeholders from non-government sectors plays a key role in strengthening partnership in a governance environment with multiple sectors, complex issues and competing interests. Interactions in the basin are guided by stakeholders’ interest and sphere of influence, which have both promoted participation in implementing a collaborative water governance framework.     

Participation: Rhetoric and Reality. The Importance of Understanding Stakeholders Based on a Case Study in Upper East Ghana

Based on the views of a number of stakeholders involved in the development of small reservoir systems in the Upper East Region of Ghana in West Africa, this paper examines the importance of understanding the stakeholders whom the international development community wants to include in its participatory approaches. The paper also aims to show that terms such as ‘participation’, ‘participatory approach’ and ‘participatory planning’ are often used in project proposals, but that in reality the extent to which stakeholders are actually able to participate in projects is limited. This limitation is often due to a lack of understanding by the project organization of the interests and views of the stakeholders, which are then not incorporated in the project process. A stakeholder analysis could provide more insight in the interests, goals and views of all stakeholders involved in a project, as well as in the differences between the stakeholders. In the development of water resources, the long-term sustainability of a project's work is dependent on the manner in which relevant (often local) stakeholders continue the process after the official time of the project has ended. Thus, since the project is dependent on the involvement of relevant stakeholders, the formulation of adequate and appropriate forms of stakeholder engagement that will ensure information exchange and participation is essential. However, as the case study shows, such analyses were not always carried out, thus leading to a number of problems with project implementation and also with transplantation from one region, district or community to another.     

Domestic Water Charges in Ireland - Issues and Challenges Conveyed through Social Media

This paper analyses a Twitter dataset to explore water governance and stakeholder engagement during the introduction of domestic water charges in Ireland. The results highlight active Twitter use during the analysis period, reflective of widespread protest centred on a new utility, Irish Water. The analysis shows protest activities were dispersed and not cohesive, with tweets largely focused on economic and political issues and not on the provision of a sustainable water supply. The findings extend our understanding of these events and provide some insights into the role of social media in water governance and stakeholder engagement issues in an Irish and wider context.