Collaboration and conflict in complex water governance systems across a development gradient: addressing common challenges and solutions

García, María Mancilla; Hileman, Jacob; Bodin, Örjan

doi:10.5751/es-11133-240328

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Our results showed that collaboration and conflict between stakeholders occur simultaneously, which is in line with previous studies on environmental management in different contexts [17,54]. Regarding the conflict network (Figure 4), when the stakeholders were asked with whom it was difficult to collaborate, only 44.73% responded.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Untangling Humpback Whale-Watching Management Networks: Collaboration and Conflict in the Northeast Pacific

Langle-Flores,

López-Vázquez,

Chávez Dagostino

et al. 2023

Water

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Humpback whales face emerging anthropogenic challenges such as entanglement in abandoned fishing gear and stranding during their winter migration. Such challenges require collective action solutions involving diverse stakeholders across jurisdictions, social sectors, and geographies. Collaborative governance systems involve conflictual and collaborative interactions. We used a quantitative approach (social network analysis) to map the structure of three social networks: Collaboration in disentanglement, collaboration in stranding, and conflict. We administered a face-to-face survey to 38 stakeholders from four social sectors across seven coastal localities from April to November 2021. We also obtained perspectives from the same stakeholders about pressing conflicts, rule compliance, and law enforcement regarding whale-watching management in the region using a semi-structured questionnaire. We found hints of different dimensions of collaboration occurring simultaneously: Coordination, cooperation, and conflict. Networks played distinct roles in promoting collaboration across sectors, and while the disentanglement network coordinated civil society and the public sector, the stranding network facilitated cooperation within the public sector. The most pressing social conflicts detected by stakeholders were pleasure boats, abandoned fishing gear, and poor rule compliance regarding the distance between boats and whales. Our results suggest that in the context of institutional weakness, collaborative social networks play a crucial role in the management and conservation of coastal and marine common-pool resources.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Untangling Humpback Whale-Watching Management Networks: Collaboration and Conflict in the Northeast Pacific

Langle-Flores,

López-Vázquez,

Chávez Dagostino

et al. 2023

Water

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“…River restoration appears to be a complicated issue in terms of the ecology of games, namely decisions made by networks of actors (e.g., authorities, non-governmental organizations, companies, research bodies) interacting in multiple forums at different geographic scales, addressing a myriad of interconnected issues [ 10 ]. The joining together of multiple actors can have several implications, such as power dynamic [ 11 ], redistribution of power across actors, different barriers and bridges that might impede or foster coordination [ 12 ], or even conflicts [ 13 , 14 ]. As a particularity, it is even more difficult to govern fluvial systems with natural boundaries different from political ones [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the role of actors in river restoration: A network perspective

Ioana-Toroimac,

Stoica,

Moroșanu

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the actors involved in river restoration in Romania by untangling the complex networks that they are part of. Actors were considered nodes in a social network, tied by a common action or project. The nodes were characterized through the centrality metrics of a network. The network of actors in river restoration in Romania has a low density and high average path length and diameter for such a spare network, which suggests that knowledge transfer and collaboration are difficult. In the context of a highly centralized water governance system in Romania, the National Authority for Water exerts power and influence in river restoration as well. It has numerous partners, both disconnected and well connected in the network, therefore, it tends to be connected to everybody, as well as gets and diffuses knowledge. Yet, other actors are willing to get involved in river restoration in Romania. NGOs and research organizations have a central position in the network and play various roles (e.g., unconcerned influencers, gate-keepers, pulse-takers). As a recommendation for governing river restoration in Romania, we urge the creation of a national programme focused on river restoration, where the call for projects would be coordinated by the National Authority for Water and open to its territorial subordinates in agreement with stakeholders from various sectors and domains.

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“…The pursuit of governance principles is backed by the idea that governance systems offer a framework within which a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, civil society groups, and community‐based organizations, can deliberate and contribute to solving problems in the water sector (GWP, 2000). Also, governance systems promote decentralization of water management and reframing of water problems, which have the potential of overcoming tensions in water basins (Garcia et al, 2019; Kirsop‐Taylor et al, 2022). According to Rogers and Hall (2003), governance embraces a wide range of complex processes and procedures within which diverse stakeholders function and interact in diverse ways to address complex but common problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana

Eduful

2023

Natural Resources Forum

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In the global water policy literature, integrating governance principles into water resources management is projected as the best approach to overcome the crisis in water resources management. Therefore, since 1990, many countries, including Ghana, have introduced various changes in their water sector to encourage good governance in the management of the resource. Using interviews and a review of policy and regulatory documents, this study examines recent changes in the water sector in Ghana to identify challenges for good governance in water resources management. The results suggest that the introduction of a new institutional framework and several regulatory mechanisms, including policies, rules, regulations, and laws, has decentralized water management system, increased stakeholder participation, granted voice to marginalized stakeholders, and brought government and communities together in the decision‐making process. However, the results further reveal that several challenges, including institutional barriers, exclusion or underrepresentation of key stakeholders, corruption, multisectoral conflict, collaboration preferences, and others continue to frustrate good governance in water resources management. Deliberately committing to the principles of good governance, amending ineffective regulatory mechanisms, and adequately resourcing regulatory institutions can help avoid many of the challenges in the water sector and propel the country toward sustainable water resources management.

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Collaboration and conflict in complex water governance systems across a development gradient: addressing common challenges and solutions

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

Untangling Humpback Whale-Watching Management Networks: Collaboration and Conflict in the Northeast Pacific

Untangling Humpback Whale-Watching Management Networks: Collaboration and Conflict in the Northeast Pacific

Assessing the role of actors in river restoration: A network perspective

Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana

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