Linking knowledge with action in the pursuit of sustainable water-resources management

Abstract

Managing water for sustainable use and economic development is both a technical and a governance challenge in which knowledge production and sharing play a central role. This article evaluates and compares the role of participatory governance and scientific information in decision-making in four basins in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. Water management institutions in each of the basins have evolved during the last 10-20 years from a relatively centralized water-management structure at the state or national level to a decision structure that involves engaging water users within the basins and the development of participatory processes. This change is consistent with global trends in which states increasingly are expected to gain public acceptance for larger water projects and policy changes. In each case, expanded citizen engagement in identifying options and in decision-making processes has resulted in more complexity but also has expanded the culture of integrated learning. International funding for water infrastructure has been linked to requirements for participatory management processes, but, ironically, this study finds that participatory processes appear to work better in the context of decisions that are short-term and easily adjusted, such as water-allocation decisions, and do not work so well for longer-term, high-stakes decisions regarding infrastructure. A second important observation is that the costs of capacity building to allow meaningful stakeholder engagement in water-management decision processes are not widely recognized. Failure to appreciate the associated costs and complexities may contribute to the lack of successful engagement of citizens in decisions regarding infrastructure.water management | water sustainability | public participation | stakeholder engagement

Improving management of small natural features on private lands by negotiating the science–policy boundary for Maine vernal pools

“…First, consistent with prior work (20,37), the most effective strategies for linking scientific knowledge with action changed as the actors, knowledge needs, and context of vernal pool conservation evolved. New boundary organizations emerged, and products, tools, and processes were adapted to better align scientific knowledge production with decision-making priorities.…”

“…Without sustained investments interdisciplinary and engaged research projects are unlikely to thrive (38). Collaborative, interdisciplinary research demands more of researchers, managers, and stakeholders (37). By helping reduce barriers across disciplines and divides among experts and decision-making communities, organizations can help lower the costs of interdisciplinary and engaged research; foster and institutionalize new research agendas; and accelerate the identification of key opportunities in which scientific knowledge can improve management actions.…”

“…Thoughtful facilitation and organization of VPSWG meetings by UMaine scientists and a record of successful collaboration among key stakeholders allowed for (i) new stakeholders (developers, legislators, and municipal leaders) to assume greater roles in management and research discussions and (ii) approval and active support of both federal and state partners. As these examples suggest, by nurturing lasting relationships around small feature management on private land, collaborative strategies can effectively straddle divides between communities of experts and decision-makers and lessen uncertainties about resources, regulations, and science (37). The dynamic context of vernal pool management highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary and engaged SES research to agile and enduring boundary work (39,40).…”

Facilitating public participation in water resources management: reflections from Tanzania

“…Cohen and Uphoff (1977) discuss the importance of identifying what kind of participation is desired, whose participation is of interest, and how participation occurs. Institutional and organizational arrangements for facilitating public participation are highly diverse and continually evolving, and their performance has not been thoroughly examined (Ostrom 1990, Jacobs et al 2010. In some cases, traditional resource management-referring to the application of local ecological knowledge through customs and social norms for utilization, distribution, and regulation of natural resources-has facilitated stakeholder participation (Vollan andOstrom 2010, Strauch andAlmedom 2011).…”

“…The IWRM narrative also promotes three concurrent goals of equitable access to water resources, environmental sustainability, and economic efficiency of water use (van Koppen et al 2016). National or regional applications of IWRM-for example, in South Africa, Tanzania, and under the European Water Framework Directive-have enshrined participatory management in water resources at a basin scale, following natural hydrological boundaries (Jacobs et al 2010, Brown 2011. A participatory approach to water management is viewed as having greater likelihood of empowering local people, including traditionally disadvantaged groups, and greater effectiveness in sustainable water resource provision (Cleaver and Toner 2006).…”