The Experts below are selected from a list of 321 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Erik Mostert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Law and Politics in River Basin Management: The Implementation of the Water Framework Directive in The Netherlands
Water, 2020Co-Authors: Erik MostertAbstract:This article discusses the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the Netherlands and shows how law and politics combine in river Basin Management. Initially, the implementation of the WFD in the Netherlands was approached as a technical and administrative issue, handled by water quality and ecology experts, but, in 2003, this approach was broken open by the agricultural sector, who feared stricter regulation. Subsequently, the environmental objectives of the WFD were set as low as possible and they play no role when authorising new projects. In July 2015, however, the European Court of Justice determined that the environmental objectives have a binding effect and that Member States have to refuse authorisation of projects that jeopardise the achievement of these objectives. This example shows the important role that law as a social phenomenon or “field” can play in river Basin Management, provided the courts enjoy sufficient social and political support and function relatively independently, as they do in the Netherlands. The article discusses the origin of the juridical field and its relation with politics and concludes that, to understand river Basin Management fully, it is essential to understand how (water) law functions.
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River Basin Management and community : the Great Ouse Basin, 1850–present
International Journal of River Basin Management, 2017Co-Authors: Erik MostertAbstract:ABSTRACTRiver Basins are difficult units to manage. Society is generally not organized on the basis of river Basins, yet river Basins are important units for society and vice versa. This paper discusses the development and effectiveness of river Basin Management, using the Great Ouse Basin in the east of England as an example. Because of conflicting interests between upstream and downstream areas in this Basin, it took some 70 years, from 1850 to 1920, to establish the first Basin-wide Management body, and because of these interests this body was initially not very effective. Over the years Management was scaled up until in 1989 a national rivers authority was established. A fundamental issue was the lack of a sense of community at the Basin scale. This could have mitigated the conflicts of interests and facilitated better cooperation. The paper recommends more research on the role of community in river Basin Management and suggests to extend the notions of ‘institutional’ and ‘socio-ecological fit’ to in...
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social learning in european river Basin Management barriers and fostering mechanisms from 10 river Basins
Ecology and Society, 2007Co-Authors: Erik Mostert, Claudia Pahlwostl, Bradley Searle, David Tabara, Yvonne Rees, Joanne TippettAbstract:We present and analyze 10 case studies of participatory river-Basin Management that were conducted as part of the European HarmoniCOP project. The main theme was social learning, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration, organization, and learning. The case studies show that social learning in river-Basin Management is not an unrealistic ideal. Resistance to social learning was encountered, but many instances of social learning were found, and several positive results were identified. Moreover, 71 factors fostering or hindering social learning were identified; these could be grouped into eight themes: the role of stakeholder involvement, politics and institutions, opportunities for interaction, motivation and skills of leaders and facilitators, openness and transparency, representativeness, framing and reframing, and adequate resources. Promising topics for further research include the facilitation of the social learning processes, the role of power, and interactions in political and institutional contexts.
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Recommendations and guidelines on sustainable river Basin Management
1999Co-Authors: Erik MostertAbstract:This report contains the outcomes of the workshop: the "Recommendations and Guidelines on Sustainable River Basin Management" and a short key message. These outcomes were formulated by the participants in parallel and plenary sessions, and adopted in the final session. The annexes of this report contain the list of participants and the workshop programme. Proceedings including all keynote papers and several other contributions will be published separately.
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Perspectives on river Basin Management
Physics and Chemistry of The Earth Part B-hydrology Oceans and Atmosphere, 1999Co-Authors: Erik MostertAbstract:Abstract Effective river Basin Management (RBM) is the key to sustainable development. Within river Basins, land and water, surface water and groundwater, and water quantity and water quality interact in many different ways. To prevent overuse and degradation, prudent Management is necessary that pays due attention to these interrelations. Especially in international river Basins this poses big problems as the interests of upstream and downstream countries often conflict. This paper discusses six perspectives on international RBM, called ‘natural science’, ‘engineering’, ‘social optimisation’, ‘law’, ‘decision making’ and ‘ethics’. Each perspective highlights some aspects of RBM while disregarding others. To promote sustainable development, actual RBM and applied research supporting RBM should incorporate all the different perspectives. In more fundamental research it may be advisable to use just one perspective. Yet, also in fundamental research it is crucial to recognise not only the possibilities, but also the limitations of the perspective applied. Moreover, the different (monodisciplinary) perspectives can be enriched by borrowing elements from other perspectives.
Gemma Carr - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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stakeholder and public participation in river Basin Management an introduction
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 2015Co-Authors: Gemma CarrAbstract:Participation of the public and stakeholders in river Basin Management is increasingly promoted because it is expected to improve resource Management and enable participants to engage freely and equally in Management (support democratic processes). Three overlapping and interacting mechanisms by which participation is expected to enhance river Basin Management are outlined: (1) providing space for deliberation and consensus building for better quality decisions, (2) mobilizing and developing human and social capital for better quality decisions and their implementation, and (3) raising the legitimacy of decisions to facilitate their implementation. There are several complexities associated with each of the mechanisms that add challenges to realizing the expectations of participation. They include the need to carefully manage consensus building and conflict to maximize the quality of the decision without jeopardizing the potential for implementation; being aware of and implementing strategies to manage asymmetrical power relationships between participants; ensuring that participants perceive benefits from participation that exceed costs; and defining criteria for a legitimate process, and a legitimate decision, that satisfy all participants. Strategies identified to address these challenges focus on managing the characteristics of the participation process. Ongoing evaluation during a participation program or project is essential to reflect and refine how participation is being done, to address the challenges and endeavor to achieve high-quality decisions that can be implemented efficiently. WIREs Water 2015, 2:393–405. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1086 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Marna De Lange - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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boundaries of consent stakeholder representation in river Basin Management in mexico and south africa
World Development, 2003Co-Authors: Philippus Wester, Douglas J Merrey, Marna De LangeAbstract:Abstract Increasing the capacity of water users to influence decision-making is crucial in river Basin Management reforms. This article assesses emerging forums for river Basin Management in Mexico and South Africa and concludes that the pace of democratization of water Management in both is slow. Mexico is characterized by continued government dominance and attempts to include already organized stakeholders in decision-making, while substantive stakeholder representation is lacking. South Africa is placing emphasis on social mobilization and transformation, leading to a slower implementation process and struggles over the redistribution of resources. While not a panacea, moving from stakeholder participation to substantive stakeholder representation in river Basin Management holds more promise of achieving equitable water Management.
Leslie A. Duram - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Factors influencing local stakeholders' perceptions of Tisza River Basin Management: the role of employment sector and education.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2017Co-Authors: Amanda C. Marshall, Leslie A. DuramAbstract:Abstract The complexity associated with achieving sustainable river Basin Management plans for international, transboundary river Basins, such as the Tisza River Basin in central Europe, make them an ideal study area for examining the influence of education and experience on stakeholder perception of Basin Management. This study presents findings from analysis of in-person surveys to examine differences in local stakeholder perceptions and involvement in the Tisza River Basin through analysis of participants’ levels of knowledge, experience, and involvement in Basin Management. The survey was conducted among members of the public in locations across the Basin, in which participants were asked to identify and rank their opinions of factors affecting the health of the river Basin, to identify observed changes in flood patterns, and to rank their level of interest and participation in Basin Management activities. To evaluate whether experience affected responses, participants were grouped demographically according to whether they worked in the public or private sector, their level of education (no college, undergraduate, or graduate school), gender and country of residence. Significant differences in stakeholder responses were found between education levels attained among participants in the public versus the private sector, and between the reported levels of environmental concern among participants of different education levels. Participants also reported low levels of participation and monitoring of Management activities. These differences and lack of participation support the need for public education in participatory governance structures to support sustainable river Basin Management efforts.
Karin Kemper - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Integrated River Basin Management through Decentralization - Integrated River Basin Management through Decentralization
2007Co-Authors: Karin Kemper, William Blomquist, Ariel DinarAbstract:1. River Basin Management at the lowest appropriate level: When and why does it (not) work in pracitave? - 2. Comparative analysis of case studies.- 3. Determinants of river Basin Management decentralization: Motivation, process, and performance.- 4. Australia: Murray-Darling Basin.- 5. Brazil: Alton Tiete Basin.- 6. Brazil: Jaguaribe Basin.- 7. Canada: Fraser Basin.- 8. Costa Rica: Tarcoles Basin.- 9. Indonesia: Brantas Basin.- 10. Poland: Warta Basin.- 11. Spain: Guadalquivir Basin.- 12. River Basin Management: Conclusions and implications.
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Decentralization of river Basin Management: a global analysis
2005Co-Authors: Ariel Dinar, William Blomquist, Michele Diez, Gisele Sine, Karin Kemper, William FruAbstract:Decentralization and increased stakeholder involvement have been major elements of water sector reform as ways to promote sustainable and integrated resource Management particularly of river Basins. Based on an analytical framework for relating decentralization and stakeholder involvement to improved river Basin Management, this paper infers several hypotheses about factors associated with greater or lesser likelihood of success of the decentralization process using data from 83 river Basins worldwide. The results suggest that physical, political, economic, financial, and institutional characteristics of the Basin do affect the process and the level of performance of the decentralization. In particular, the presence of water scarcity may be a stimulus to reform, uniting the stakeholders in the Basin and leading to better performance; organized user groups push for the initiation of decentralization reforms but may be associated with costs to the process and difficulty of achieving decentralization; the existence of dispute resolution mechanisms supports stakeholder involvement and improves decentralization performance; where stakeholders accepted greater financial responsibility, complying with tariffs and contributing to the budget for Basin Management, the decentralization process and performance measures increased; Basins with higher percentages of their budgets from external governmental sources benefited from better stability and support and it shows in the performance of the decentralization process.
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Institutional and policy analysis of river Basin Management: the Brantas river Basin, East Java, Indonesia
2005Co-Authors: Anjali Bhat, Kikkeri Ramu, Karin KemperAbstract:The authors describe and analyze an unconventional approach to river Basin Management in a developing country undergoing rapid economic, political, and institutional change. The founding of the Brantas River Basin Management Corporation (Perum Jasa Tirta I - PJT 1), a national state-owned company for river Basin Management, initiated an emphasis on river Basin Management to operate and maintain existing infrastructure, plan and implement the allocation of water, and address problems that affect Basin-level water resources. The Brantas River Basin is located within the province of East Java in Indonesia. It has an area of approximately 11,800 square kilometers and makes up 25 percent of East Java's land area. The Basin's population, which amounts to nearly 15 million, has increased by 53.4 percent over the past 30 years and represents 42.4 percent of East Java's population with a density of 1,249 per square kilometer. A shift has taken place in Indonesia since the mid-1990s from emphasizing infrastructure development to strengthening institutional aspects (hydrology, flood fighting, flood warning, flood Management, and so on). The institutional arrangement for water resources Management in the Brantas Basin through a state-owned corporation is an interesting model. PJT I has achieved results in implementing a reasonably good system of water allocation and Management and a reliable flood forecasting system, as well as maintaining major infrastructure in fairly good condition. Managing water quality, catchment conditions, and the river environment, however, are the responsibility of many entities, and there is need for greater coordination and authority to address these issues.
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River Basin Management: Conclusions and Implications
Integrated River Basin Management through Decentralization, 1Co-Authors: William Blomquist, Ariel Dinar, Karin KemperAbstract:What has been learned from this worldwide survey of river Basin organizations and these eight case studies? What can be said, based on this study, about integrated river Basin Management at the lowest possible level – when and why does it work or not work? This study was stimulated by two recommendations in the water resource Management literature. The first recommendation is the integration of water resource Management at the river Basin level, which has been advocated in order to achieve improved Management through a more comprehensive approach that combines supply allocation, demand Management, quality protection, and ecological preservation or restoration. The second recommendation is the decentralization of river Basin Management to the lowest level, which has been advocated in order to achieve improved Management through better adaptation to local conditions, better use of local knowledge and institutions, and greater involvement of stakeholders from the range of sectors involved in water use. In many locations around the world, pursuing both goals – integration and decentralization – has led to the establishment of river Basin organizations. These organizations became the focus of this study. Examining river Basin organizations is one way to pose and answer questions such as:
