Supported by EU funds, the European research community has been putting much effort into providing model-based tools to support water resource managers in implementing water management as well as the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. This paper presents the results of a two-year long elicitation phase which aimed to explain why the use of tools in water management is not as great as the corresponding investment in applied research in this area might suggest it should be. The paper identifies a gap between water managers and research community that is evidence of a mutual misunderstanding of the fundamental activities of both communities. We elaborate on these misunderstandings between these two communities by focussing on their attitudes towards seven assumptions that derived from an elicitation phase carried out between 2003 and 2004. These misunderstandings appear to revolve around the issues of the role and importance of model-based tools in water management; the transferability of models to new target sites; the role of participatory modelling in water management; how to solve lack of confidence in model-based tools; the development of computer user interfaces to improve tool usability; and the nature of model integration. Based on these insights, recommendations for improving research, development and ultimately the use of model-based tools in river basin management processes are proposed. The recommendations include improving researchers' understanding of water management processes and the role their tools play within such a process; identifying for both communities the importance that such tools can play as part of social learningoriented management processes; improving the role of software consultancies as carriers of research results; considering new methods of model transferability between target basins; and expanding the structure of funding for academic research and development projects to allow
International audienceWith the introduction of river basin management, as prescribed by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), participatory structures are frequently introduced at the hydrological scale without fully adapting them to the decision-making structure. This results in parallel structures and spatial misfits within the institutional settings of river basin governance systems. By analyzing French and German case studies, we show how social learning (SL) is impeded by such misfits. We also demonstrate that river basin-scale institutions or actors that link parallel structures are essential for promoting river basins as management entities, and for encouraging SL between actors at the river basin scale. In the multi-scale, multi-level settings of river basin governance, it is difficult to fully exclude spatial misfits. Thus, it is important to take our insights into account in the current transition of water management from the administrative to the hydrological scale to get the greatest benefit from SL processes
Research often takes place in different spheres than practical water management. For example, the European research community has been putting much effort into providing model-based tools to support water resource managers in designing and implementing water management strategies -including participatory and integrated approaches such as prescribed by the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). Although a lot of information on river basin management is available in principle, water managers don't make much use of this information. Why is that so?We are aware that the answer to this question is not a single one. Nor is there a single solution to the problem. It is evident that simply providing information does not result in an effective communication across the science-policy interface. We are convinced that bringing the two "sides" -the researchers and the water managers -together and creating a dialogue between them is an important step to find some of the solutions.In the context of the special issue we aim to support this dialogue by discussing methods which may contribute to participatory water resources management. The idea for this special issue rose at the synthesis workshop of a two years-elicitation phase we carried out to learn more about the expectations of the researchers and the practitioners communities about the role and required attributes of models and information and communication tools in water management. Special emphasis was given to embed the analysis in a broad context of participatory water management as required by the European Water Framework Directive. Based on a more profound understanding of communication problems recommendations should be developed how the use of model-based tools in practical water management could be improved. In the first paper we present objectives and design of the elicitation phase and summarize the results of the elicitation phase by identifying seven misunderstandings between water managers and researcher which are then turned into recommendations how to improve the support of model-based tools in practical water management. During the synthesis workshop issues of major interest were identified in interactive group sessions with researchers and practitioners. Two of those issues were developed further into contributions in this issue: Brugnach et al. address the question of
In recent years, collaborative planning and processes of social learning (SL) have gained increasingly in interest in river basin management. In this paper, we fi rst summarize the prerequisites for SL to take place in collaborative management processes. These are openness, gains and incentives, and a perceived pressure to learn. We then study the European situation subsequent to the introduction of the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC; WFD) as an example. Based on an analysis of policy documents, a case study of the Elbe river basin and an elaboration of concepts related to theories of international regimes, we conclude that the conditions for SL are often not met if management processes are highly formalised. Considering SL that is necessary for innovation and change, this can best be supported through the establishment of parallel "learning processes", such as the Common Implementation Strategy that accompanies implementation of the WFD at European level. Copyright
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