Water governance: the complexity of interactive dynamics among stakeholder groups

Abstract

The management of water involves complex issues related to just allocation and sustainability. While integrated approaches incorporating diverse stakeholders have emerged as the dominant global framework for 21st-century challenges, policymakers face difficulties in assessing stakeholder participation and integration. This study generated primary data from a survey and interviews and used social network analysis to reveal and map the dynamics of interaction among ten groups holding stakes in the water resources of the Açu Lake State Park, a Brazilian coastal estuary. The results indicate that stakeholder group interaction was concentrated within two distinct clusters, such that high interaction correlated positively with political power, while those most dependent on the resources were characterized by limited decision-making influence and low interaction with other groups. These results offer insight for the equitable and sustainable governance of water resources and the assessment of participation and interaction among stakeholder groups.