Assessment framework of actor strategies in international river basin management, the case of Deltarhine

Abstract

The combined effects of socio-economic growth as well as climate change exert increasing pressure on international river basins and require dedicated cooperative efforts to jointly manage international rivers. Cooperative strategies drawn from scientific literature, empirical research and practitioner’s handbooks are explored and clustered into six key dimensions of goals, instruments, structures, actors, leadership and resources to provide an assessment tool of actor strategies for both scientists and practitioners. The exploratory framework is applied to Dutch–German cooperation in the delta of the Rhine catchment, testing its conceptual validity and applicability in international river basin management as well as providing policy recommendations for the study area. The assessment framework can serve as an instrument to inventory, map and evaluate the importance of specific actor strategies and to facilitate dialogue and cross-border cooperation between riparian countries. Alternatively, the framework can be put to use, for example by downstream countries, to assess and coordinate their range of strategies on the national, regional and local level in order to engage and influence their counterparts.

Evolving together: transboundary water governance in the Colorado River Basin

“…It includes events that can be seen as more long-term in nature, reflecting legal negotiation processes, like the Minutes to the 1944 Treaty, and also more short-term shocks, like the 2010 earthquake. Consistent with Renner et al (2020), we observed how long-term and short-term contextual changes can inform strategies key actors employ to bolster the resilience of transboundary institutions and take advantage of these opportunities to pass unprecedented transboundary water management strategies like the shortagesharing guidelines. We find shock events can accelerate change and provide opportunities for actions and policies not previously possible in situations where the groundwork has been laid through trust building and information sharing.…”

“…First, our study contributes to the ongoing debates in the scholarship around the nature of the binational relationship between the US and Mexico over the Colorado River, and the role of the IBWC in the transboundary governance. We offer a temporal analysis, looking at change over the past two decades, drawing on perspectives from key players "inside" and "outside" the decision-making table (Renner et al, 2020). As such, this research contributes to the scholarship through its focus on transboundary water governance as evolving and dynamic, with an institutional landscape shaped by patterns of conflict and cooperation among stakeholders at multiple levels.…”

“…The CRJCP illustrates how effective cooperation goes beyond signing a treaty and establishing an IRBO, but rather depends on the interplay of a number of factors over time, including continued commitment to cooperation, strong and well-funded transboundary institutions, key actors' leadership and ability to take advantage of emerging opportunities and adapt to changing conditions (Marty, 2001;Renner et al, 2020). The co-production of science by transboundary work groups and the increased involvement of binational NGOs are key drivers of cooperation and an expanding stakeholder process (Gerlak, 2017).…”

“…Through our temporal analysis covering the past two decades (2000-2019), we observe how transboundary water agreements are influenced by long-term environmental, institutional, socioeconomic, and political changes, as well as by short shock periods like natural disasters, that can provide opportunities for transformative change (Renner et al, 2020). Figure 2 illustrates key events and agreements in the binational relationship over the past two decades.…”