7. Interactive Governance for Sustainable Resource Use and Environmental Management: A Case Study of Yaman ng Lawa Initiative in the Laguna Lake Watershed, Philippines

This chapter deals with the watershed and water resource management of Laguna Lake in the Philippines. Laguna Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines and is located next to the capital, Metropolitan Manila. Due to urbanization and industrialization, the lake’s water quality is deteriorating, and water resource management is now urgently required. This chapter reviews the Philippines’ water governance and its history and framework and then examines the activities and roles of stakeholders for Laguna Lake. This chapter also focuses on the Laguna Lake Development Authority and the role of the Yaman ng Lawa Initiative in local community activities for managing and using the lake and its watersheds sustainably. This chapter discusses how community mechanisms can produce social capital by interactive governance in the lake basin.