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2007 | Buch

Governance as a Trialogue: Government-Society-Science in Transition

herausgegeben von: Dr. Anthony R. Turton, Ms. Hanlie J. Hattingh, Ms. Gillian A. Maree, Dr. Dirk J. Roux, Dr. Marius Claassen, Ms. Wilma F. Strydom

Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Buchreihe : Water Resources Development and Management

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Über dieses Buch

The last two decades have been marked by a dramatic increase in global attention to the concept of governance, especially in relation to the eff- tive and sustainable management of natural resources. During this period, issues of water governance have received particular attention, for example in relation to the provision of reliable water supplies as a catalyst for p- erty eradication. Within the context of the Millennium Development Goals, and against a backdrop of an increasing frequency of water crises (ranging from widespread flooding to severe water scarcity), it is essential that each country (and particularly those countries that face development challenges) should be in a position to ensure that access to water is ava- able to those who need it most. This issue has been highlighted by the Global Water Partnership, which stated that the water crisis facing the world is in reality a crisis of governance. The South African political environment has changed dramatically in recent years, and the central concepts of social equity and the right to a healthy environment are now entrenched in the country’s Constitution. These concepts are supported by several new laws, in particular the - tional Environmental Management Act and the National Water Act, which, in turn, are based on the principles of sustainable development. However, despite the highly desirable attributes of these landmark pieces of legis- tion, South African authorities are still struggling to implement the - quirements of these Acts almost a decade after their promulgation.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Introduction

Frontmatter
Towards a Model for Ecosystem Governance: An Integrated Water Resource Management Example
Abstract
The concept of governance, and especially good governance, is pivotal to the achievement of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). The concepts of governance used in much of the current literature on IWRM indicate that it is often used in a contradictory way and sometimes used interchangeably with the word government. This chapter proposes a Trialogue Model of governance that is structured around three groups of actors — government, society and science — and discusses the dynamic interactions between these groups. The interfaces between these three groups of actors, or actor-clusters, and the dynamics of their interactions, provide the basis for a critical assessment of governance as a concept. The chapter isolates four specific elements of scale that are relevant to governance: economic, political, administrative and international; as well as three structural aspects: mechanisms, processes and institutions. In addition, the chapter identifies four processes: articulating interests, exercising legal rights, discharging legal obligations and mediating disputes, and analyses the central role of norms and values in good governance. Finally, an analytical distinction is made between governance as a process and governance as a product, and a new definition of ecosystem governance is offered. Evidence is presented to demonstrate the highly dynamic nature of governance processes, with clear differences that distinguish mature democracies and fledgling democracies.
Anthony R Turton, J Hattingh, Marius Claassen, Dirk J Roux, Peter J Ashton

An Overview of Governance

Frontmatter
Global Experience on Governance
Abstract
This introductory chapter provides a broad context for considering the ecosystem governance issues discussed in subsequent chapters. In an increasingly interconnected world, nations cannot alone solve many of the pressing social and environmental challenges. Establishing effective governance systems is gradually becoming recognised as fundamental to sustainable development although it remains a mystery to many. To provide some clarity to this esoteric subject this chapter examines what governance is, the various forms it can take, why more effective global governance is important, and some basic principles that underpin it.
Alan W Hall
National Perspectives on Water Governance: Lessons from the IWRM Planning Process in Malawi and Zambia
Abstract
At the Second World Water Forum in 2000, the problems relating to water around the world were described as a consequence of the lack of good governance in water. The Global Water Partnership defines water governance as the range of political, social, economic and administrative systems that are in place to develop and manage water resources, and delivery of water services, at different levels of society.
As a contribution to good water governance, the GWPSA has been facilitating the development of Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency (IWRM/WE) Plans in Malawi and Zambia. Effective water governance is crucial for the implementation of IWRM. While the process is still ongoing, various lessons can be drawn in relation to water governance.
This chapter argues that, while governance may be seen to be dependent on three key clusters; Government, Society and Science and the interactions among them, there are no distinct boundaries among the three clusters. Further, lessons from the IWRM/WE process highlight the importance of scale and power relations to water governance. IWRM Plans are being developed for river systems and natural resources at the national scale, confined to national boundaries. However, the transboundary nature of water resources requires effective interactions between and across the different scales. International conventions, protocols, declarations and targets such as the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are some of the factors at the international scale that have a strong influence on the IWRM Planning process at the national scale. Another important issue is that of power relations among players at a given scale, and also between different scales. The way decisions and information is communicated from central government to local government and vice-versa or from the catchment to the sub-catchment scale is crucial to good water governance. These interactions and process are highlighted in this chapter.
Alex Simalabwi
Good Ecosystem Governance: Balancing Ecosystems and Social Needs
Abstract
The overarching problem behind the need for good ecosystem governance is the fact that human needs for water, food, energy, etc., generally demand manipulations of landscape components. Due to water’s role as the bloodstream of the biosphere, with many parallel functions in the landscape, and ecosystems’ water-dependence, ecosystems tend to get impacted by those manipulations. Societal activities that have to be incorporated in good ecosystem governance include land use change, water use, flow control, waste production, and alien species. Different distinctions have been highlighted: i.e. between avoidable and unavoidable manipulations, and between local ecological landscape components as opposed to the whole catchment as a composite ecosystem. There are also two contrasting time perspectives to keep in mind: repairing of already-manifested ecosystem degradation versus avoiding foreseeable future ecosystem degradation in a world living with change in response to strong societal driving forces. Local-scale ecosystems have to be protected by addressing their key water determinants; catchment-scale ecosystems by benefiting from water’s function as an integrator through efforts to orchestrate society-driven manipulations for internal compatibility. The latter involves trade-off striking and balancing of different interests, and will demand both well organised stakeholder participation, and the definition of bottom lines and resilience criteria to protect key ecosystems. Good ecosystem governance has been characterised as follows: WHAT to govern, i.e. human activities in the landscape, HOW to govern involves an array of consecutive steps: fact finding and problem analysis; strategic plan of action; tools to make such action possible, such as legislation, financing, competent institutions, stakeholder participation etc.; and tools to secure its implementation, such as incentives/sanctions, capacity building, media campaigns, etc. The road towards good ecosystem governance will be demanding due to the dominance, at present, of partial reality-conceptualisation. A shift in thinking is absolutely essential to get out of this trap. Good understanding will be needed in the three different systems: natural biophysical system, social system, and governance system. The Trialogue hypothesis could be improved by changing the ‘Science process’ corner of the triangular model into a ‘Biophysical process’ corner. Science processes will be needed for all the three components of the Trialogue.
Malin Falkenmark
The Role of Good Governance in Sustainable Development: Implications for Integrated Water Resource Management in Southern Africa
Abstract
The philosophy and principles of sustainable development offer African countries the alluring promise of being able to develop prosperous societies and economies without exhausting the natural resource-base on which these are based. However, urgent needs for social and economic relief, coupled with shortages of social, technical and economic resources, make it almost impossible for many of these countries to achieve this ideal in the short- to medium-term. Because sustainable development depends on the choices that society makes and the participative processes by which these choices are made, there is a clear need to ensure wide acceptance of the governance processes that are used in decision-making. Here, ‘good governance’ is recognised as a complex and multi-dimensional concept that incorporates a guiding philosophy or set of operating principles, a preferred process or way that people interact with each other, and a desired situation or outcome. The ‘Trialogue Model’ of the partnership between government, civil society and science offers useful insights into the attributes of good governance and the way that this underpins and facilitates prudent resource management. An examination of the approaches used by southern African countries to manage their water resources reveals that some SADC countries have entered a development phase that is characterised by shared systems of values and a growing alignment of national and regional policies, statutes and plans. This is well aligned with the philosophy of good governance, which requires full commitment from stakeholders at all levels of decision-making. Ultimately, the extent to which a governance system can be regarded as ‘good’ or ‘weak’ depends on whether or not the five key principles of good governance (openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence) are explicit in every decision-making process that affects the livelihoods of stakeholders.
Peter J Ashton
Transnational Dimensions of Freshwater Ecosystem Governance
Abstract
This chapter examines the diverse array of processes of institution-building that have emerged in response to the increasingly transnational challenges of freshwater ecosystem governance. Although some of these processes reflect the traditional confines of interstate diplomacy, based on state-centred authority, others transcend the confines of a narrowly statist framework. Expert networks, based on a new knowledge paradigm of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and advocacy networks engaging controversies such as water infrastructure projects and water marketisation, have become increasingly important mechanisms for the generation of new water norms and the shaping of water-related governance practices.
Ken Conca

Interrogation of the Trialogue Model

Frontmatter
From Dialogue to Trialogue: Sustainable Ecosystem Governance and Civil Society
Abstract
This chapter discusses the role of institutions, both formal and informal, in ecosystem governance. The role of different forms of knowledge, and the ways in which these can be combined, are analysed, as is the role of civil society in ecosystem policy processes. Organisational structures, their aims, norms and values, are examined and the problems of cooperation between different institutional cultures are analysed. The chapter presents a number of Trialogues in the context of sustainability, epistemology, and policy processes, and discusses their relevance for ecosystem governance. Finally, a number of recommendations for future research are made.
Geoffrey D Gooch
Evolution of International Norms and Values for Transboundary Groundwater Governance
Abstract
Given the fact that the largest number of cases of shared water occur in aquifers, it is surprising that so little is written about this. The Trialogue Model of Governance assumes interfaces between three actor-clusters; Governance, Science and Society. International law plays a significant role in facilitating the quality of these interfaces by codifying norms and values to the extent that these can become building blocks of future cooperation. Within the IWRM paradigm, international law has the capacity to facilitate linkages at different levels. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the evolution from the traditional approach to groundwater in international law to the latest trends both at the International Law Commission and in environmental treaties. International law is not only about regulating international relations because core norms and values have the potential to be incorporated into national law.
Raya Marina Stephan
Dynamics of Transboundary Groundwater Management: Lessons from North America
Abstract
Transboundary groundwater management in the North American countries of Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico is truly dynamic. Institutions such as the International Boundary and Water Commission (US-Mexico) and the International Joint Commission (US-Canada) were originally established to consider surface water. However, they have been adapted to consider groundwater, and the North American Free Trade Agreement, implemented in 1994, may prove to be applicable to groundwater, although in some cases may eventually prove inimical to the interests of border regions as the three countries attempt to manage their transboundary groundwater resources. These institutions, coupled with the ad hoc approach of individual stakeholder groups, illustrate that transboundary groundwater management is functioning quite well in North America. Eight case studies, involving both water quality and quantity, illustrate our premise. Seven of the studies describe very specific issues; the final one involves the groundwater resources of the Great Lakes basin of the US and Canada, and provides a brief discussion of some of the issues that might arise in this region.
Michael E Campana, Alyssa M Neir, Geoffrey T Klise
Organisational Culture as a Function of Adaptability and Responsiveness in Public Service Agencies
Abstract
Public service agencies are increasingly expected to adapt effectively and respond to dynamic and discontinuous changes in their external environments. Organisational culture is often presented as a strong determinant of both adaptation and responsiveness. In this paper, we provide a descriptive analysis of this claim. We base the paper on the view that agencies involved in managing the use of ecosystems have strong organisational cultures partly because of their origins, which are rooted in certain ethical and moral precepts. We suggest examining assumptions — the core of organisational culture — as a critical starting point in seeking adaptation, responsiveness and managing for change in such agencies. Explicit analysis of assumptions is critical for securing support for, and reducing prospects of resistance to change. The examination of assumptions also has an important role in harmonising the goals of society, science and government.
Nyambe Nyambe, Charles Breen, Robert Fincham
Lessons from Changes in Governance of Fire Management: The Ukuvuka Operation Firestop Campaign
Abstract
Practical experience from the Ukuvuka Campaign, a short-term initiative in the governance of fire in the Cape Peninsula, Cape Town, South Africa offers insights that may have an application in enhancing ecosystem governance. Effective ecosystem governance requires many behaviour changes among citizens, both individual and institutional. Ukuvuka explored, facilitated and catalysed a number of these changes. The lessons learned are also used to look specifically at the interaction between government and society in ecosystem governance. Finally, the paper evaluates the model of ecosystem governance prepared as a basis for discussion at the international symposium on ecosystem governance held at KwaMaritane in October 2005.
Ukuvuka Operation Firestop Campaign was a four-year partnership set up to address the issue of fire in the Cape Peninsula. The initiative was triggered by a crisis caused by serious veld fires that burnt some 30% of Table Mountain National Park which Cape Town surrounds, and also damaged or destroyed some 60 homes and buildings. In addition, the campaign was challenged to focus some attention on the on-going problem of fires in informal settlements.
The governance lessons learned were that:
  • Setting up demonstration projects in a “safe space” can facilitate the behaviour changes required for governance of ecosystems by testing a new behaviour in a low-risk environment;
  • For institutional behaviour change, an internal champion is needed. However, the champion does not necessarily have to be very senior. Personal passion is potent;
  • For the behaviour changes needed for ecosystem governance to be systemic and sustainable, initiatives using the model of interest-based, rights-based and power-based approaches look promising;
  • Effective governance in an ecosystem needs diverse role players to work together. Drawing together such a wide range of participants, many of them often in conflict with one another, is challenging. Engaging reluctant participants may be more easily done in a short-term low-risk situation outside of the long-term institutions;
  • Use of the special-purpose vehicle of a “non-owned” body can be a tool for government to undertake the research and development that can assist it to deal with the current challenge to society of rapidly evolving and intricate policy problems; and
  • The experience gained from Ukuvuka indicated that science is a player with power unequal to that of government or society in the governance space. Science, or knowledge, may play a far more powerful and useful role in shaping the governance decision space by making itself available to all the role players.
Sandra Fowkes
The Government-and-Society Challenge in a Fledgling Democracy — Ecosystem Governance in South Africa, with a Particular Focus on the Management of the Phongolo Floodplains and Reservoir
Abstract
South African political reform coincided with a global trend in the reform of water resource management. Consequently, South Africa is an excellent case study in the role of water in addressing historic socio-economic inequity while at the same time trying to legislate for sustainable development. Undoing the legacy of more than a century of institutionalised discrimination is a complex undertaking made even more problematic by the fact that water scarcity constraints limit the future South African economic potential. Getting it right is therefore a political necessity and also a necessary condition for the future wellbeing of a country that plays a vital role as the engine of growth on the African continent. This chapter charts the evolution of a fledgling democracy in which water resources management is seen as a vehicle for social and environmental justice as well as a tool for deepening the democratic experience. The case of the Phongolopoort Dam is used to illustrate these complexities.
Barbara Schreiner

Cross-cutting Governance Requirements

Frontmatter
Principles Enabling Learning Environments for Good Ecosystem Governance
Abstract
Complexity and, by implication, change and uncertainty, are inherent features of ecosystems. In managing ecosystems, or linked social-ecological systems, decisions are often based on insufficient or uncertain data and information. Appropriate and sufficient knowledge, which essentially resides in people, is a critical factor for making informed decisions under such circumstances. Informed action is a function of what we know, and our knowledge is a product of what and how we have learned.
Because of the central importance of learning, this chapter proposes that the development of an appropriate learning capability should not be left to chance but should be the result of deliberate intervention to establish the conditions for an organisation to operate in a learning mode. Focusing on organisations or agencies with mandates for ecosystem governance, the chapter sets out to identify the principles that will enable the creation of such learning environments.
Firstly, the key concepts of knowledge, learning and ecosystem governance are defined. Secondly, the chapter identifies main issues of concern regarding (a) the type of knowledge that needs to be created for good ecosystem governance; (b) the desirable processes for learning or knowledge creation; and (c) the characteristics of good learners. Thirdly, these main issues (10 in all) form the basis for formulating nine principles intended to enable the setting up of appropriate learning environments for ecosystem governance.
The proposed principles are summarised as follows. Good ecosystem governance requires positively persistent and adaptive people with a culture of empathy for other knowledge systems and levels. Their knowledge must be trans-disciplinary, moulded by a common future focus, acquired by patiently engaging their prior knowledge and learning by doing, in an environment of social knowledge sharing.
It is concluded that good learning practice would promote the achievement of some of the principles underlying the practice of good ecosystem governance, notably effective stakeholder engagement, adaptability and transformability. The proposed learning principles could be used as a framework to assess the learning proficiency of ecosystem management agencies and to develop learning strategies for such agencies.
Dirk J Roux, Kevin Murray, Ernita van Wyk
The Role of Communication in Governance: The River Health Programme as a Case Study
Abstract
Within South Africa, active public participation in decision-making processes and policy development is a requirement for governance to be successful. Similarly, ecosystem governance requires active public participation in environmental issues. For the public to become progressively more involved in decision-making, an increase in public understanding of, active involvement in and engagement with science, is needed. This emphasises the importance of sound science communication strategies that will lead to informed responses to environmental issues.
This Chapter describes the role of communication between the components of the ecosystem governance Trialogue Model, namely science, society and government. The focus is directed particularly towards the role of communication in the society-science interface, highlighting the lessons learnt and communication challenges arising from the South African River Health Programme’s State-of-Rivers reporting component.
Wilma F Strydom, Liesl Hill, Estie Eloff
An Institutional Perspective on Governance — The Evolution of Integrated River Management in Victoria, Australia
Abstract
Integrated river management in the state of Victoria, Australia has evolved considerably over the last fifteen years on a range of fronts, including the policy framework, level of community involvement, the technical base and the institutional arrangements. The Victorian River Health Programme is now regarded as the most successful river management and restoration programme in Australia. This chapter describes that programme, looks at how it has evolved over the last fifteen years in particular, and analyses some of the key factors influencing this evolution. It then examines the Trialogue Model for ecosystem governance in the light of the Victorian experience, concluding that, whilst the Trialogue hypothesis is correct at a very high level, it needs to build in a third dimension — that of time. This recognises that action at any one point in time can only occur to the extent supported by the three components taken together, and that evolution will occur only incrementally, building on past achievements and knowledge.
Jane M Doolan

Conclusion

Frontmatter
Ecosystem Governance and the Trialogue Debate: An Overview of the Trialogue Relationship and the Engagement along Interfaces
Abstract
Sustainable development is recognised as being core to the concept of good ecosystem governance, as is the amity of the relationship between government and society in the co-management of the environment. This relationship between government and society is a complex one, influenced by certain factors, including political and socio-economic systems, societal culture and science and technology. Science is believed to play a fundamental role in (i) understanding the relationship between government and society; (ii) capacitating society to enable them to engage effectively with government; and (iii) supporting government in the development of scientifically- sound policies and programmes, which aim to find a balance between development and ecosystem protection.
The Trialogue that develops between government, society and science and the engagement of the three partners along the Trialogue interfaces, is a dynamic and complex interaction, influenced by the political system of a country, the maturity and age of its democracy, the culture of the government departments and the conditions of society. Three models which look at the strength and rate of engagement along the Trialogue interfaces in an undemocratic society, a fledgling democracy and a maturing democracy are briefly discussed.
Linda Godfrey
The Trialogue Revisited: Quo Vadis Governance?
Abstract
Governance as a concept has been interrogated in the various chapters of this book. A definition of governance was suggested along with a series of hypotheses that together formed the Trialogue Model of Governance. This new definition is revisited and the different hypotheses are evaluated against the empirical background provided by the respective case studies presented in this book.
Anthony R Turton, J Hattingh
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Governance as a Trialogue: Government-Society-Science in Transition
herausgegeben von
Dr. Anthony R. Turton
Ms. Hanlie J. Hattingh
Ms. Gillian A. Maree
Dr. Dirk J. Roux
Dr. Marius Claassen
Ms. Wilma F. Strydom
Copyright-Jahr
2007
Verlag
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN
978-3-540-46266-8
Print ISBN
978-3-540-46265-1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-46266-8