Is collaborative management always possible? The case of Sauce Grande River Basin, Argentina

ZILIO, M. I.; SEITZ, C.; SCORDO, F.; GIL, V.; ZAPPERI, P.; COSTILLA, P.; HUAMANTINCO CISNERO, MA. A.; PERILLO, G.M.E.; PICCOLO, C.

International Journal of River Basin Management

Taylor & Francis

Año: 2018 vol. 16

1571-5124

The continuous interaction between human activities and environment leads to adopting a broadapproach for studying watershed systems. Undoubtedly, designing an efficient but also sustainableriver-basin management plan requires considering the ecosystem, the economic and social aspectsrelated to the use of natural resources. Given the practical and theoretical relevance thatstakeholders? participation has achieved in the frame of new approaches for watershedmanagement, this paper aims to identify the possibility of implementing a collaborative strategy in the particular case of the Sauce Grande River Basin (SGRB), Argentina. Such implementationrequires the fulfilment of some key conditions that heighten or hinder their execution. Our resultsindicate that, although the complexity of the basin makes necessary the implementation of acollaborative plan, it is not plausible in the short term. Some issues, such as the engagement of allstakeholders (inside and outside the basin), and the simplification and coordination of the normsand levels of decision making, should be taken into account for implementing a collaborativemanagement in the basin. Otherwise, the implementation could have a non-expected result on the socio-ecological system, generating an immediate reject to more participative strategies.