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Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance
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Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2024) | Viewed by 13892

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Nidhi Nagabhatla

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies Belgium, United Nations University, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
2. School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
Interests: environmental governance and policy; sustainable development goals (SDGs); climate change adaptation; environmental migration; nature-based solutions; transboundary waters and hydro diplomacy; science policy interfaces; decision support systems; policy support systems; geoinformatics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. David Katz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Interests: water policy; water management; environmental and resource economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Liliana Lizarazo Rodriguez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: transboundary and transnational environmental conflicts; judicial activism on sustainability issues; corporate liability for impacts of global value chain operations on people and ecosystems; access to justice for victims of environmental harms caused by transnational economic activities; role of regional organizations in addressing transnational and transboundary environmental hazards and harms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Special Issue ‘Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance’.

Sub Focus: Governance Modalities of Large Cross-Border Basins and Wetlands (Great Lakes) in the Americas and other Transboundary Regions

Specifically, the topics for this Special Issue include, but are not restricted to:

  • Submissions that reflect on governance and management pathways implemented in large cross-border basins and wetlands regions in the Americas (and other transboundary regions) and how such regions coordinate their competencies, mandates, and capacities from supranational to local levels;
  • Research that illustrates empirical evidence regarding the effects and effectiveness of management of large cross-border basins and wetlands in the Americas (and other transboundary regions) and has such arrangements to ensure water, human, and political security;
  • Synthesis papers that reflect on how various levels of governance respond to, anticipate, forecast, and share information concerning water and climate risk management and resilience building for cross-border basins and wetlands regions in the Americas (and other transboundary regions);
  • Submissions on the modalities and added value of the SDG agenda for regional and global cooperation on cross-border basins and wetlands regions in the Americas (and other transboundary regions);
  • Analyses of salient environmental harms or risks which generate conflicts around transboundary waters and the role of state actors, supranational regions and non-state actors in these conflicts and/or their redress;
  • Analyses of the role of state actors, regional organisations and non-state actors in the design of mechanisms to prevent or mitigate transboundary harms or risks from the use of transboundary waters;
  • Characterisations of regional transboundary water management in the Americas and comparative analyses with other regions in other continents.

Submissions featuring the above-outlined dimensions in large cross-border basins and wetlands in other parts of the world will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Prof. Dr. Nidhi Nagabhatla
Prof. Dr. David Katz
Prof. Dr. Liliana Lizarazo Rodriguez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cross-border aquifers
  • transboundary large basins
  • transboundary wetlands
  • cross-border Great Lakes
  • Americas
  • transboundary regions and landscapes
  • cooperation agreements
  • conflict settings
  • governance

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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26 pages, 2603 KiB  
Article
Transboundary Aquifer Management Across the Americas: Hydro-Diplomacy as an Accelerator of Adaptive Groundwater Governance Amid Climate Change Challenges
by Giulia I. Rubin, Nidhi Nagabhatla, Carolina Londono-Escudero and Raffaele Vignola
Water 2024, 16(21), 3117; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16213117 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 756
Abstract
The management of transboundary aquifers across the Americas faces significant challenges, especially as climate change and population growth intensify groundwater stress. Groundwater use has increased to support domestic, industrial, and agricultural demands but has been extracted through unregulated withdrawals, leading to the severe [...] Read more.
The management of transboundary aquifers across the Americas faces significant challenges, especially as climate change and population growth intensify groundwater stress. Groundwater use has increased to support domestic, industrial, and agricultural demands but has been extracted through unregulated withdrawals, leading to the severe degradation of aquifer health and transboundary frictions. This study focuses on how hydro-diplomacy can accelerate the adaptive governance of shared groundwater resources in three key regions: Canada–USA, USA–Mexico, and Mexico–Guatemala–Belize. We utilized a mixed methodology by integrating a transect approach, borrowed from ecology, into the field of geopolitics. To compare the hydro-diplomatic relations and groundwater governance across a continental gradient in the Americas, we conducted a literature review and employed the TWINS conflict–cooperation matrix to evaluate governance frameworks and hydro-diplomatic interactions across time. Our findings demonstrate that hydro-diplomacy plays a pivotal role in expediting agreements, fostering transboundary data sharing, and supporting participatory governance models. In particular, the presence of supranational bodies such as the International Joint Commission (IJC) between Canada and the USA has been effective in maintaining long-term collaboration through social learning and technical cooperation. Meanwhile, in regions like Mexico–Guatemala–Belize, the absence of robust institutions has hindered progress, with limited financial and knowledge-sharing networks. This study highlights the need for improved cross-border cooperation mechanisms and the establishment of common monitoring protocols to better manage aquifer resources under the pressures of climate change. The results support the development of more adaptive transboundary groundwater management strategies aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5.2 and call for broader geopolitical cooperation to address the complexities of groundwater governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
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16 pages, 1704 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Transboundary Freshwater Security: From Online Learning to Global Knowledge Exchange Platform
by Yumiko Yasuda and Yelysaveta Demydenko
Water 2024, 16(7), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16070976 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1934
Abstract
The management of transboundary water resources presents a complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders and countries. Negotiating a single rule for managing these resources can take years due to various factors, including political, socioeconomic, cultural, and historical backgrounds. To assist transboundary water practitioners worldwide, [...] Read more.
The management of transboundary water resources presents a complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders and countries. Negotiating a single rule for managing these resources can take years due to various factors, including political, socioeconomic, cultural, and historical backgrounds. To assist transboundary water practitioners worldwide, the GWP and GEF IW:LEARN have developed a free-access educational platform, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security. The MOOC attracted 3855 learners from 166 countries and included 14 interactive online sessions to facilitate discussions among practitioners. In response to learners’ desire for increased interaction and networking opportunities, the Transboundary Water Knowledge Exchange Hub was established. This global online community enables members to share knowledge and engage in direct peer-to-peer learning through an online knowledge management platform. The effort evolved from online course and interactive sessions into an online community, promoting knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning through an online knowledge management platform. Through examining this evolution and analysing key survey results, this paper analyses the role of MOOC and knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning for building capacity for improved transboundary water governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
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19 pages, 3035 KiB  
Article
Painted Water—A Concept to Shape Water Negotiation Strategies in Shared River Basins
by Mohammadreza Shahbazbegian and Ariel Dinar
Water 2023, 15(19), 3343; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193343 - 23 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1705
Abstract
In a transboundary river basin, downstream states frequently express concerns regarding the potential utilization of water resources by upstream states as a tool for exerting coercion. This fact contributes to instilling doubt in the applicability of negotiations, even in transboundary basins that possess [...] Read more.
In a transboundary river basin, downstream states frequently express concerns regarding the potential utilization of water resources by upstream states as a tool for exerting coercion. This fact contributes to instilling doubt in the applicability of negotiations, even in transboundary basins that possess strong international agreements. In an effort to address the issue, this paper introduces the painted water concept. It divides upstream states’ available water into three triage color volumes before reaching downstream states in ascending order of negotiability: green, yellow, and red. Additionally, downstream states must consider the dynamics of transitions of painted water classes over time when developing their negotiation strategies and water policies. In order to assess the concept’s contribution in practice, we analyze trilateral riparian negotiations along the Blue Nile River basin, based on a “what-if” analysis approach under four global future scenarios. These results could shed light on part of the complexity of the Blue Nile negotiation and mainstream the water policies and perspectives of riparian states. Here, this paper shows that the painted water concept can provide multidisciplinary insights into proactive water negotiations. The inclusion of such a concept can help to deepen theories, approaches principals, and any disciplines pertinent to transboundary water negotiations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
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12 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
(Re-)Envisioning Natural Resource Management Involving First Nations: Toward an Effective Co-Management Policy
by Corey McKibbin
Water 2023, 15(17), 3144; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173144 - 2 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1860
Abstract
In this paper, I posit a relationship between what I consider to be two distinct views of natural resource management: the reductionist and holistic views. The purpose of this comparison is to highlight the dangers of reducing environmental management to its ability to [...] Read more.
In this paper, I posit a relationship between what I consider to be two distinct views of natural resource management: the reductionist and holistic views. The purpose of this comparison is to highlight the dangers of reducing environmental management to its ability to bolster a nation’s economic status. Part of the problem with this view is that it cannot take seriously the needs and desires of Indigenous persons. As such, I compare the reductionist view with the holistic view. The holistic view does not only consider the economics of natural resources; unlike the reductionist view, it aims to take seriously the needs and desires of Indigenous communities that have used natural resources in their territories since time immemorial. To illustrate the differences between the reductionist and holistic views, I examine at length the case of the James Bay Hydro Development in Quebec, Canada. I then apply these insights to an international context by utilizing the literature from Australia. The literature from both Canada and Australia implies that natural resource management involving First Nations needs to take a holistic approach to water management and policy such that the hopes, needs, and desires of Indigenous communities are not merely placated, but fulfilled. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
21 pages, 3313 KiB  
Article
How to Incorporate System Archetypes into Water Conflicts Analysis: Application in Euphrates, Nile, Zambezi, and Lake Kivu Transboundary Basins
by Mohammadreza Shahbazbegian and Ehsan Nabavi
Water 2023, 15(7), 1270; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071270 - 23 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4199
Abstract
This paper introduces and fleshes out a systemic method designed to develop a holistic understanding of states’ behavior in transboundary water conflict and cooperation. Such an approach leverages causality analysis to capture the deep structural characteristics that shape the hydropolitics dynamics and may [...] Read more.
This paper introduces and fleshes out a systemic method designed to develop a holistic understanding of states’ behavior in transboundary water conflict and cooperation. Such an approach leverages causality analysis to capture the deep structural characteristics that shape the hydropolitics dynamics and may lead to the evolution of destructive behaviors with severe consequences. The paper does so by using the concepts of the system archetype. The system archetype analysis offers insight into the underlying structures from which the dynamics of hydropolitics emerge over time—cycles of conflict and cooperation. The approach provides riparian states with a diagnostic tool to recognize patterns of destructive behaviors in the management of shared water resources and warning signs that are usually too long overlooked. Using four case studies from different continents, this paper shows how a systems archetype approach is useful for developing a big-picture understanding of the hydropolitical problem, its dynamics, and potential resolution pathways. The systemic lessons learned from these case studies can be used in other contexts, helping policymakers anticipate the destructive and constructive dynamics leading to conflict and cooperation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
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19 pages, 984 KiB  
Review
Assessing International Transboundary Water Management Practices to Extract Contextual Lessons for the Nile River Basin
by Mekdelawit M. Deribe, Assefa M. Melesse, Belete B. Kidanewold, Shlomi Dinar and Elizabeth P. Anderson
Water 2024, 16(14), 1960; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16141960 - 11 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
Transboundary waters account for a significant portion of global freshwater resources, yet their management is often challenging. The Nile River basin faces significant challenges owing to the complex history and unique context of the basin. Examining the experience of other transboundary basins can [...] Read more.
Transboundary waters account for a significant portion of global freshwater resources, yet their management is often challenging. The Nile River basin faces significant challenges owing to the complex history and unique context of the basin. Examining the experience of other transboundary basins can offer insights for the effective management of the Nile waters. This paper aims to extract contextual lessons for the Nile from global transboundary water management practices. To that end, we performed a scoping literature search to identify well-researched transboundary water management practices from across the world, selected key case studies, and analyzed their management practices. We discussed the context of the Nile and organized the unique challenges of the basin in five themes, and we discussed how global experiences could provide valuable insights for the Nile basin within each theme. Trust building, the need for equitable water use frameworks, a strong river basin organization, the nuanced role of external actors, and the impact of broader political context were major themes that emerged from the analysis of the Nile context. Within each theme, we presented experiences from multiple basins to inform transboundary water management in the Nile basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conflict and Cooperation: The Duality of Cross-Border Water Governance)
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