Browsing by Author "Paterson, Margo"
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- ItemExploring the role of cooperative governance in water resource management : a study of catchment management agencies in South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Paterson, Margo; Gcanga, Amanda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY: Water is essential for all life on earth. Now, more than ever, water has to be conserved, developed, used and managed in a manner that is equitable and sustainable. South Africa put in place the National Water Act (NWA) of 1998 after the abolishment of Apartheid in 1994 to support a more equitable water landscape. Additionally, the NWA supports South Africa’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it promotes the concept of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). IWRM calls for the decentralisation of water resource management and advocates for the integration of management mechanisms to support sustainable water management objectives. This called for the restructuring of the institutional landscape of the water sector and resulted in organising water governance and management into three tiers: The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS; at the highest level), Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs; at the regional level), and the Water User Associations (WUAs) and catchment forums (at the local level). The establishment of CMAs is essential in the decentralisation of water resource management and are crucial in facilitating cooperative governance in water management areas (WMAs). Literature points to the benefits of cooperative governance (constituting of the theories of collaboration and adaptive management) in overcoming challenges induced by fragmented water actors and megatrend influences. CMAs are thought to be key in fostering relationships between themselves, local government and other actors in a WMA. Although there is general support for cooperative governance, its implementation remains to be lacking. To date there have been delays in establishing CMAs, with only two out of the proposed eight agencies being fully functional. This has contributed to the delay of decentralising water resource management. Where CMAs are operating, there is a lack of guidance on how to practically implement and operationalise cooperative governance that allows CMAs build relationships with actors in a WMA. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how cooperative governance can be implemented through adaptive and collaborative practices to allow CMAs and other institutions in a WMA to work closely together on water-related issue. The case of the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA), in addition to the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership Cooperative Toolkit, provided a rich context for this study and helped frame the research objectives. A grounded theory methodology was employed that drew on qualitative approaches to analyse data obtained from a workshop and 11 semi-structured interviews conducted with key actors in the water sector. The findings of the study contribute to exploring how collaborative and adaptive management practices can enable the implementation and operationalisation of cooperative governance through the use of the proposed Cooperative Guidelines. The study contributes the body of water governance literature and provides recommendations for best practices of cooperative governance. The importance of embodying of cooperative governance for catchment management is highlighted. If we are to safeguard water and ensure the equitable management thereof, we must start by working together.