Adaptation through Collaboration

Evaluating the Emergence of Institutional Arrangements for Catchment Management and Governance in England

Abstract

Local-scale collaborative catchment management pilot projects were established in England
in 2011 as part of an initiative to improve implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive
(WFD), give more control to non-government groups and deliver multiple economic, social and
environmental benefits. Local experiences were examined with respect to six criteria: motives
and frames; focus and purpose; structures and niches; engagement, power and use of facilitation;
deliberation and social learning; and cross-scale institutional linkage. The findings indicate that
organisational histories and established power relations among the participants were important
influences on the initiation, development and impacts of collaboration. Catchment-scale
collaboration did strengthen inter-organisational relationships and did increase support for specific
water management activities. However, the full potential of an integrated approach to resource
planning and management was not realised during the piloting phase because institutional
structures and mechanisms were not established to link collaborative catchment groups with
key water and resource governance regimes, including the WFD planning process. Collaborative
governance has not taken the place of government-based decision making. However, more
limited arrangements are developing for collaborative water management at a catchment scale
which are sanctioned by government and, to variable degrees, orchestrated by established and
powerful local organisations and groups.