Transcript Adaptive Collaborative Water Governance

Collaborative-Adaptive Water Governance:
Application in the Cordillera Highlands
of Northern Luzon, Philippines
Authors: Corazon L. Abansi, Maria Consuelo C. Doble, Victoria Diaz
Towards Good Water Governance for Development Project
Funded by the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program
of the University of the Philippines System
INTRODUCTION
• Water-related issues in the
Cordillera (scarcity and pollution)
caused by overpopulation,
urbanization and climate change
• Climate change is a serious risk
multiplier that exacerbates water
issues and increases strain on
water resources
• The Balili River in the Cordillera
represents a management scenario
•
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multiple use and trans-boundary conflicts
multi-layered decision making
strong socio-economic and cultural
dynamics
INTRODUCTION
• Fragmented water
management
approaches make the
Balili communities
more susceptible to
climate change
• Therefore, the need
for collaborativeadaptive water
governance
STUDY SITES
Balili River System
Benguet, Northern
Luzon
Upstream – Baguio City
Midstream – La Trinidad
Downstream – Sablan
BALILI RIVER
One of the 15 biologically-dead river
systems in the country (Palangchao,
2011) with class C water
– Poor water quality
– Decreased biodiversity
– Constriction of river and tributaries
Half of Baguio
City’s population
live within the
river area.
Photo credit: In My Life Blogspot
EMERSON FRAMEWORK
Collaborative-Adaptive Water Governance
Collaborative governance is made
of “processes and structures of
public-policy decision-making that
engage people across boundaries
of public agencies, levels of
governments, and/or public, private
and civic spheres to carry out a
public purpose that could not
otherwise be accomplished.”
THE INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK OF WATER GOVERNANCE
METHODOLOGY
•
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Key informant interviews
Stakeholders’ meetings and
workshops
15 focus group discussions
with water actors (April to
June 2013)
Survey of water managers
(January to June 2013)
Water quality assessment
(August 2013 to September
2014)
Secondary data from city and
municipal governments and
line agencies
GENERAL SYSTEM CONTEXT
Resource conditions
UPSTREAM
Baguio City
- Highly-urbanize
- “Summer capital”,
“Garden city” built for
25,000
- Highly-polluted from
residential and
commercial solid and
liquid wastes
- Large transient
population
- Tourism, education,
trade and commerce,
services
MIDSTREAM
La Trinidad
DOWNSTREAM
Sablan
- Urbanizing
- “Strawberry Capital”,
“Salad Bowl”, “Rose
Garden”
- Being trans-boundary,
the river flow carries
wastes from upstream
Baguio to La Trinidad
- 1st class municipality
- Agriculture,
education, trade and
commerce, services
- Rural
- The water is
cleaner due to
self-purification
(filtration through
rocks, aeration
and dilution from
rain and
tributaries)
- 5th class
municipality
- Agriculture,
cottage industry
(broom-making)
DRIVERS
Leadership
The academe plays a strong
leadership role in consolidating
fragmented efforts.
- Established database from research
- Catalyzed planning and coordination
of activities
- Provided neutral venue for discussion
Interdependence
Stakeholders realized that the transboundary problem cannot be solved
individually by governments and
institutions.
COLLABORATIVE DYNAMICS
Principled engagement: Balili River System
Revitalization Coalition (BRSRC)
-
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Broad membership representing all sectors
Members have common purpose
Members play individual roles based on mandates,
expertise and interests
Members engage thru regular, reasoned and face-to-face
conversation
Balili River was designated as a Water Quality
Management Area (WQMA) by the DENR
COLLABORATIVE DYNAMICS
Shared motivation:
members bring with them
their expertise and
mandates in leadership
roles.
- Academe – research,
information dissemination,
conceptualization of
programs & activities,
secretariat
- Line agencies – EMB and
DOST in water quality
testing and analysis
- LGUs – implementation of
programs
COLLABORATIVE DYNAMICS
Capacity for joint action
The BRSRC members desire to generate outcomes
together that could not, otherwise, be done individually
by institutions.
• Scarce resources are shared and leveraged.
• UPB-EIDR Water Governance Project – research,
guidance, capability-building
• BSU –Balili River Knowledge and Resource Center
• University of the Cordillera – BRSRC website
• Saint Louis University and Pines City Colleges – NSTP
students leadriver clean-up drives
• DPWH – flood control projects
• BENECO – research on households without septic tanks
• EMB – workforce and equipment in water quality testing
and analysis
• LGUs – fund trainings; enforce laws; implement programs
• Balili River was designated as a Water Quality Management
Area (WQMA) by the DENR with a 10-year action plan
Collaborative Actions
Information and awareness
• Legislation of Balili River Day every 16th of
September by the LGUs
• Public contests - BRSRC logo, jingle, slogan,
and promotional video
• BRSRC website
• Public presentation of research results
Fundraising activities
• Fundraisers - Pacquiao-Algieri bout pay-perview ; Balili River Fun Run; Zumba-for-aCause
Community action
• Salaknib ti Waig (Guardians of the
River) of Baguio City
• Adopt-an-Estero Program in La
Trinidad
• Regular clean-up
• Creation of Balili River Eco-Park (plan
completed)
COLLABORATIVE OUTCOMES
Impacts
Physical quality of water
- Decreased solid wastes
- Water quality assessment showed no
significant improvement in terms of
parameters such as BOD, coliform
and DO
Behavior change
- Stakeholders report what they have
done and the outcomes of efforts
during Balili River Day
- Identifies best practices and nonperforming barangays
Adaptation
BRSRC is conducting
a series of workshops
with the help of the
UP Baguio EIDR
Water Governance
Project to discuss
formalizing its loose
institutional set-up
CONCLUSION
The success and sustainability of rehabilitation
efforts for the Balili River lies on a collaborative
governance system involving all stakeholders in
all the areas traversed by the Balili River.
The BRSRC catalyzed a collaborative regime
where the academe played a lead role in
convening and guiding the coalition towards a
clearer direction.
The most relevant impact is the evolution of the
coalition resulting in a strong collaborativeadaptive water governance structure that is
slowly changing local behaviors towards a
revitalized Balili River.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
Thank you!