Cisneros, Paúl

Water governance at the basin scale requires collaboration between a diversity of actors with very different interests. To address this challenge, water basin committees and similar groups have been promoted as the institutional arrangement to facilitate finding common ground and better governance. However, not all territories may be prepared for such an endeavor, especially if there is no previous history of collaboration, or the adequate institutional mechanisms in place. In Chile, despite the private and productively based water governance system, water basin committees have been promoted by an interministerial group for social ecological transition. Although these have not been implemented yet, learning from similar water group experiences is important to identify challenges that may require policy change. This study presents an evaluation of 7 water users’ organizations in Chile using a Context-Mechanism-Outcome approach (Carr Kelman et al., 2023). The 7 cases identified represent different geographical, historical and management capacities. The analysis shows contexts and mechanisms that may have influenced different collective action in each case. Preliminary analysis uncovers the importance of distinguishing nuances in variables that may intuitively be assessed as similar as they may plan in different ways depending on the context (e.g. users rights established by law). Understanding the mechanisms that may affect water management where water users’ organizations exist, can help preparing for territories where there is no history of collaboration.

References
Carr Kelman, C., Brady, U., Raschke, B. A. & Schoon, M. L., 2023. A Systematic Review of Key Factors of Effective Collaborative Governance of Social-Ecological Systems In: Society and Natural Resources. 36, 11, p. 1452-1470 19

In the context of transdisciplinary research in Latin America, community members often expect to be recognized as citizens with valuable capabilities and knowledge, co-creating a common understanding of social-ecological systems and strategies to safeguard resources. Communication has played a major role in recovering historical memory and driving social changes in Latin America, particularly within social mobilization, such as decolonization and environmental justice movements. For many Latin American actors, such as local communities, grassroots organizations, and leaders from non-profit organizations, the term ‘communication’ is understood as something shaped and transformed by lived experiences, cultural narratives, traditions, and power dynamics. The Network for Participatory Research in Latin America (Red de Investigación Participativa en América Latina - RIPAL) is developing a repository of transdisciplinary research tools and cases for the region that are publicly accessible online. The objective of this work is to compare and analyze these tools and cases, to answer questions about the factors affecting the communication between researchers and non-researchers, the forms and channels of communication (e.g., oral, visual, written, or performative), and how inclusive different worldviews are in these communications. These tools are applicable in pedagogical, practical, and research contexts. They facilitate the use of qualitative and quantitative data and promote consensus. They are collaborative, useful for stakeholder mapping, applicable in in-person or virtual workshops, foster trust, and are suitable for all ages and diverse contexts. Within this work we aim to offer a common ground to facilitate discussions on the challenges and opportunities in advancing communication within transdisciplinary research on Latin American common-pool resources.