TY - JOUR

T1 - Multilevel Water Governance and Problems of Scale

T2 - Setting the Stage for a Broader Debate

AU - Moss, Timothy

AU - Newig, Jens

PY - 2010/7

Y1 - 2010/7

N2 - Environmental governance and management are facing a multiplicity of challenges related to spatial scales and multiple levels of governance. Water management is a field particularly sensitive to issues of scale because the hydrological system with its different scalar levels from small catchments to large river basins plays such a prominent role. It thus exemplifies fundamental issues and dilemmas of scale in modern environmental management and governance. In this introductory article to an Environmental Management special feature on "Multilevel Water Governance: Coping with Problems of Scale," we delineate our understanding of problems of scale and the dimensions of scalar politics that are central to water resource management. We provide an overview of the contributions to this special feature, concluding with a discussion of how scalar research can usefully challenge conventional wisdom on water resource management. We hope that this discussion of water governance stimulates a broader debate and inquiry relating to the scalar dimensions of environmental governance and management in general.

AB - Environmental governance and management are facing a multiplicity of challenges related to spatial scales and multiple levels of governance. Water management is a field particularly sensitive to issues of scale because the hydrological system with its different scalar levels from small catchments to large river basins plays such a prominent role. It thus exemplifies fundamental issues and dilemmas of scale in modern environmental management and governance. In this introductory article to an Environmental Management special feature on "Multilevel Water Governance: Coping with Problems of Scale," we delineate our understanding of problems of scale and the dimensions of scalar politics that are central to water resource management. We provide an overview of the contributions to this special feature, concluding with a discussion of how scalar research can usefully challenge conventional wisdom on water resource management. We hope that this discussion of water governance stimulates a broader debate and inquiry relating to the scalar dimensions of environmental governance and management in general.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

KW - Water management

KW - Multilevel governance

KW - Problems of scale

KW - Rescaling

KW - Multilevel governance

KW - Problems of scale

KW - Rescaling

KW - Water management

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954546146&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00267-010-9531-1

DO - 10.1007/s00267-010-9531-1

M3 - Scientific review articles

C2 - 20640851

VL - 46

SP - 1

EP - 6

JO - Environmental Management

JF - Environmental Management

SN - 0364-152X

IS - 1

ER -