Collaborative watershed management has developed as a major mode of governance in the French context since the beginning of the 1990s. Local water commissions composed of the representatives of water users, state agencies and local governments are responsible for the definition and implementation of water managements plans at the watershed level. However, the effectiveness of such collaborative governance has been recently called into question.
The paper aims at identifying the drivers and barriers to collaborative watershed management in France. The analysis relies on a conceptual framework combining transaction cost economics and the SES (Social-Ecological System) framework. The Q-method is used for uncovering the perspectives of stakeholders involved in collaborative management in the case of the “Allier aval” river basin. A literature review as well as 9 exploratory interviews served for identifying a set of 39 statements regarding the factors favoring or constraining collective action in the “Allier aval” case. These statements were then classified by 33 interviewees representing the diversity of stakeholders involved. The application of the Q-method led to the identification of three distinct perspectives. The first perspective, mostly associated with environmental NGOs, highlights a lack of representation of water consumers and citizens as a constraint to collective action. The second perspective reflects mainly the views of state agencies and local governments. Here the importance of leadership and state support are more particularly stressed. The third perspective, associated with agricultural and industrial water users and local governments, also stresses the important role played by leadership while considering that the lack of a shared vision among stakeholders with regard to water sustainable management constitute a barrier to collective action. Beyond the identification of factors influencing the effectiveness of collaborative watershed management, the analysis provides insights into actions that may be implemented to address the identified constraints on collective action.
Keywords: Water governance; Collaborative management; SES framework; Q-method
