Navigating the waters : exploring the roles of provincial water NGOs in decision-making

Abstract

The principles of adaptive water governance blends many of the components of adaptive and comanagement, specifically iterative and social learning to foster adaptation and collective action. While many of the principles of adaptive water governance are still evolving, organizations operating within these contexts can be positioned as boundary or bridging agents concentrating on the science-policy interface or more centrally positioned to facilitate the inclusion and consideration of the multi-stakeholder perspectives at play. This thesis uses a comparative case study combined with a modified grounded theory approach to explore organizational governance arrangements and the roles played by three major water-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in decision-making in British Columbia. An understanding of the challenges and supporting conditions that enhance organizational and actor efficacy within case study NGOs will inform the broader water community of opportunities for collaboration, capacity-building and expanding the roles of NGOs through provincial water governance reform.