Good Governance: A Framework for Implementing Sustainable Land Management, Applied to an Agricultural Case in Northeast-Brazil

Land management needs to cope with persistent environmental and societal changes. This requires functional governance systems. The purpose of this research is to develop a good governance framework for the implementation of sustainable land management. Good governance theory is extensive, although its operationalization remains difficult. We derived a set of good governance attributes from the literature: (i) the functionality of the regulatory framework, (ii) the legitimacy and accountability of the actors, (iii) the fairness and transparency of the decision-making processes, and (iv) quality control and adaptiveness. These constitute a framework which, supported by guiding questions, facilitates the evaluation of governance attributes to assess sustainable land management practices. We applied the scheme to a case study in Northeast Brazil regarding sustainable land management where biological pest control is considered to be a biodiversity-related ecosystem service. Since its adoption often falls short of expectations, we scrutinized its governance system. First, experts answered our guiding questions, and second, we involved local stakeholders in the discussion of good governance attributes through the participatory approach of constellation analysis. Trust in agricultural consultants and issues of the practical application of pest control turned out to be crucial. The workshop participants requested a model farm to build more trust and experience. There was considerable demand for policy at the national planning level to formulate and monitor the content of the agricultural advisory program. Our conceptualized framework of good governance questions provides systematization for planning and steering the implementation of sustainable land management practices.BMBF, 01LL0904A, Verbundvorhaben INNOVATE: Nachhaltige Nutzung von Stauseen durch innovative Kopplung von aquatischen und terrestrischen Ökosystemfunktionen - Teilvorhaben 1: Verbundkoordination, Grüne Leber und ÖkonomieBMBF, 01LL0904E, Verbundvorhaben INNOVATE: Nachhaltige Nutzung von Stauseen durch innovative Kopplung von aquatischen und terrestrischen Ökosystemfunktionen - Teilvorhaben 5: BiodiversitätDFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berli

Paternalism or participatory governance? Efforts and obstacles in implementing the Brazilian water policy in a large watershed

In many countries, governmental systems and their areas still mirror vanished historical logics rather than contemporary active citizenship based on environmental units. The Brazilian Water Act from 1997 institutionalizes the watershed as the planning unit and the creation of participatory watershed committees. What is the state of this radical shift in governance? Will the notorious system of alliances among powerful actors again impede participation of the broader public? How are the social actors dealing with their role as committee members? We establish our reasoning based on literature, documents published by a selected committee, observations while attending a plenary session, and carrying out key person interviews and a survey among members. Constellation analysis has been used to visualize the complex governance setting. The São Francisco River is a challenging case, as its watershed comprises a very large, heterogeneous and, about half of it, semiarid area. Sixty-two voluntary committee members are to govern the area of 16.6. million inhabitants. The established multi-level governance system (municipal, state, regional and federal scale) co-exists-external and internal frictions are unavoidable. So far, it appears that the governmental agencies are not yet ready to share responsibility. The committee members themselves are in a process of learning by doing. If participation is really wanted-in the study watershed and similarly others in the world-then both members of line organizations and the watershed committee need to build up more trust and should champion for the common goal. Nonetheless, controversies about the allocation and management of scarce water resources will continue be a tough challenge for the various actors

Applying Bayesian networks to evaluate small-scale farmers’ perceptions of native reforestation practices in Brazil’s Caatinga biome

In Brazil’s semi-arid Northeast, most rural dwellers derive income from the dry Caatinga forest through livestock farming, fruit collection, and firewood extraction. However, recurring droughts and inadequate land use practices jeopardize farmers’ livelihoods. The drought-resistant, endemic Umbuzeiro tree provides fruit for direct consumption and allows for the creation of transformed products. The planting of this native species can enhance the well-being of the ecosystem and establish future benefits for smallholdings. However, it is crucial that when taking up innovative practices to cope with environmental change, a willingness to apply them should be fostered among local farmers. We used constellation analysis as a transdisciplinary approach to identify elements of current land management which subsequently defined the nodes of a Bayesian network (BN). We developed probabilities of practice uptake that strengthen success, namely the conservation of natural resources while securing the incomes of smallholders. In collaboration with stakeholders and experts, 25 identified nodes for the BN were tested under various scenarios. Adopting all suggested innovative practices secures the final objectives—ecosystem health and farmer benefits (approx. 90%). The analysis quantified the relevance of single issues that may impede farmers to adopt the practices, such as having to cultivate seedlings or avoiding long-term investments. Further crucial actions include the fencing-off of livestock and marketing pathways. Affordable credit, research, and supportive farmers’ institutions can encourage farmers to implement innovative practices. The use of modeled scenarios can provide evidence, which might encourage sustainable land management

GOVERNANÇA DA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO RIO SÃO FRANCISCO: DESAFIOS DE ESCALA SOB OLHARES INTER E TRANSDISCIPLINARES

A Política Nacional de Recursos Hídricos prescreve um modelo descentralizado e participativo, donde os comitês se destacam com importantes contribuições na governança em escala de bacias. A posição do comitê nas decisões regionais da água é às vezes contraditória à das demais instituições. A presente pesquisa vincula perspectivas inter/transdisciplinares e multiníveis sobre a gestão sustentável da bacia hidrográfica do Rio São Francisco e do reservatório Itaparica para identificar interfaces da escala local de uma bacia, a fim de promover boa governança. Com base na metodologia de análise de constelação, foram detectadas dinâmicas e barreiras nas quais se enfatizaram a pouca representatividade do Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio São Francisco (CBHSF) na população local e a falha na interação entre as instituições locais de gestão de água. Algumas estratégias são vistas por participação da sociedade civil nos futuros subcomitês e no fortalecimento da escala local, por meio de capacitação e cooperação de atores do mesmo âmbito. Além disso, os instrumentos de planejamento estratégico e desenvolvimento trazem contribuição importante para o governo municipal

The starting points of the research: regional introduction; 1.2 Residence times of water and dissolved contamination; 1.3 Impacts of potential flash floods from ephemeral and intermittent tributaries; 1.4 Limit the nutrient emissions from netcage aquaculture 4.6 Rethinking the controversial water diversion project (“transposição”)

INNOVATE was a comprehensive, collaborative, and binational research project. It ran from January 2012 through December 2016. Brazil and Brazil’s Northeast in particular suffered from a severe drought period from 2012 onwards. Management and governance of natural resources faced serious challenges related to access to water. Important long-term drivers that call for recurrent adaptation of actions are land use change, population growth, climate change, and conflicts from the multiple uses of water. The scientific project addressed this complex situation through research aimed at suggesting practices and pathways towards ecologically and socioeconomically sound management of land, water and biodiversity. The INNOVATE project had one focus on the entire watershed of the São Francisco River and another one on a portion of the watershed – the Itaparica Reservoir and the semi-arid area north of the artificial lake. Researchers with different backgrounds worked within their disciplines, in groups (interdisciplinary) and together with stakeholders (transdisciplinary). The Guidance Manual is a compilation of actor-relevant content extracted from the scientific research results. Most recommendations put forward can be adapted as principles and standards for reservoir and semi-arid regions elsewhere in the world