Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Integration
The Watershed Boards under the IWI hold the potential to level the playing field
for the actors involved in transboundary governance. This is particularly important
for the local actors and Indigenous communities, who may have an interest in,
and valuable knowledge of, the watershed, but may have difficulty accessing
traditionally conceived international governance mechanisms.
For example, several local ENGO members working in binational watersheds
reported the benefits of access to federal-level actors - in essence “scale jumping”.
For example, local stakeholders reported that regular contact with federal employees
helped find a “voice” for their concerns. This relationship also provided access to,
and knowledge of, institutional and grant funds. For the governmental actors, the
opportunity to dialogue in this multijurisdictional format created space for
integration of ideas among actors, which helped counter the “silo effect” where
committee members make decisions largely without the consultation of local actors.
As one senior water analyst reflected:
Having been there at the creation, the idea would be, you get local people
involved. You don't know as much as they know about it, but you help them
understand the scientific and the technical issues that are involved. And then,
you lead them to make the right decisions. And, the only thing that's left out
of all of this is the big “I”, and that's interest groups and the subset of that's
lobbying, that special interests are not as well represented, nor should they be,
in a very interesting participatory decision process.
The IJC has attempted to foster multijurisdictional relationships from already
established connections and largely views their efforts as a long-term investment.
This investment, according to those within the IJC, has started to pay off:
And I think we've made a lot of progress [working with regional groups].
Our Board had always worked closely with the St. Croix Waterway
Commission. They have a fabulous executive director, and I think we've
actually come a fair way in terms of working, not only with them, but also
with the state, with the province, so that there's a common understanding of
where we are and where we're trying to go. Perhaps, not unrelated to that,
we have managed to bring some small dollars to the table to get some things
done that might not have been done otherwise.
The presence of strong leadership and regional interest in transboundary issues helps
solidify these multijurisdictional partnerships. Subsequently, in April 2007, the IJC
designated the St. Croix Watershed Board as the first “full-fledged International
Watershed Board” (Brooks, 2007). This is an interesting example of a watershed
where initial antagonism to the IWI eventually turned to strong support.
Drawing on the strengths of an integrated governance structure - where the
IJC joins established regional groups - could prove mutually beneficial. Connecting
with existing binational organizations has proved to be a positive first step for the
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