Water Governance in the Context of IWRM: Switzerland - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 133

decentralised approach to water management is compatible with the goals of IWRM
(Chaix 2008 ). While limited and independent examples of integrated watershed
management have been documented across different cantons (WA21 2007 ) , the
ability for IWRM to move more comprehensively from theory to practise is yet to
be seen.

7.3 Conclusion

Although Switzerland scores well on accountability, transparency and participation
indicators, the assessment has shown that there is a significant gap between the
conceptual strands of IWRM in federal laws and policies and their translation at the
regional and local levels. In many instances, reality in implementation of more
integrated principles of water related law is still divorced from commitments in
federal and cantonal law. Most significantly, it shows that integrated watershed
management has yet to be fully defined in Switzerland.
Key findings in the assessment can be grouped under the headings listed below:

• Sectoral approach & demarcation by political boundaries for water management

• Suitability of the 'lowest possible level' concept of subsidiarity & Kantonligeist

Syndrome with ramifications for resource constraints at the municipal level
Complexity of water sovereignty at different levels of government •

• Conflicts on the Horizon: artificial snow, climate change, long term hydropower

concessions, growth of micro-hydropower
Balancing of protection and use provisions in the different laws concerning water •

Swiss water law, although progressive, maintains a focus on sectoral and end of
pipe regulation. To date, Swiss water management has been described as an over
layering of more or less sectoral coordinated plans and management processes. The
various tasks on the protection or use of water are often separate and administered
in geographically very small areas (namely the communes). Most water associa-
tions are still organised by sector, and therefore management remains driven by
sectoral interests. It has been commented that the decentralised approach to water
management (with the duty of implementation designated to the communal level) is
incompatible with the goals of integrated water resources management, and water-
shed management (Chaix 2008 ). Communes tend not to be able to establish appro-
priate geographical units for water management - most commune areas are too
small to represent either natural or technical territorial units of water courses.
Furthermore, over the years each canton has developed their own brand of water
management, along with their own institutions, leading to a lack of overall vision
for Switzerland (Chaix 2008 ). An optimistic development has been the emergence
of WA21, which recognises these issues and challenges and is attempting to imple-
ment its agenda to achieve a more sustainable and integrated approach to water
management (WA21 2008 ). However, in the highly decentralised political climate