The Assessment of Adaptive Capacity - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 55

capacity as well as sources of resilience in social-ecological systems. Furthermore,
the rule of law and legal certainty are seen as crucial for legitimacy of decision mak-
ing and access to justice on environmental matters (Ebbesson 2010 ) .

4.2.2 IWRM & Integration

IWRM is currently held up as the ideal framework for managing water in an integrated
and sustainable way that would enhance the system's resilience to cope with the impacts
of climate change on water resources. However, despite the concept's use in addressing
the need for water governance processes to effectively and equitably manage the fair
distribution and protection of the resource, it has weaknesses in terms of complexity,
uncertainty and adaptive capacity (Timmerman et al. 2008 ) . Timmerman et al. ( 2008 )
suggest that in addition to recognising multiple uses of water, that multiple sources of
knowledge and information should also be integrated into management systems.
Olsson et al. ( 2006 ) explore the different features that contribute to the resilience
of social-ecological systems in the face of change (in the context of adaptive co-
management). Their criteria do not follow the neat normative categories of many of
the other studies into adaptive capacity, but provide some useful insights into gover-
nance related criteria which can provide an enabling environment for enhanced resil-
ience to environmental shocks and stresses. They suggest an 'enabling legislation that
creates social space for ecosystem management' is requisite for the building of resil-
ience. As vague as this may be, it deems that in order for resilience to be fostered, the
institution of law should ensure that ecosystems and the environment are factored in
as a relevant stakeholder. Not only should sectoral actors be integrated into legislation
relating to resources (water in this case) but institutions also need to take account of
ecosystem needs. This concept finds resonance with the element of integration and
recognition for the non-economic uses of water within an IWRM context.

4.3 Resilience, Adaptive Governance and Adaptive

Management Determinants

The following section reviews the common governance factors for adaptive capacity
from the discourses relating to resilience and related concepts of adaptive gover-
nance and adaptive management.

4.3.1 Leadership, Trust, Commitment

Olsson et al. ( 2006 ) use the criteria of 'vision, leadership, and trust', which share
some normative properties with accountability, in that an unaccountable system will
not generate trust amongst its citizens. However, there is no reason to equate vision