Interactive participation under a fragmented administration system: Watershed governance in Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract

This chapter focuses on several types of participatory mechanism currently observed in watershed management in Zhejiang Province. The watershed roundtable mechanism is a new mechanism with aims similar to that used for Taihu Lake Basin initiated by an expert team; however, there are now diverse types of roundtable meetings in the province. In particular, after the provincial water policy called the Five Water Collaborative Governance was issued, new forms of roundtable meetings have been launched. The Our Water Roundtable, which was organized by an environmental nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Hangzhou City, and the Tie Sha River roundtable, organized by an environmental voluntary group founded by the Environmental Protection Bureau and the Communist Youth League of Hangzhou City, focused on the river issues. This chapter discusses how to lead successful interactive participation, which means one interactive form emerged in this region, beyond the consultative authoritarianism in China, and reviews the processes and characteristics of these roundtables.