International River Basin Organizations Lost in Translation? Transboundary River Basin Governance Between Science and Policy

Abstract

Successfully governing water resources requires sound scientific understanding of the watercourse and the challenges it is facing. This is particularly important in transboundary watercourses due to the additional layer of complexity added when water resources transcend the politico-administrative boundaries of nation states. River Basin Organizations (RBOs) established for addressing such transboundary challenges have, however, not always been successful in linking scientific knowledge to policy decisions concerning the sustainable development of the river basins. This has implications for the overall effectiveness of river basin governance and the long-term sustainable development of the watercourse. This chapter analyzes the science-policy-link in RBOs. It finds that the strength of the science-policy-link varies considerably across RBOs, depending not only on the scientific knowledge provided by the RBO but also on the design of the RBO as well as the mechanisms it provides to its members for addressing the basin’s challenges.