Abstract
The intimate coupling between the biophysical environment and human societies makes sustainable watershed management a true challenge. Given the multi-actor context characterizing water resource use, careful analysis of social relationships in community-based networks paves the way for pinpointing the main challenges impeding co-management. The present study was accordingly an attempt to identify structural relationships between local stakeholders involved in watershed management in the Taleghan, applying the social network analysis (SNA) method. Results show that network cohesion, sustainability, and social capital are all low. Low levels of co-management and high tension and conflict between stakeholders allude to the probability of water network breakdown. This study provides a noble framework to identify key actors in water resource management and practical recommendations are given for improving the sustainable management of water resources.
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Ebrahimiazarkharan, F., Ghorbani, M., Malekian, A., Bressers, H.T.A. (2020). Analyzing Stakeholders’ Network to Water Resources Co-management at a Watershed Scale: A Case Study from the Taleghan Watershed in Iran. In: Fischer, M., Ingold, K. (eds) Networks in Water Governance. Palgrave Studies in Water Governance: Policy and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46769-2_9
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