Stakeholder Engagement around Water Governance: 30 Years of Decision-Making in the Bogotá River Basin

Abstract

Effective stakeholder engagement is vital for sustainable water management in the Bogotá River Basin, which faces serious environmental and socio-economic challenges, including water scarcity, pollution, and inequitable distribution. Engaging diverse stakeholders can promote shared decision-making, identify common goals, and enhance the implementation of sustainable water governance strategies. Taking this into account, this research evaluates multi-stakeholder engagement in the Bogotá River Basin in Colombia over the past 30 years to promote sustainable water management in the face of current global challenges. The research methodology includes a desk-based and systematic review, as well as policy analysis using descriptive and quantitative methods. With the use of MAXQDA software, we identified 74 national, regional, and local policies focused on stakeholder engagement for water management in Colombia, which were narrowed down to 22 documents for the Bogotá River Basin. The policy analysis is based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicator for Principle 10 to self-assess the level of legal framework implementation and stakeholder engagement. The self-assessment pointed out that despite the strong legal background and the enhancement of stakeholder engagement via formal and informal participatory mechanisms in the first stages of policy-making, there is a lack of engagement in the evaluation and follow-up phases, leading to box-ticking mechanisms. The findings suggest that effective stakeholder engagement needs to be comprehensive in policy-making processes, especially in the evaluation and follow-up stages. Moreover, the river basin’s management can improve by making a clear disclosure about the outcomes of participatory processes. This research concludes that promoting shared decision-making, identifying common goals, and enhancing the implementation of sustainable water management strategies can greatly benefit the Bogotá River Basin. These efforts can lead to more effective and efficient use of water resources and ultimately contribute to a healthier and more sustainable environment.