ENHANCING WATER SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH UNIVERSITY POLICY COLLABORATIONS: EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS FROM RESEARCHERS AND DECISION MAKERS

摘要

Water resource decision making is becoming increasingly complex and uncertain because of the changing dynamics of urbanization, land use change, technology, consumer behavior, and climate variability. It is also becoming clear that the experiences of the last half century will be inadequate for planning under such complexity and uncertainty. Thus, a fundamental task in water management and planning is to understand these changes and to develop effective actions for the future. One promising approach is collaboration between university researchers and water managers. Like any collaboration, the success of such ventures depends on building relationships of trust and open communications among the participating individuals and institutions.