Final water governance learning workshop Sassari, Italy 14-16 October 2015

This report details the final Governance Learning Workshop of the Climate Adaptation and Water Governance (CADWAGO) project, held from 14-16 October 2015 in Sassari, Italy. The event brought together 35 researchers and practitioners from Europe, Australasia, and North America to discuss transforming water governance in the context of climate change. The workshop featured presentations on systemic governance praxis, a field visit to the Arborea dairy district in Sardinia, and a traditional conflict resolution simulation called 'La Rasgioni'.

• The CADWAGO project identified four primary lenses for understanding water governance: the framing of water dilemmas, institutional norms and structures, governance praxis, and governance learning.
• Research on flooding indicated that most respondents view ecosystems as dynamic and complex, preferring multisectoral leadership involving governments, industries, and non-governmental organisations. However, those not directly affected by flooding often overestimate their region's resilience.
• The project distinguishes between 'improving' water governance, which means doing things better, and 'transforming' it, which means doing better things. Achieving both requires systemic thinking and new framings of ideas to address future climate change adaptation.
• Traditional governance is described as ill-suited for complex issues like food security and climate change because these problems are ill-defined and change over time. The project suggests 'co-learning' as an alternative to traditional stakeholder participation to connect people and their environment.
• The 'Robbing Peter to Pay Paul' idiom was used to analyze how pre-existing norms distort water governance, sometimes leading to the bypassing of official power holders or the exportation of negative side effects. For example, the EU renewable energy directive led to palm oil production in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, which decreased water quality and violated smallholder farmers' human rights.
• In the Arborea case study in Sardinia, a 'La Rasgioni' (water court) simulation revealed that while the normative system is consistent with regulations, there is a critical need for better coordination between institutions and producers. Participants noted that some producers lack knowledge of institutional roles, and significant water loss occurs due to leaks in the distribution system.
• Analysis of the Arborea district highlighted a lack of representation for key voices in water governance, including fishermen, women farmers, advocacy organisations, and future generations. It was observed that gendered norms persist, with men dominating the public debate while women were relegated to the kitchen.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2015). Final water governance learning workshop Sassari, Italy 14-16 October 2015. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cadwago-final-learning-event-report.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Final water governance learning workshop Sassari, Italy 14-16 October 2015. 2015. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cadwago-final-learning-event-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Final water governance learning workshop Sassari, Italy 14-16 October 2015 |date=2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cadwago-final-learning-event-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2015final, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Final water governance learning workshop Sassari, Italy 14-16 October 2015}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cadwago-final-learning-event-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }