Stakeholder integration predicts better outcomes from groundwater sustainability policy
A study of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act reveals that integrating diverse stakeholders into groundwater sustainability plans leads to better protection for domestic wells and groundwater‑dependent ecosystems. Findings highlight uneven protection across user groups and emphasize the importance of inclusive, data‑driven water governance.
Subject Tags
- Policy, Finance, and Markets
- Groundwater
Abstract
Natural resources policies that promote sustainable management are critical for protecting diverse stakeholders against depletion. Although integrating diverse stakeholders into these policies has been theorized to improve protection, empirical evidence is lacking. Here, we evaluate 108 Sustainability Plans under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to quantify how well stakeholders are integrated into plans and protected from groundwater depletion. We find that the majority of Sustainability Plans do not integrate or protect the majority of their stakeholders. Nevertheless, our results show that when stakeholders are more integrated into a Sustainability Plan, they are more likely to be protected, particularly for those that lack formal access to decision-making processes. Our findings provide strong empirical evidence that integrating diverse stakeholders into sustainability planning is beneficial for stakeholders who are vulnerable to the impacts of natural resource depletion.
Citation
Perrone, D., Rohde, M. M., Hammond Wagner, C., Anderson, R., Arthur, S., Atume, N., ... & Remson, E. J. (2023). Stakeholder integration predicts better outcomes from groundwater sustainability policy. Nature Communications, 14(1), 3793.
TNC Authors
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Melissa Rohde
The Nature Conservancy