Toward adaptive water governance: the role of systemic feedbacks for learning and adaptation in the eastern transboundary rivers of South Africa

This paper contributes to scholarship on adaptive water governance (AWG), following policy reforms in South Africa, through a focus systemic feedbacks for learning and adaptation as critical aspects of AWG. We draw insights from three innovative evolving experiments. In 1998 Africa adopted integrated resources management (IWRM) transformative approach achieving an equitable, sustainable, decentralized stakeholder-centered governance: all hallmarks enabling environment two-decade history AWG, although not named such. Progress AWG is explored by using longitudinal, evaluative exploration cases two transboundary basins with the unfolding sustainability equity. Building previous work, we present discuss range enablers that are shown function systemically support build capacity resilience complex uncertain river systems. Crocodile Basin, meta-governance arrangements created space collaborative experimentation proved were progressively strengthened embedded social institutional arrangements. The also supported networked, blended system stakeholder- state-led platforms have co-evolved learning. Despite progress, long-term persistence action-learning appears less certain Olifants Basin cases. suggest offer home within which embed critical. need explore alternative networked explicitly manage enhance at multiple scales emphasized. conclude recommendations future work including reconciling differences between IWRM originally framed African reforms.