The Common Pool Resource Heatmap: A Tool to Drive Changes in Water Law and Governance

Anticipated water-related impacts of climate change heighten the need for tools supporting proactive efforts to address current and future conflicts involving water. Analysing a regulatory framework for a water resource using Ostrom's (1990) Common Pool Resource (CPR) theory can assist in identifying regulatory weaknesses that may contribute to deterioration of the resource and conflicts between resource users. Equally, adopting adaptive management to transform the regulatory context can also have positive effects. However, if incentives drive resource extractor behaviours, a tool to communicate these initiatives with stakeholders, including state actors, could assist. This article presents the 'CPR heat map' to assist with efforts to drive changes in water governance. An example of the CPR heatmap is presented involving the governance of groundwater in the Surat Cumulative Management Area, Queensland, Australia. This example shows how perceived weaknesses and strengths of the governance framework can be illustrated. It also shows how initiatives that are transforming water governance can be presented to drive social learning. The CPR heat map illustrates the collective nature of the resource system and how to potentially resolve and manage water-related conflict. This research has implications for how we approach conflict involving water and may be also relevant for managing other CPRs.

Automated summary

The article discusses the importance of proactive tools to address water-related conflicts in the face of anticipated impacts of climate change. By analyzing water resource regulatory frameworks using Ostrom's Common Pool Resource theory, weaknesses that could contribute to resource deterioration and conflicts can be identified. The introduction of the 'CPR heat map' is proposed as a tool to drive changes in water governance, with the example of groundwater governance in Queensland illustrating how weaknesses and strengths of governance frameworks can be identified and initiatives for transformation can be presented to drive social learning.