Systemic Approach to Water Resources Decision Making

Abstract

Decision making in water resources is very much related with the institutional water resources management framework, specific for each country.Different characteristics of hierarchical levels of decision making in a institutional water resources set up imply different sets of relations between the organizations that deal with water management.To understand these relations is absolutely necessary if changes in the water resources institutional structure are intended.A systemic analysis of these problems is presented using the metasystem paradigm approach and the similarity between decision making and control systems. The institutional water resources system in England and Wales, France, Spain and Portugal are analysed with a special focus for the Portuguese case, now in a reformulation process.Conclusions are drawn about future work on the application of metasystems paradigm to water resources management.