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Abstract:
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"In developed countries a social learning approach has been shown to support Integrated
Water Resources Management (IWRM) by fostering stakeholders understanding of system complexity,
recognition of mutual dependence, appreciation of others perspectives, and development of the capacity
to work together and to create mutual trust. Much less is known about social learnings potential in less
developed small island states, particularly postconflict island states, where integration must navigate
prescriptive management, limited resources, widely differing world views, a history of adversarial
relationships, and unsuccessful attempts at government-community collaboration. This paper analyzes the
transformative aspects of a social learning experience that occurred during research facilitating participatory
integrated catchment management in the Pacific. The study elicited community and expert knowledge to
create systems understanding to generate and analyze complex scenarios for integrated catchment risk
assessment in the Kongulai catchment, Solomon Islands. Separate sequenced and then combined discussions
led to facilitated exploration of others subjective assessment of catchment risks and management options.
Issues of transparency, trust, accountability, and mutual responsibility were explored in carefully created
discursive spaces, assisted by the immediacy of personal contact and the absence of complex bureaucratic
structures. Despite historical difficulties, through the use of bridging individuals, participants were generally
able to transcend the constraints of their individual knowledge cultures, expand awareness and appreciation
of the complexity of human-environment systems for IWRM, and envisage new opportunities for
productively working together in integrated catchment management."
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