Governance of Groundwater Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs in Gauteng, South Africa: An Institutional Analysis

Abstract

"The governance of groundwater ecosystem services and trade-offs is still poorly understood. The highly urbanized South African province Gauteng currently faces problems of groundwater over-abstraction and pollution. Population growth, economic development and climate change impacts contribute to an increasing risk of crisis. Groundwater trade-offs between diverse user sectors with conflicting resources interests are apparent. The South African National Water Act makes sophisticated provisions for ecosystem services and trade-offs that are not always effective in practice. The paper thus asks the question: How are groundwater ecosystem service trade-offs governed in practice in Gauteng? The paper offers answers to this question through a review of relevant literature and the qualitative analysis of 41 interviews conducted with experts from the government, science, and society. The results confirm that formal institutions are frequently ineffective, and applied and enforced in a biased manner, prioritizing socio-economic development over environmental sustainability. The analysis of informal institutions and their interplay with formal ones unveils deep-seated reasons for the ineffectiveness of current groundwater governance. Four informal institutions in terms of socially shared expectations have been identified that compete with formal institutions. In contrast, networks from the informal realm enhance the effectiveness of formal institutions and governance. While self-regulation and networking need to be fostered, governance through a hierarchical command-and-control approach is preferred and market mechanisms are generally met with suspicion by civil society. The paper argues that a holistic approach and political will is needed for translating existing formal institutions into social practice while unlocking the potential of civil society. Mainstreaming the concept of ecosystem services and related trade-offs into the groundwater governance discourse and practice, as well as the consideration of informal institutions, can lead to improved decision-making and more effective and sustainable groundwater governance."