Depicting Rubin’s Vase or Faces: Clarifying the Practical Value of Integrated Water Resource Management

Abstract

This paper responds to the significant challenges to Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and clarifies its practical value as a theoretical framework. Through thorough theoretical analysis, this paper examines how IWRM can be applied to distinguish water resource management (WRM) as an observable domain with an open boundary and foster sustainable ecosystem management by emphasizing the functional differentiation of WRM. Compared to the examination made solely from the WRM perspective, an IWRM perspective can better develop the structural complexity of the WRM domain and help expose misunderstandings regarding integration issues. Most importantly, IWRM is not merely an explanatory theoretical framework but also a defensive one. It can facilitate structural coupling between WRM and other domains to reduce conflicts and enable concerted action. However, this role of IWRM has been overlooked for a long time.