River basin planning in Bolivia is a relatively new endeavor that is primed for innovation and learning. One important learning opportunity relates to connecting watershed planning to processes within other planning units (e.g., municipalities) that have water management implications. A second opportunity relates to integrating watershed management, with a focus on land-based interventions, and water resources management, with a focus on the use and control of surface and groundwater resources. Bolivia’s River Basin Policy and its primary planning instrument, the River Basin Master Plan (PDC in Spanish), provide the relevant innovation and learning context. Official guidance related to PDC development lacks explicit instructions related to the use of analytical tools, the definition of spatially and temporally dis-aggregated indicators to evaluate specific watershed and water management interventions, and a description of the exact way stakeholders engage in the evaluation process. This paper describes an effort to adapt the tenets of a novel planning support practice, Robust Decision Support (RDS), to the official guidelines of PDC development. The work enabled stakeholders to discern positive and negative interactions among water management interventions related to overall system performance, hydrologic risk management, and ecosystem functions; use indicators across varying spatial and temporal reference frames; and identify management strategies to improve outcomes and mitigate cross-regional or inter-sectorial conflicts.

Human decisions on water can have a wide effect, impacting rivers, ecosystems, economies, livelihoods, cultures and spiritual values. To make decisions more equitable, researchers and practitioners need to engage directly with the people affected and understand the norms, values and forms of knowledge surrounding water which underlie these decisions. The participation of people affected by the decisions, known as “stakeholders”, is deeply connected to power relations, and effective models are needed to understand these relations and enable meaningful participation for diverse stakeholders.

Multi-stakeholder participation processes in watershed management face challenges due to limited monitoring and baseline data, resulting in a lack of awareness among stakeholders about the current state of the watershed. This knowledge gap often leads to conflicts of interest, wherein the broader impacts of individual decisions are overlooked. To overcome these limitations, this paper explores the design and implementation of a Serious Game (SG) aimed at coproducing a watershed management plan at the basin scale within the specific context of the Campoalegre River basin in Colombia. By providing an interactive platform, the SG facilitates collaboration between local actors, who may be unfamiliar with existing watershed plans, and decision-makers. The goal is to create a participatory space where stakeholders can comprehend the watershed management plan structure and prioritize actions based on various climatic, social, and economic conditions. Following the application of the SG, stakeholders demonstrated an improved understanding of the basin, fostering increased participation, open debate, and the proposal of actions. These outcomes serve as valuable inputs for the implementation of water management planning policies, showcasing the potential of SGs in bridging knowledge gaps, and fostering effective multi-stakeholder engagement.

Multi-stakeholder participation processes in watershed management face challenges due to limited monitoring and baseline data, resulting in a lack of awareness among stakeholders about the current state of the watershed. This knowledge gap often leads to conflicts of interest, where the broader impacts of individual decisions are overlooked. To overcome these limitations, this paper explores the design and implementation of a Serious Game (SG) aimed at co-producing a watershed management plan at the basin scale within the specific context of the Campoalegre River basin in Colombia. By providing an interactive platform, the SG facilitates collaboration between local actors, who may be unfamiliar with existing watershed plans, and decision-makers. The goal is to create a participatory space where stakeholders can comprehend the watershed management plan structure and prioritize actions based on various climatic, social, and economic conditions. Following the application of the SGs, stakeholders demonstrated an improved understanding of the basin, fostering increased participation, open debate, and the proposal of actions. These outcomes serve as valuable inputs for the implementation of water management planning policies, showcasing the potential of SGs in bridging knowledge gaps, and fostering effective multi-stakeholder engagement.

En la cuenca alta del río Acre, compartida por Bolivia, Brasil, y Perú, las inundaciones y las sequías severas afectan recurrentemente a poblaciones urbanas y rurales. Este escenario exige traducir a términos locales los acuerdos regionales establecidos en cuencas transfronterizas, como el Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica (TCA), en acciones concretas y sostenibles implementadas directamente en los territorios. En este contexto, fortalecer la gobernanza del agua a nivel local y transfronterizo se vuelve fundamental para mejorar la resiliencia de los territorios amazónicos. Este reporte analiza el estado actual de la gobernanza hídrica en la cuenca alta del río Acre, revisando los marcos normativos de Bolivia, Brasil y Perú, así como experiencias de cooperación territorial que ofrecen lecciones para la gestión compartida de recursos naturales. El estudio examina los principales desafíos y oportunidades para avanzar hacia una gobernanza transfronteriza más efectiva en la cuenca alta del río Acre. A partir del análisis de riesgos climáticos, procesos de deforestación, marcos institucionales y experiencias de articulación regional, el documento identifica elementos clave para fortalecer la coordinación entre actores locales, nacionales y regionales. El reporte destaca que, aunque existen acuerdos regionales de cooperación y avances en el intercambio de información entre países, persisten limitaciones para traducir estos compromisos en acciones concretas dentro del territorio. La experiencia de la Iniciativa Madre de Dios–Acre–Pando (MAP) demuestra el valor de la participación comunitaria y la cooperación voluntaria, pero también evidencia la necesidad de contar con mecanismos institucionales y financieros que garanticen su sostenibilidad a largo plazo. Asimismo, el análisis muestra que Bolivia, Brasil y Perú han desarrollado enfoques distintos para la gestión del agua, con diferentes niveles de descentralización, participación social e instrumentos económicos. Estas diferencias representan desafíos para la coordinación, pero también oportunidades para construir modelos complementarios de gobernanza. Finalmente, el documento propone una serie de recomendaciones para fortalecer las plataformas locales de gobernanza existentes, mejorar la coordinación transfronteriza, promover la participación comunitaria y reforzar las capacidades de respuesta frente a riesgos climáticos. Más que crear nuevas estructuras, el estudio plantea la importancia de consolidar y articular los mecanismos ya existentes para avanzar hacia una gestión integrada y resiliente de la cuenca compartida.

Home to the headwaters and the largest portion of South American watersheds and the upper catchments of large Amazon tributaries, the Cerrado biome plays a vital role in Brazil’s surface and groundwater availability. Agribusiness expands at the cost of Cerrado’s biodiversity, leading to ever-increasing deforestation rates that favour a ‘water scarcity’ narrative despite the biome’s ‘water abundance’ potential. Water-related conservation efforts, such as the Water Producer Programme, are underway to align ecosystem services maintenance with sustainable agricultural practices in the Cerrado biome.