Learning to share: How a network with diverse goals changed the way the Colorado River Delta is governed

The Colorado River Delta ecosystem forms the border between Baja California and Sonora, Mexico just before the Colorado River is supposed to flow into the Gulf of California. The Colorado River, however, no longer regularly meets the Sea of Cortez due to diversions to cities and farms throughout the Southwest United States and Northern Mexico. The Delta nevertheless clings to life, relying mainly on accidental water releases from dams upstream, treated wastewater effluent, and agricultural return flows to sustain the important wetland ecosystem.

Decisions affecting management of the Colorado River Delta traditionally fall under the direction of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The IBWC manages all water resources jointly governed by the United States and Mexico. Increased concern for the health of the Colorado River Delta, however, brought together individuals from U.S. and Mexican nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with the shared goal of restoring the ecosystem. The network's efforts culminated in the signing of Minute 319 to the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. Signed in November 2012, this novel agreement allows for water sharing between the U.S. and Mexico and creates new flows to preserve the Colorado River Delta ecosystem.

In an article published in the Review of Policy Research, Andrea K. Gerlak from the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona assesses the network's role in catalyzing cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to modify management of the Colorado River Delta. Gerlak first reviews international relations literature about transnational networks (i.e. what these networks look like, and how they have changed over time) and public policy research about how networks generally shape collaborative governance of water resources. She then focuses specifically on Colorado River Delta. She boosts understanding of how a network helped move governance toward restoration based on science and public participation by synthesizing primary documents, secondary literature and interviews.

Gerlak finds that networks serve three basic functions when shaping governance: (1) information sharing, (2) capacity building, and (3) rule setting.

Information sharing involves gathering the knowledge necessary to inform and motivate decision makers to include restoration goals within management strategies. For instance, the network in the Colorado River Delta conducts scientific research about how to best restore the ecosystem, and carries out ongoing monitoring to evaluate the effects. Information gained through this process is shared with decision makers through reports and articles. The network uses these strategies to guide the IBWC towards goals of science-based restoration.

Capacity building is closely aligned with information sharing. The network offers technical experience to the IBWC, a traditionally bureaucratic and centralized management organization that has not previously focused on environmental protection of the Delta. Nongovernmental organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Sonoran Institute, and PRONATURA, are experts in environmental restoration. Together these organizations provide the agency with the expertise necessary to implement restoration activities.

Lastly, Gerlak finds that the most important role played by networks is rule setting. To shift the governance system of the Colorado River Delta to one characterized by public participation and science-based restoration, the network secured positions at the negotiation table alongside state actors. There, representatives of environmental NGOs facilitated cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to create an agreement that not only meets the water needs of both nations, but also promotes ecosystem health of the Colorado River Delta. 

Gerlak's review of transboundary networks and water governance in the Colorado River Delta contributes to the field's understanding of how NGOs and local stakeholders can interact and successfully change the way decisions are made.