Water management is never simple. Different interests often overlap, and sometimes clash, around the same rivers and resources. Finding common ground among these competing needs is essential for sustainable governance.
In our new study, we looked at how collaboration between stakeholders can be better understood by mapping them as multilayer networks. This approach shows how shared interests create synergies, while conflicting ones create trade-offs, and how these patterns influence who holds power in decision-making. Studying two Finnish river basins, we found that most stakeholder relationships are actually based on synergies, not conflicts. That’s a hopeful sign for cooperative water management. Our method also provides a new way to anticipate challenges and support more effective collaboration in the future.
Banafa, T., Eräranta, S., Yletyinen, J., Pihlajamäki, M., Keskinen, M. Collaborative water resources management: A multilayer social network analysis,
Journal of Hydrology, 2025, 134335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134335.
Human-Environment Complexity Lab 