From Theory to Practice: Implementing Resilience, Adaptation and Drivers of Change Frameworks in Water Basin Management
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 30
Special Issue Editors
Interests: ecological economics; environmental governance; water and sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: climate change adaptation; science–policy–practice interfaces; environmental governance; sustainability transitions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Water basins are currently facing unprecedented challenges caused by climate change, resource development pressures, and socio-economic transitions. While the concepts of resilience, adaptation, and drivers of change (RAD) have gained theoretical attention in water research, studies on the nexus between them and their practical implementation in management frameworks remain limited. This Special Issue specifically focuses on bridging the gap between theory and practice in water basin governance. We welcome contributions that demonstrate how RAD concepts can be integrated and operationalized through management tools, governance reforms, decision-support systems, and on-ground implementation strategies. Papers should move beyond conceptual discussions to provide evidence-based approaches, practical case studies, evaluation metrics, and implementation pathways that enable water managers and policymakers to embed RAD thinking into everyday practice. By emphasizing real-world applications across diverse global contexts, this Special Issue aims to accelerate the transition from theoretical RAD frameworks to actionable management approaches that enhance the sustainability and resilience of water basins in the face of increasing uncertainty.
Dr. Leonie J. Pearson
Guest Editor
Dr. Josephine Mummery
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- resilience implementation
- adaptive management
- practical applications
- water governance
- social-ecological systems
- management tools
- operational frameworks
- decision-support
- policy reform
- evaluation metrics
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