Beyond the basin: Water security in transboundary environments

Abstract

Water security has emerged as a leading framework for water governance that integrates socio-politico-economic and physical attributes and is readily operationalized. Yet, in transboundary river basins it is unclear to what extent water-security framings have any resonance. We examine how water security has been employed in transboundary water research over the past decade. We find a water-security framing bolsters established governance approaches at the river-basin scale, but also advances new avenues that (1) re-examine the scope of local, national and non-state governance capacity or (2) extend beyond river-basin boundaries and outside the water sector. We examine conceptual and scalar challenges and limitations for transboundary water-security applications and highlight opportunities to expand beyond the river-basin as the dominant focus for transboundary water governance.