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Government, Society, and Science in IWRM In South Africa33stakeholder groups. However, this is unavoidableif the final outcome is to be sustainable in the longterm.It is also important to note that good governancerequires a systems approach that is based on theinclusion and inter-dependence of all its componentsand every segment of society (Figure 2). Eachof the principles listed above needs to be includedand integrated into a coherent system; none ofthem should be ignored, avoided, or diminished.The effectiveness of a given governance systemdoes not depend on the extent to which one or moreof these principles are included, but rather on thedegree to which each principle can be customizedto suit local circumstances and then integratedinto a coherent whole.DiscussionIt is significant that the IWRM approaches incountries with more mature democracies tendto include a wider range of positions locatedtowards the lower right-hand quadrant of Figure1; countries with less mature or emergingdemocracies tend to occupy narrower positions,located closer to the upper left-hand quadrant.This distinction also emphasizes the differencesbetween the needs of developing countries, orthose with fledgling democracies—where the levelof infrastructural development may be inadequatefor sustainable development to take place—andthose of more developed countries with moremature democracies, where the transition froman agricultural or resource-based economy to anindustrialized economy has already taken place.The key role of the science cluster within theproposed Trialogue model (Figure 2) is to gather,interrogate, and integrate knowledge and informationinto forms that provide useful and practicalguidance to society and government. Importantly,the science cluster is seen to include the naturalsciences, life sciences, and social sciences, togetherwith their underpinning disciplines and philosophies.Taken together, the effective structuringand functioning of the science cluster provides thetechnical core of human ingenuity that underpinsthe abilities of society and government to adapt towhatever circumstances prevail in their environment(Homer-Dixon 1995, Ohlsson 1999). This isperhaps most clearly seen as the technology baseof a country’s economy, allowing it to become locallyrelevant and globally competitive.ConclusionsThose societies that are characterized byeffective and harmonious interactions between thescience, society, and government clusters appearto be more likely to achieve the ideals of IWRMin socially acceptable ways that promote politicalstability. Clearly too, the success of the interactionsbetween each of these clusters depends on effectiveand trustworthy inter-personal relationshipsbetween individuals within each of the clusters,where individuals and institutions share theirknowledge and experiences in a unified learningsystem (Roux et al. 2006). This will allow allparticipants to move beyond their traditional rolesof knowledge provider and knowledge consumer,to a true partnership where inter-dependencies arerecognized, and all parties can negotiate feasible,desirable and acceptable outcomes (Roux et al.2006).The proposed ‘Trialogue’ model of governance(Figure 2) provides a useful conceptual modelthat highlights the need for lasting partnershipsbetween government, civil society, and scienceto promote shared understanding, responsibledecision-making, and collective responsibilityfor prudent water resource management—thehallmark of IWRM. These partnerships alsorequire each group to accept the need for formalgovernance structures, processes and instrumentsthat complement and strengthen an underpinningphilosophy of co-operation. In turn, for these tobe truly effective, all stakeholders must understandthe multidimensional nature of governance andtheir individual roles and responsibilities. Takentogether, the five principles of good governancepromoted by the European Union (2001) provide auseful ‘blueprint’ for building and guiding effectiveand responsible interactions between stakeholders.This blueprint forms the core of South Africa’sapproach to IWRM.The water sector reforms in South Africaprovided the catalyst for the government to adoptnew and more inclusive approaches to IWRM,based on a long-term vision of the equitable andsustainable use of the country’s water resources.JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY WATER RESEARCH & EDUCATIONUCOWR