ORIGINAL ARTICLE Social Leaning Approach in Integrated River Basin Management-Lessons from the Langat River Basin, Malaysia

ABSTRACT While the intended objective of integrated river basin management (IRBM) is to attain sustainable development, institutional challenges behind environmentally less sensitive society to manage natural resources in a river basin are remained unexplored. Therefore, this study attempted to determine institutional challenges and understand the complexity and interconnectedness of factors affecting policy processes and outcomes of IRBM in the Langat River Basin (LRB), Malaysia using institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework, literature review, field observation and stakeholder interview. This analysis has defined three categories of action arenas of governance structure for IRBM in LRB. Action arena for newly formed river basin organization was not isolated but nested within hierarchic and polycentric Federal administrative structure which is responsible for constitutional and collective choice rules formation from beyond the river basin boundary. Action arena for individual stakeholders remained inactive in operational rules formation. As a result society remained environmentally insensitive to respond to uncertain and complex IRBM issues related to the consequences of rapid land use change, degradation and fragmentation of forest cover, water quality degradation, and disappearance of wetlands in LRB. Results of stakeholder interview revealed that 71 percent respondents were not aware of the objectives and activities of river basin organization in LRB. However, 82 percent of respondents have shown their strong interest to join social learning programme as collective choice opportunity. Therefore, social learning approach was suggested to bring change into an environmentally sensitive society. A framework for social learning was proposed to adopt into existing inter-organizational network for IRBM in LRB. Findings and recommendations of this study will be useful those who are concerned for successful IRBM implementation, strategize institutional change and further research in LRB and else where