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River Law and Governance

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  • First Online:
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Synonyms

River; River Basin; River Governance; International Watercourse; Water Governance; Internal Water Law

Introduction

Rivers were the center of human civilizations and have always been a crucial and precious natural resource for human survival and development. River basins cover almost half of the earth’s surface and are sources of around 60 % of world’s freshwater flows. Rivers are also home to 40 % of the world’s population. Currently, there are 276 transboundary lakes and rivers worldwide, although only 40 % of them are governed by agreements. Where agreements exist, 80 % involve only two countries, although there are other states which may also be part of the river or watercourse in question (“UN Watercourses Convention Online User’s Guide-United Nations Watercourses Convention Enters into Force”). Rivers do not regard political boundaries, and therefore whenever a river crosses political boundaries of states, the question of utilization and management of the river becomes...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. China International Water Law (CIWL), School of Law, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China

    Nabaat Tasnima Mahbub

Authors
  1. Nabaat Tasnima Mahbub
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Correspondence to Nabaat Tasnima Mahbub .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Mahbub, N.T. (2016). River Law and Governance. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2503-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2503-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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