Abstract
This research aims to explore an emergence of river governance in Incheon, South Korea, in relation to the Incheon Stream Restoration Project from 2003 to 2010. The purpose of the project is to restore local streams in Incheon for improvement of ecological restoration, water quality, flood prevention, and waterfront amenities for local residents. The project epitomizes the ethos of river governance through accommodation of views from various stakeholders, such as the government, nongovernmental organizations, local residents, and experts through establishment of the Stream Restoration Propulsion Group (SRPG). The enactment of the Special Ordinance for the SRPG has served to help the governance system work in the project. The interim assessment of the project in terms of river governance and ecological restoration indicates that the project has achieved a good degree of river governance coupled with a limited range of ecological restoration. The key to the success of the project hinges upon a continuous collaboration between the stakeholders to achieve river restoration, particularly political bargaining between the government and the other stakeholders.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude towards the Stream Restoration Propulsion Group in Incheon for its kindness in making this research possible. This research has been funded by the Incheon Regional Environment and Technical Development Center and the Sustainable Water Resources Research Center of the Korean Twenty-First Century Frontier Research Program (Grant Code:1-0-3).
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Lee, S., Choi, GW. Governance in a River Restoration Project in South Korea: The Case of Incheon. Water Resour Manage 26, 1165–1182 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9952-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9952-5