Eastern Amazon State Councils of Water Resources: assessment of fragilities and proposition of the REPARE strategy for strengthening representation, participation, and representativeness

Abstract

The effectiveness of the State Councils of Water Resources (CERHs) depends on the legitimacy of representation and the capacity to promote participation and representativeness in water governance. In the Eastern Amazon, this structure faces specific challenges arising from territorial and institutional inequalities that hinder democratic functioning within these collegiate bodies. This study aimed to identify the fragilities that compromise the representation, participation, and representativeness of the CERHs in the Eastern Amazon and to propose strategies for their strengthening. The research employed a qualitative approach, of the descriptive and exploratory kind, based on an extensive documentary survey conducted through the institutional websites of water resources management agencies in five states (Amapá, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Tocantins). Fifteen variables were grouped into three analytical categories—representation, participation, and representativeness—from which a situational overview of the five Councils was constructed. The results revealed fifteen recurrent structural fragilities, including the absence of parity among sectors, low participation among women and traditional peoples and communities, limited dialogue between representatives and those represented, and scarce or inaccessible information. A methodological instrument called the “REPARE Strategy” (Representation, Participation and Representativeness) was developed in order to propose institutional and normative mechanisms to improve water governance in the Eastern Amazon.