ABSTRACT
The previous 12 chapters have described a broad array of circumstances in which water is managed by different communities with different objectives and at different scales. This chapter seeks to draw some common lessons from this diverse experience and to use them to contextualize some of the current debates about what constitutes better water management. The chapter also offers some final reflections on the IWRM approach itself, looking both backwards at the evolution of the concept and forwards towards the challenges that lie ahead, in particular the complexities of applying the approach in practice amid the ongoing challenges of participation and adaptation.
