ABSTRACT
REACHING CONSENSUS on water resource projects may require a new style of leadership. As these case studies illustrate, only leaders who promote public learning can overcome distrust, uncertainty, and doubt. They must deal with representation issues, process design, and how to connect scientific and public learning with adaptive management by specialized agencies. These water resource problems are fraught with scientific and political uncertainty that demands an interdisciplinary, adaptive approach to leadership and problem solving (Lee 1993). Such an approach may bridge the gaps between scientific learning, public learning, management, and policymaking to produce feasible solutions.
